It's easy to view other people's problems and difficulties as their issue. It has nothing to do with us and we would never be in their situation. Who can really tell? No human being can ever know what the future has in store. Scary, isn't it? It is possible that you will never be in the same situation as this person. But that is only because the Creator has not willed for you to be tested and challenged this way.
When you realize that if it were the Creator's will, you would have the same life challenges, you will be more empathetic to the plight of those who suffer. You will encounter individuals who are homeless, deformed, or handicapped in various ways. Treat each person the way you would have wished to be treated if you were in this person's shoes.
Consider the following stories :
I am a physician. When I treated patients, I looked at them as being a total different category than myself. Many considered me arrogant, and I don't blame them. Then I suffered a heart attack and I was a patient in a hospital. I experienced what it was like to be totally dependent on the will of others. From then on I saw myself in every patient I treated.
I tried an experiment. I dressed in rags and went to a place where no one knew me. I was going to act and feel like a homeless beggar for an entire day. What an experience! From then on I said a kind word to each beggar I passed. I remembered how much I appreciated the words of anyone who said something kind, and I was only doing this as an experiment. Afterwards, I saw myself in every homeless person I encountered.
I was financially well off. I used to look down at people I felt weren't driven to use their full potential to make money. I viewed them as lazy and unmotivated. Then I suffered a serious financial setback through no fault of my own. I made a comeback and while I had been close to losing all that I had, I was once again well off financially. This experience gave me a new sensitivity to the plight of the poor. When I was going through my crisis, I was depressed and couldn't think straight. I lacked the energy to do the things I knew I should do. Knowing what it's like prevents me from being judgmental of others.
I met a brilliant scholar who was unbelievably patient with those who had learning disabilities. When dealing with someone retarded, he was willing to repeat simple ideas over and over again. I asked him how he developed such patience.
"My intellect is a gift," he replied. "I was born with a quick mind. My speed of comprehension and total recall are gifts that could have been given to others. Each person has a unique mission in this world. I appreciate what I have been given. But I could have been given an entirely different brain. Even now, a brain injury or Alzheimer's would limit my mental functioning. Keeping these thoughts in mind I find it relatively easy to be compassionate towards those who have not been given the same gifts as me."
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