If writing is a gift, then how come so few people use that gift to their adavantage? In other words, why do people not use it? The greatest purpose of writing is not entertaining, educating, or enlightening others, but rather, the greatest purpose of writing, or the best way to utilize one’s writing skills, is to better understand another person; to put yourself in that other person’s shoes.
Allow me to assume, for a moment, that you are a Christian, or are a follower of Christianity. Often times, those who call themselves believers of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit mock those who do not necessarily follow what they believe. For instance, in early February, I happened to be an unfortunate spectator of a sight I shall not soon forget. Only one block, probably shorter than that even, from the National Cathedral (Episcopalian) in Washington D.C., I saw two teens, who were dressed up in their church clothes. Coming toward them was what appeared to be a Satanic person, he was dressed in all black, had his hear dyed red, and a picture of Satan “graced” his shirt. The two teens, on their way to church apparently, immediately proceeded to mock the person with demeaning and offensive names, and pebbles.
Now try to put yourself in that other person’s shoes. Yes, you may strongly dislike what that person believes in, but there is always a reason behind the beliefs of a person. Try to imagine how that person feels. It is kind of hard to visualize, isn’t it? I mean, society advocates putting yourself into another’s shoes, but it’s still very hard to do. For one thing, our natural baises keep us from doing so. For another, you may not want to even be in another’s shoes.
The Essay on Put myself in my shoes
“Put Yourself in My Shoes” is one of the longest and most complex stories in the collection, and one of its finest. In addition, it brings together a number of the themes and images that have recurred throughout the book. For example, it depicts the kind of interaction between two couples that we have seen in “Neighbors” and “What’s in Alaska?”; in this ...
However, this is where writing can help. If you are Christian, write a story where the Satanist, Pagan, Wiccan, etc. is the protagonist, and vice versa. If you are anti-homosexual, write a story about a homosexual. And if you are a communist, write a story about a person who advocates the American form of democracy, or a derivation thereof.
Admittedly, it is still very had to do. Not the visualizing part, but the actual writing part. If one is strongly against Christianity, for example, it’s going to be very hard to write a story about a true Christian. Or, if you are a Christian, it may be hard to write about a person who prays to many gods. But in doing so, you will better understand where that other person comes from, what exactly makes them who they are, and why they act as they do. Perhaps someone chooses their beliefs or way of life through a rejection of society, bad childhood, or general disillusionment. Or, perhaps someone chooses who they are because they are lighthearted, noble at heart, and just try to help others to see what they see, or at least tolerate what they see.
In the end, if writing is a gift, and if you have it, then use it. Too often, people go through life without ever seeing life through a different point of view. But you are a writer, you don’t need to do that. Try to see the world differently than what you are used to. Perhaps you will learn something, perhaps you won’t, but you will walk away from the pad of paper/ computer/ typewrite with a better understanding of what makes that other person tick.
