It's good to be reminded every once in a while that it's difficult for us to know what the other people around us are going through, or why they're going through it, or what will best help them get through it.
One of the best ways to avoid falling victim to any assumptions, particularly when one would prefer to believe that the people around them are just idiots, is to ask myself whether I've done anything similar, and if so to ask myself why I did that something similar and what reasons I had. Even if I haven't done anything similar, trying to think of reasons why I might do something similar can have the same effect. Doing this often enough will make it a more natural pattern of thought - I'm not quite there yet, myself, but I'd like to be.
I think that sort of empathy is an important habit to get into. There are situations where it still needs to be tempered with pragmatism, certainly. But when the only consequence it's going to have is whether you are viewing the others around you in a positive light or a negative light, I think the former is a much better way to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment