Daily Meditation: Monday, January 18, 2016

putting yourself in the situation of others - an exercise to do every day

01/18/2016

People do not spontaneously put themselves in the situation of those around them. This is how so many errors of judgment and so much injustice and cruelty arise. When you are about to give your opinion of someone, ask yourself what you know of their situation. Before criticizing and accusing them, make an effort at least for a few minutes to put yourself in their place: you might then realize that, if you were in their situation, you would behave ten times worse than them.
 It is worth trying to put yourself in the position of people who are unpleasant to you and whom you are always ready to blame. By practicing this just a few minutes each day, you will acquire qualities of patience, understanding, gentleness and generosity, all of which will certainly benefit you, and them too.