How can I use self-awareness to better understand myself and others?
The more you genuinely understand yourself the more you start understanding others.
The basic psychological and spiritual structure is similar in most people, especially in those who are trying to increase the goodness that they have within themselves.
You have to become open towards accepting your needs such as having more peace, having honour in this world as well as the next, attainment of a high position in Paradise, attainment of Divine pleasure and forgiveness, having contentment with whatever is decreed by God, increase in love for God and faith, having a resemblance to the ideal human (the Holy Prophet ﷺ for a Muslim), spiritual progress, attainment of Divine knowledge and wisdom, having Divine mercy and grace bestowed upon oneself and others, acceptance of all good prayers, becoming a means of guidance and goodness for others, beauty in all kinds of good deeds and acts of worship, having an exceptional character, attainment of lawful wealth, having a good spouse, mutual love and respect in the family and society, love in the hearts of good people and fear in the hearts of enemies, ability to do more good, desire to lead a life of well-being, ability to be grateful, and so on from a positive perspective.
You will also want protection from all evil, difficulties, calamities, the fire of hell, Divine displeasure, Divine punishment, Divine wrath, illness, family disputes, bad death, pain, dishonour, sins, poverty, ingratitude, dissatisfaction, loss of faith, withdrawal of the good that one already has, protection from dangerous insects and animals, protection from what one fears, and so on from a negative perspective.
Once you accept it genuinely and make sincere prayers for it in a manner that a beggar begs from a rich person then you’ll see that everybody else, in essence, also wants the same. Even if they haven’t realised it yet. It makes it easy to understand others.
A person becomes very kind towards others after having this realisation. Such a person only tries to do good to himself and to others.
