Don't Be Afraid to Walk in Others' Shoes

When we decide to walk into another person's shoes, we must be willing to walk through the good, the bad, and the trauma. It is easy to judge someone from afar and say you'll do it better when everything is peaches and cream, but what happens when things get complicated? Do we have the skin to endure what the other person has endured? Are we willing to sacrifice the same things? Do we have the strength to overcome what they have?

Unfortunately, when we think we would have done things better or just different, it is easy to make assumptions and feel entitled to judge a person. The problem is that we would never know how we will react in a determinate situation because our experiences in life and characters are different from each other. We are quick to say, "she is in that condition because she got herself into it, but do we know all the insight and details of what happened? Do we know what circumstances make a person react how they did before we judged them so harshly?

Sadly, we are so used to retaliating against the fallen that we don't even care to investigate more of what made them fall. Instead of looking for ways to uplift and rehabilitate them, we rub their mistakes on their faces; as if we were better than them. This behavior has to change; we should be more empathetic and treat others with respect. We should practice putting ourselves in others' shoes to discover the root of their behavior or actions. We are all in the same World, but we do not experience the same situations and do not have the same resources or strengths.

Today, I invite you to walk in the other person's shoes whenever you feel entitled to criticize or judge someone. Don't be afraid to walk in others' shoes. It will help you exercise kindness, and it will help you be an agent of change. Taking the time to walk in the other person's shoes will provide you with an advantage that nobody else will have and a different perspective on that other person's life.