Walk a mile in their shoes - part I

 Walk a Mile in His/Her  Shoes

https://grammarist.com/phrase/walk-a-mile-in-someone-elses-shoes/

From Grammarist.com (see link above):

“The admonition to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes means before judging someone, you must understand his experiences, challenges, thought processes, etc. The full idiom is: Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes. In effect, it is a reminder to practice empathy.

The Original was from a Poem by Mary T. Lathrap - “Judge Softly”

Here are the first three stanzas of that poem (Judge Softly)

“Pray, don’t find fault with the man that limps,

Or stumbles along the road.

Unless you have worn the moccasins he wears,

Or stumbled beneath the same load.

There may be tears in his soles that hurt

Though hidden away from view.

The burden he bears placed on your back

May cause you to stumble and fall, too.

Don’t sneer at the man who is down today

Unless you have felt the same blow

That caused his fall or felt the shame

That only the fallen know.

*****

I can’t really understand another person!!  I have trouble understanding myself!!! <smile>

Yes, I may make comments about others - such as President Trump - but the reality is that I really don’t know enough about the job of being president that I really can not judge.  His exterior seems to be rough, he seems to attack people (‘ad hominem”), he seems to act like a bully.  But, all of those, I put a ‘weasel’ word with - “seems”.

BUT … I have NOT walked a mile in his shoes.  I don’t understand him, I have not lived the life he lives.  I don’t have property around the globe.  I am in a different world.  

First - I really can’t judge him.  “Do not judge lest you be judged.” Matthew 7:1-3 says “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

James 4:12 adds this “There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

But, in life, I ‘have to’ make judgments.  Maybe it is as simple as choosing brand A over brand B in two different brands of toothpaste.  Maybe it is a judgment as to which music I should listen to today (normally, it is my playlist “Upbeat Classics” - but I do have others).

I mentioned last week about selecting a candidate for the Presidential Election for fall.  Option 1: I can skip the election; Option 2: I can close my eyes and go “eeny, meeny, minny mo” and just select one of the candidates; or Option2 do my ‘due diligence’ research and select the person and the team that I think meets my values.  I will try NOT to select a candidate because I “like” or “don’t like” that person (team).  

Last week, I ‘hurt’ an old friend who thought I was too harsh on the President.  I’m sorry I came off “heavy-handed”.  I thought I was doing the analysis based on the Canadian professor who was suggesting that “American was unraveling”.  (TW - I am sorry).  

And, yes, I am not perfect (by any measure) and I realize that I’m not a good judge!!!

So, let me walk a mile in President Trump’s shoes and in former Vice President Biden’s shoes - and, yes, I will realize that I lack the knowledge to understand the complexities of that office.

*****

While not exactly germane, I want to tell a joke about understanding.

A man was walking alone and praying on a deserted California beach.  An angel appeared to him and said “You have found favor with God and he will grant you one wish”.

The man thought a minute “I wish for a bridge between California and Hawaii”

Immediately, the angel stopped him.  “No, that just won’t work.  That would take all the concrete in the world, it would put up barriers for the migrating whales, it might cause climate change.  No, you have to have a second wish”

The man pondered more and then asked the angel.  “My wish is to fully understand my wife, to be able to love her fully.”

The angel replied ‘Do you want the bridge to be two-lane or four-lane?”

The moral of the story is that it is almost impossible to understand another human being - and while we love our spouses, it still is almost impossible to understand them.

Walking a mile in their shoes - try to understand where they are coming from - see what makes sense.

Hugs!!  Love Wins!!!

Karen.