“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
I pretend to understand. To do this well, I have to listen with involvement to what those around me say. I have to ask the next question and show my involvement. I have to actually put myself into another’s shoes, psyche so that I am not caught up in not understanding. I need to be open to their dreams and their pain and their joy and to see the world from their viewpoint. I have found it impossible once I do those things to not care. In pretending to understand and be understanding, I get caught and perhaps at least a little bit, I do.
Blessings, G
that is called compassion and being a good friend–if everyone did what you do, there would be no violence