Walk A Mile in My Shoes…
By: Greg Wasinski
When I started my first radio show, I searched for the perfect theme song to be my introduction and lead in to my overall program theme. After going through hundreds of selections, I decided to stick with my original and first choice. Elvis Presley doing “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” became the tune that played at 7:00 p.m. each Thursday night to remind the listeners that everyone has their own story and issues that we do not know about. The first verse goes like this:
“If I could be you, if you could be me for just one hour,
If we could find a way to get inside each other’s mind,
If you could see you through my eyes instead your own ego
I believe you’d be surprised to see that you’ve been blind..”
The beginning of the song is telling us to stop and “VIEW” a person through them and not what you think they are or supposed to be. At times we need to observe everyday interactions to see how judgmental those around us can be. We become selfish for the moment and expect people to handle themselves in the manner we think we would. This is dangerous because every one of you reading this (including the author) has a secret or two that we stow away from our forefront as to not be judged.
As human beings we are all on the same team and a little compassion can make all the difference in the world. Sometimes we are so caught up in following our own ideals that we become calloused to go out of our way to be accepting because we do not want to compromise our beliefs. How do you think the homeless person got to where they are today? What unimaginable pain made that mother of two walk away? How has that young man been abused to make him think that a life of crime is ALL he has left?
All of these thoughts lead me back this week to the reasons that I love this song “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” so much. Before we disapprove and criticize, we must look at people not for who they are at that moment but possibly the circumstance that has broke them; hurt beyond repair. We do not need to agree with them or condone what they are doing, but we cannot be so hypercritical of whom they are being; that doesn’t always mean it’s who they are.
I will leave you with these lyrics from the song “Men with Broken Hearts” by Hank Williams that Elvis speaks the words of before he sings and maybe it will help you to pause and consider how you can “Walk a Mile in Someone Else’s Shoes”…
“You have no right to be the judge to criticize and condemn
Just think but for the grace of God it would be you instead of him…
You’ve never walked in that man’s shoes or saw things through his eyes
Or stood and watched with helpless hands while the heart inside you dies…
So help your brother along the road no matter where he starts
For the same God that made you made them too these men with broken hearts”