Be Considerate

Understanding is a broad term, some of its definitions are being sympathetic, accepting others, being able to forgive others. This is so crucial because when we are being understood, we all feel valued and accepted, developing a better sense of belonging to the society.

It’s very important to learn to be considerate, but how can we do so? The first step is to try perspective-taking, looking at things from the viewpoint of others. Let me give you a simple example, after a whole day of schoolwork, you feel tired, yet your parents still ask you to help with the housework. Without understanding, we are usually annoyed, and tend to quarrel with them and refuse to help. However, if we take another viewpoint, our parents went through a whole day of work too. Their body and mind are also exhausted and need rest. As children, shall we try to help a little? When we understand the conditions of each other and are willing to help when others are in need, the family atmosphere would be more harmonized, same in the community!

In addition, we should not make judgements too quickly, but always listen to others first. Have you ever used the priority seats on MTR? People using the seats are frequently being blamed because they do not give the seats to the elderly immediately, but not all of them are really selfish. Some of them are in extreme pain of menstruation, some of them are feeling sick and need rest, while some may even have disabilities that are not obvious. If we make judgements only by what we see at first sight, we would easily misunderstand the situation and may unconsciously harm others. However, if we can show understanding by listening to them and observing them first, such conflicts and quarrels could be prevented.

Last but not least, we should always remember none of us are perfect. Anyone would make mistakes and understanding each other is very important. When someone makes a mistake in group work, would you feel angry? However, we should know that everyone makes mistakes, when the one who makes mistakes is us, we hope to be forgiven. That’s why we should also forgive others to show our understanding, but not like an unforgiving servant.

Yellow House
24 May 2023