Can you walk in someone else’s shoes?

“We are sun and moon, dear friend; we are sea and land. It is not our purpose to become each other. It is to recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honor him for what he is: each the other’s opposite and complement.” ~Hermann Hesse, Narcissus and Goldmund

In popular culture, we talk a lot about the importance of honoring our differences and celebrating our uniqueness. We want others to appreciate our flaws and quirks — or at least accept them — and respect our opposing points of view. We want the freedom to worship as we choose, the freedom to express ourselves, the freedom to choose our partners and friends, and the freedom to “be” ourselves.

But are we just as willing to honor those who walk a different path? Are we willing to consider other viewpoints, or listen to different ideas? I pose these questions because I’m working on this challenge myself. ~CL

Photo of “Lost Soles” totem pole, in Glen Arbor, by Cindy La Ferle