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Thursday, May 24, 2007

Things Are Not Always Black or White

I got this from my freind. I thought it is something good to share as we cannot always expect the same from other people.

When I was in elementary school, I got into a major argument with a boy in my class.... I have forgotten what the argument was about, but I have never forgotten the lesson I learned that day.

I was convinced that "I" was right and "he" was wrong ... and he was just as convinced that "I" was wrong and "he" was right. The teacher decided to teach us a very important lesson. She brought us up to the front of the class and placed him on one side of her desk and me on the other. In the middle of her desk was a large, round object. I could clearly see that it was black. She asked the boy what color the object was. "White," he answered.... I couldn't believe he said the object was white, when it was obviously black!

Another argument started between my classmate and me, this time about the color of the object. The teacher told me to go stand where the boy was standing and told him to come stand where I had been. We changed places, and now she asked me what the color of the object was. I had to answer, "White." It was an object with two differently colored sides, and from his viewpoint it was white. Only from my side was it black.

My teacher taught me a very important lesson that day: You must stand in the other person's shoes and look at the situation through their eyes in order to truly understand their perspective. ..because once you have closed your mind to thinking that only you are right, you have actually rejected the whole truth... Allahu 'Alam Bissawab

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is definitely true. To understand others' point of view, we must understand why they are thinking that way. To know the 'why', we should put ourselves at their place. In counselling, this is called 'empathy'.

Iman Salim said...

Hi lynn, welcome to my blog:) and thank you for pointing out the psychological term.

Pak Cik Satu Dua said...

Salam,
yup, we see the world from different view... have our own paradigm...

Mr-@LiEn said...

madam...

everytym i read ur post..
its like u we're telling or reading the post like in the class but inside my head..

anway.. do i get an A for ur english class??

Amirul.. IART..

hehehe..