Following up on yesterday: Another reason to put ourselves in the shoes of others is that it can help remind us that we too can have blindspots in our own lives.
When we look back on history, it’s easy to pick out where others could or should have done things differently. But we do so with the benefit of hindsight. Those in the original situation, though, didn’t have this luxury—they made their decisions based on what they knew, or thought was best. But obviously, simply doing the best you can with what you know doesn’t always lead to the right answer, because none of us know everything. We all have blindspots in our perspective and understanding.
And just like our generation makes judgement calls on the actions of those who have gone before us, our actions too will someday be judged by generations yet to come. And although we are unable to remove absolutely all blindspots in our own lives, realizing that we have them can cause us to exercise prudence in how and when we take stands and make decisions. It also can lead to greater humility, since we understand that we too can make mistakes.
Thinking you have no blindspots, and have everything figured out, only increases your chances of doing things that you may someday regret