On human nature
This post is inspired by something _nukes_ wrote in her journal. As I read her post (which really made me smile) it reminded me of something I have been thinking about quite a lot over the past few years, how people (me not excluded) fail to take somebody else's perspective and see everything through their own prism, completely oblivious to the fact that the person they are speaking of or talking to is a completely different person, motivated by different set of values/ psychological makeup/ circumstances etc. It is quite difficult to understand other people, but when we judge or consider other people's actions we probably shouldn't "put ourselves in their position", but just look at "them in their position" or at least remember that "I" might be quite different from the "other", even when this other is a friend/family member. Of course this reality leads to feeling of loneliness and alienation and yes, it is the human condition, it is valid today as it was valid so many centuries ago. Here is what Murasaki Shikibu, a court lady in 10th century Japan writes in her diary (translated by Richard Bowring):
"I have many things I would like to say but always think the better of it, because there would be no point in explaining to people who would never understand. I cannot be bothered to discuss matters in front of those women who continually carp and are so full of themselves: it would only cause trouble. It is so rare to find someone of true understanding, for the most part they judge purely by their own standards and ignore everything else".