Walking in my shoes

I have spent this weekend in Frankfurt, visiting some of my friends and attending two birthday parties. A recurrent theme for me this weekend was how difficult is it for some people to really fully understand the motives and motivation of other people. It is one thing to be able to comprehend intellectually why a certain person is acting a certain way but true empathy and being able to genuinely relate to another person’s reasoning is rarely found. True, often this is also due to one’s own inability to explain… I guess that is where I hope the power of the image and music is coming in…

Maybe this is why I love the Depeche Mode song “Walking in my shoes” so much:

I would tell you about the things
They put me through
The pain I’ve been subjected to
But the lord himself would blush
The countless feasts laid at my feet
Forbidden fruits for me to eat
But I think your pulse would start to rush

Now I’m not looking for absolution
Forgiveness for the things I do
But before you come to any conclusions
Try walking in my shoes

You’ll stumble in my footsteps
Keep the same appointments I kept
If you try walking in my shoes

Morality would frown upon
Decency looked down upon
The scapegoat fates made of me
But I promise you, my judge and jurors
My intentions couldn’t have been purer
My case is easy to see

I’m not looking for a clearer conscience
Peace of mind after what I’ve been through
And before we talk of repentance
Try walking in my shoes