Step into their shoes
Many times in life there are things which because of being used to, we end up thinking they are just meant to be there or to be part of our life. There is a statement often used, 'Familiarity breeds contempt' which really rings true. Just because something is part and parcel of your environment does not make it normal to each and every person.
A few months ago I was watching a comedy show in which a famous South African comedian was narrating how a certain African country had built a mall where the first escalator in that country had been put.He went on to mention how families would actually go to the mall to visit not for any other reason but to be able to use the escalator which they had never seen before. The audience packed up laughing because it seemed so ludicrous that people would actually do this. While watching the show at home, I did laugh because of how he put it...but it got me thinking (as most things around me do :).
Though it was something which was making us laugh, this was actually coming from a place where we are now so used to using escalators that we might not even remember what it was like before we used them. Some might have never been exposed to a time when there were no escalators. To those people the escalator was a BIG thing because it was something new. In order to understand how their experience was like, you need to take time to look at how you personally reacted to something which you had never been exposed to before...something which was somehow inconceivable. When you do such this will enable you to see things through the same lens as the person in that situation. This is how you "step into someone's shoes."
Less than an hour ago (at around 16:30) I heard something on the news headlines which made me write this post. Somalia has had its first ATM installed. One might wonder why this would be newsworthy, but in line with the example I gave above...one needs to step into their shoes in order to see the significance of such a development. ATMs are so ubiquitous (all around us) that we no longer see anything which can make us go 'wow!' This is however a significant milestone for them as such infrastructure has never been part of their landscape- due to the ensuing conflict in this country.
In life we always need to be able to 'step into other people's shoes' in order for us to understand what they are going through. This is what is referred as empathy. Being able to possess this quality of stepping into other people's shoes is what will enable your interactions with those in your environment worthwhile. Things which you might have easily dismissed as unimportant or insignificant will take on a different form when you step into their shoes.
A few months ago I was watching a comedy show in which a famous South African comedian was narrating how a certain African country had built a mall where the first escalator in that country had been put.He went on to mention how families would actually go to the mall to visit not for any other reason but to be able to use the escalator which they had never seen before. The audience packed up laughing because it seemed so ludicrous that people would actually do this. While watching the show at home, I did laugh because of how he put it...but it got me thinking (as most things around me do :).
Though it was something which was making us laugh, this was actually coming from a place where we are now so used to using escalators that we might not even remember what it was like before we used them. Some might have never been exposed to a time when there were no escalators. To those people the escalator was a BIG thing because it was something new. In order to understand how their experience was like, you need to take time to look at how you personally reacted to something which you had never been exposed to before...something which was somehow inconceivable. When you do such this will enable you to see things through the same lens as the person in that situation. This is how you "step into someone's shoes."
Less than an hour ago (at around 16:30) I heard something on the news headlines which made me write this post. Somalia has had its first ATM installed. One might wonder why this would be newsworthy, but in line with the example I gave above...one needs to step into their shoes in order to see the significance of such a development. ATMs are so ubiquitous (all around us) that we no longer see anything which can make us go 'wow!' This is however a significant milestone for them as such infrastructure has never been part of their landscape- due to the ensuing conflict in this country.
In life we always need to be able to 'step into other people's shoes' in order for us to understand what they are going through. This is what is referred as empathy. Being able to possess this quality of stepping into other people's shoes is what will enable your interactions with those in your environment worthwhile. Things which you might have easily dismissed as unimportant or insignificant will take on a different form when you step into their shoes.
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