Let’s say I have been walking all day. Okay, even if I haven’t spent all the hours, minutes, and seconds of my day walking, my feet will be slightly moist. My toes would be waiting for freedom after I get home and remove my shoes. While it is comfortable for my feet to be free from my shoes, it would be uncomfortable for anyone to put their feet in my shoes right after I remove my feet.
In 1967, Nina Simone wrote, “l wish you could know what it means to be me, then you’d see and agree that every man should be free.” There is a similarity between the idiom putting oneself in someone’s shoes and doing it literally. In both instances, it’s something we do not do often, and if we did we wouldn’t be comfortable doing it.
So why do we find it hard to empathize with our neighbour? There could be numerous reasons, so let us use an illustration to help us understand what could be the problem. Let’s say there is an individual with a grand vision and the finances to implement it. The plan has no wrinkles; it’s as smooth as a university student leader’s ironed suit. This individual starts the process of actualizing the idea but realises that not everything will go as planned. Why? You may ask. Well, the governor of the county he plans to set up in wants a kickback for our investor to get county approvals for the project to proceed.
How does this involve putting ourselves in someone’s shoes? Well, our fine governor does not think about the lives that would be changed with a chance at employment. He does not think past his belly; the consequences of seeking a bribe. He does not spare a thought for that young man or lady who is waiting for an opportunity to kick-start their adult life or that man or woman dying for an opportunity to shake off the shackles of poverty.
In 1946, Orson Welles on his weekly political radio podcast had this to say, “To be born free is to be born in debt… We must, each day, earn what we own. A healthy man owes to the sick all that he can do for them. An educated man owes to the ignorant all that he can do for them. A free man owes to the world's slaves all that he can do for them.”
We owe our privilege to someone else. This might be a controversial statement because we mostly attribute our success to our own efforts and saying we owe it to someone else leaves a sour taste. But think about it, if you are enlightened with the gospel that is Jesus Christ you are expected to share it with those who are ignorant. If you enjoy a certain advantage you owe to the oppressed a chance; a chance to get their voice heard, an opportunity to be free of what oppresses them.
We can learn about being born in debt from the most unique man to walk this earth. This is what was prophesied about Him. “…to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” Jesus Christ was born free of sin but owed it to all of us who are captives of sin to give us a chance at freedom.
What we can learn from the governor who was selfish is that our choices have consequences not only for us but also for others. We fail to empathize because we don’t take the time to think about how our actions will affect others.
Secondly, we also fail to empathize because we don’t realize that we owe it to others a chance to enjoy what we enjoy. What benefit would it be if you made it to heaven alone? How frustrating would it be, to be an island of knowledge in a sea of ignorance? If you listen to advice and accept discipline you will be counted among the wise, what about the man who shares this advice and knowledge?
“But surely, my right to having more than enough is cancelled, if I don't use that more to help those who have less. I owe the very profit I make to the people I make it from,” Orson Welles.
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