mark040477
May 7th, 2003, 02:13 PM
Things Are Not Always Black or White
When I was in elementary school, I got into a major
argument with a boy in my class. I have forgotten what
the argument was about, but I have never forgotten the
lesson I learned that day.
I was convinced that "I" was right and "he" was wrong
- and he was just as convinced that "I" was wrong and
"he" was right. The teacher decided to teach us a very
important lesson. She brought us up to the front of
the class and placed him on one side of her desk and
me on the other. In the middle of her desk was a
large, round object. I could clearly see that it was
black. She asked the boy what color the object was.
"White," he answered.
I couldn’t believe he said the object was white, when
it was obviously black! Another argument started
between my classmate and me, this time about the color
of the object.
The teacher told me to go stand where the boy was
standing and told him to come stand where I had been.
We changed places, and now she asked me what the color
of the object was. I had to answer, "White." It was an
object with two differently colored sides, and from
his viewpoint it was white. Only from my side was it
black.
My teacher taught me a very important lesson that day:
You must stand in the other person’s shoes and look at
the situation through their eyes in order to truly
understand their perspective.
by Judie Paxton
from Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul
Copyright 1998 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen,
Patty Hansen and Irene Dunlap ;)
When I was in elementary school, I got into a major
argument with a boy in my class. I have forgotten what
the argument was about, but I have never forgotten the
lesson I learned that day.
I was convinced that "I" was right and "he" was wrong
- and he was just as convinced that "I" was wrong and
"he" was right. The teacher decided to teach us a very
important lesson. She brought us up to the front of
the class and placed him on one side of her desk and
me on the other. In the middle of her desk was a
large, round object. I could clearly see that it was
black. She asked the boy what color the object was.
"White," he answered.
I couldn’t believe he said the object was white, when
it was obviously black! Another argument started
between my classmate and me, this time about the color
of the object.
The teacher told me to go stand where the boy was
standing and told him to come stand where I had been.
We changed places, and now she asked me what the color
of the object was. I had to answer, "White." It was an
object with two differently colored sides, and from
his viewpoint it was white. Only from my side was it
black.
My teacher taught me a very important lesson that day:
You must stand in the other person’s shoes and look at
the situation through their eyes in order to truly
understand their perspective.
by Judie Paxton
from Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul
Copyright 1998 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen,
Patty Hansen and Irene Dunlap ;)