In your shoes, In my shoes…

I think that trying to put ourselves in somebody’s shoes is one of the best way of humanizing when we want to live a better life. To be in somebody’s shoes is to understand why a person does or does not do something.
Non-one else can say what its value to him/her is - only we can be the judge of the decisions we take.
However, It is sometimes very easy to judge somebody when you are not involved in the situation or from what you simply see.
Sometimes there are some people who behave or react as they can be, and not as they want to, because everyone is different and every human being has a different life.
When a friend ask me to put myself in her shoes, I try to think objectively without thinking she is my friend, if not I’ll be influenced by my feelings.
So don’t judge a book by its cover, the proof of the pudding is in the eating…

Your mind is made up you won’t even try

You didn’t even cry this time

You say that we could never see eye to eye

And one of us just must be blind

We have our differences

We’re still the same

See what we want to see

But you take a second look

And maybe things wouldn’t seem the same

If you could see what you mean to me

Put yourself in my shoes

Walk a mile for me

I’ll put myself in your shoes

Maybe then we’d see

That if you put yourself in my shoes

You’d have some sympathy

And if I could only put myself in your shoes

I’d walk right back to me

You’re gonna keep walkin’ and you’re gonna pass me by

You say you don’t even care

But I could always recognize a real good-bye

And I know your heart’s not there

We’ve had our differences

We’re still the same

Hear what we want to hear

Now I’m head over heels in the lost and found

It’s a cryin’ shame

I thought we made the perfect pair

Put yourself in my shoes

Walk a while walk that mile for me

I’ll put myself in your shoes

Maybe then we’d see

That if you put yourself in my shoes

You’d have some sympathy

And if I could only put myself in your shoes

I’d walk right back to me

I’d walk right back to me

I’d walk right back to me

By Clint Black

Blame and Remorse, Conscience and Responsibility

Four single words that have to do with our every day life… who hasn’t ever felt remorse because of something we did or didn’t do? Do we shoulder the blame for what we did or didn’t do? Are we conscious of our acts? Do we assume responsibilities?
This time, the chapter has many topics to talk about, but I’m going to reflect on some quotes that called my attention.
When we talk about blames, sometimes we behave in two different ways: if it is something that has gotten a positive result, we are the first that sing our praises, and we expect everybody to congratulate us. In this example, we don’t call it “blame” but we say, “it thanks to me”.
If it is something that has showed a negative result, we sometimes tend to put the blame on somebody because we don’t want to assume the responsibility of feeling like failers.
It is not from our parents or friends but our own responsibility to live a good life. A person who is reponsible from his/her beahviour is conscious of his/her real freedom, that is to say, he is able to take decisions for his/her own.
What is really important is to know that, from here on, if you take responsibilities, you’ll build up your identity and develop your personality. Every decision will leave a mark on your life or on others.
If you are used to behave well, it will be difficult to behave in the other way about, and vice versa. For example, if you are not used to tell lies, you will be very dissapointed with yourself because it doesn’t really show the way you are and besides, it will go against your feelings.

DON'T BE AFRAID OF TAKING RESPONSIBLITIES, IT WILL HELP YOU GROW...

Wake up and smell the coffee!!!

In this modern world, where it is more important to get “things” more than act as human beings, we forget about the fact that the more we relate to others, the more we humanize ourselves.
I cannot avoid to connect this chapter in the normal way teachers sometimes treat children when they work at school so many hours.
I’ve met many teachers that work in many schools and have lots of students in order to get a higher salary and live more comfortable so they are always tired and treat their students as things, or numbers to remember them.
They do not get to know them or do not pay attention to their social backgrounds or needs but they’d rather increase their bank account.
As teachers, we have to consider that we work with human beings, and we are responsible for our acts.
Respect is reciprocal. When we give respect, we also get respect in return. This is true in our relationships with our children as well.

"One treats others with courtesy not because they are gentlemen or
gentlewomen, but because you are." (H.G. Hendricks)

Living happily

Doing what you want and face the consequences is not a strain when you are a teenager, because you do not take much care about it, but, is it easy to be aware of what you really want at that age? And if Ethics is about discovering how to live better or how to have a good life, why don’t we study ethics at school, when we are younger? Do all parents teach their children how to have a good life? Why isn’t there a book about how to live correctly as it is about Geography or Maths? So, we start learning how to live good, step by step...
When you become an adult you consider the consequences and know what you want, you also must respect people are around you. If you treat a person as if he was a furniture you will find out that the same will happen when somebody treats you. This is what Savater reflects on in this chapter. So, it is not only important to live a good life but make others live a good life, too.
The problem is that sometimes we do not achieve our own aims because we spend our time thinking about what will make feel happy to others.
I couldn’t think about this until I became an adult, I’m still looking for the best way of living, all the time. I’ve just realized that I’ve been scared of taking decisions just because I’m interesting in making others live a good life.
Taking all this into account, I believe that life is about learning to build a balance between what is convenient for me and the people who is around me, what makes them feel happy, without forgetting my own happiness.
As teachers, we should teach our students to find in their feet what makes them feel joyful, respecting others and of course, themselves as human beings.