No one looks at the shining moon and values it less because of its scars and craters. Nor do we hold an infant and criticize it for not be able to sing. We don't close our eyes to the wise sage because he needs a cane to walk.
Each of us are flawed creatures. We have good points and bad points, strengths and frailties. As we age, the frailties multiply, but wisdom, hopefully, grows. It is as if the body and conscious self exist on opposite trajectories. Eventually, if we live out long lives, we become mostly a long collection of memories, including a lifetime of insights. At the same time, our body will be at the brink of failure. Death will soon arrive. Yet, the unique value of such ancient wisdom can only be understood to exist in the ancient vessel.
To be content, you need to recognize and accept yourself as a whole being whose positive qualities could not exist without the negative ones. Why? Because that is how they have manifested themselves in the world. There is no other human being like you, and your unique physicality and age are inextricably woven into who you are. There could not be one without the other because that combination does not exist, and never will. It is this understanding of your unique nature that allows for a feeling of love and acceptance to be directed inwardly.
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