A powerful metaphor from a long hike:
Every hiker is intimately aware of their backpack. They picked it out, choosing from dozens of options. They know which straps are loose and which are digging into their skin. They can tell you if itâs lopsided, and what is in each pocket.
And yetâŠ
Even after days on the trail, they probably couldnât tell you a thing about anyone elseâs backpack. Except, perhaps, that everyone else has one.
Thatâs the first step toward empathy: Realizing that everyone else has a backpack, and that itâs different from yours.
