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23/02/2017

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Alison Murdoch.

2 minutes

Last on

Thu 23 Feb 2017 05:43

Script

Good Morning.  Shoes are powerful objects. More than anything else we wear, they adapt themselves to our body and quickly become our friends – or our foes. They cause us pain and pleasure, make a statement about who we are, and can even become an extension of our personality.
Last year in London, the Empathy Museum put on an free event called A Mile in My Shoes that invited participants to literally put on a pair of someone else’s shoes, and embark on a physical, emotional and imaginative journey to see the world through another person’s eyes. The collection included the shoes of an NHS surgeon, the tottering high heels of a drag queen, and the threadbare footwear of a refugee.  “Real happiness in life starts when we start to cherish others” says my Buddhist teacher Lama Zopa. It can bring an unexpected sense of ease and joy to shift our focus away from our own concerns, and to consciously make the time to explore and acknowledge how someone else is feeling. Next time we find ourselves obsessing about what to buy, we can calm our mind by considering what someone else might want or need. As an alternative to worrying about what others think of us, we can choose to deliberatly take pleasure in the achievements of someone else. When someone hurts our feelings, we can decide not to be a victim, and instead consider how that person might be hurting too. The choice is like night and day.  However attached we are to our own familiar shoes, why not try wearing someone else’s today? Let’s pray that we can each find a moment to open our hearts to the hopes and fears of someone else. 

Broadcast

  • Thu 23 Feb 2017 05:43

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