When I was in grade five, my class put on a skit for the school. As part of our act, we hung cardboard seagulls from the curtain rods and had students throw 'rocks' (crumpled up balls of paper) at them. "Freeze!" In a flicker of stage lights, three students came onto the stage to replace the seagulls that were simultaneously being hoisted out of sight. The scene continued.
The theme of our performance was 'animal empathy'. While brainstorming for ideas a few weeks prior, my teacher had explained: "Empathy means putting yourself in something or someone else's shoes."
Her exact words have stuck with me for nearly eight years. Compassion is very important to me and I consider empathy to be its close sister. As an aspiring journalist, as well as a part of this project, I think that being able to see the world through other people's eyes without personal bias is an important skill. The world is big enough for all of our perspectives and attitudes to co-exist, and what better way to learn about them than to try to experience them for ourselves?
I'm ready - to be a seagull, to be a rock, to be another person, and above all, to practice empathy.
To end off on a light note, here is a humorous quote: "Before your criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes." - Jack Handey
The theme of our performance was 'animal empathy'. While brainstorming for ideas a few weeks prior, my teacher had explained: "Empathy means putting yourself in something or someone else's shoes."
Her exact words have stuck with me for nearly eight years. Compassion is very important to me and I consider empathy to be its close sister. As an aspiring journalist, as well as a part of this project, I think that being able to see the world through other people's eyes without personal bias is an important skill. The world is big enough for all of our perspectives and attitudes to co-exist, and what better way to learn about them than to try to experience them for ourselves?
I'm ready - to be a seagull, to be a rock, to be another person, and above all, to practice empathy.
To end off on a light note, here is a humorous quote: "Before your criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes." - Jack Handey
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