Taking a Walk

The older I get, the more I believe we ought to be more charitable towards others. I doubt that we can fully understand the trials and tribulations of people, yet that doesn't mean we shouldn't be as considerate of what forces may or may not have affected their dispositions as reason might allow. It's a trope, yet there is a certain truth about walking a mile in your neighbor's shoes.

Still, I also think a line has to be drawn. Trying to be kind to my neighbor doesn't mean I have to agree with him. I can't see that the reason for walking that mile must be to accept his point of view (the feeling which I fear is typically meant when the line is invoked) but only to be more considerate of the challenges he faces. This can of course mean your changing your own mind. But not of necessity. Your neighbor might be wrong in his opinions and actions just the same.

I think what bugs me is that there's another side to that idea, one which rarely gets expressed. That is, your neighbor also has the responsibility to fit your shoes to his feet too, if the advice is to have any useful value at all. It is not a one way street. 

So, by all means, be considerate. But don't change your opinion unless that's really the right thing to do.