Human beings—these two‑legged creatures that we are—can be expected to be anything. We are a remarkable combination of flaw and virtue, or in religious language, a blend of lowly clay and divine spirit. Perhaps we strive to reduce our flaws and increase our virtues.

But we cannot escape imperfections and shortcomings.

The Jungian shadow is always with us: greed, envy, excess, selfishness, self‑centeredness… The seven deadly sins may well be seven expressions of our dark side. If we are all more or less like this, then it is better to look at ourselves and others with compassion. Let us accept humanity and its flaws, for acceptance is the condition of change.

Let us value effort and hope.

Let us not call failure and mistakes a catastrophe.

And let us continue on our path—

toward reducing our flaws,

toward better understanding people,

toward acceptance, forgiveness,

and commitment to growth.