How do we know how we would behave under the same circumstances? Put yourself in the other person’s position before you condemn or ridicule. Feel his or her pain. Share his or her joy. It is easy to judge when we are not involved. We can never know what is going on inside another person. We do not know what his or her world is like. Be kinder than necessary because everyone is struggling with some problem. Do not say that you know how she or he feels because you do not. You may have had similar circumstances, but you are not the same. It is often easier to empathize with pain than it is for joy. Envy often gets in the way of our pleasure about someone else’s joy. Resist envy. You can truly feel joy for someone else.
