I decide to conduct an experiment, a simple experiment in empathy. I ask myself, is it possible, in spite of how insane and dead-wrong this storeowner is, that I could — in some way — begin to empathize with him? Just before bed, I write a list of how I imagine he might be seeing the issue — and at first, it’s physically painful to write:
1. Though I totally disagree with his policy and his intransigent stance, I must also admit that I don’t know a damn thing about running a store.
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After the phone call I feel like a tiny tear
in the fabric of my own humanity has
been restored. All through this
simple experiment in empathy….
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