On empathy

Not Usually Like This

I’ve never read anything by — or really know much about — David Foster Wallace. I just read this fabulous quote and think I shall add some of his titles to my Amazon wishlist.

Consider the Lobster
[I]f you’re aware enough to give yourself a choice, you can choose to look differently at this fat, dead-eyed, over-made-up lady who just screamed at her kid in the checkout line. Maybe she’s not usually like this. Maybe she’s been up three straight nights holding the hand of a husband who is dying of bone cancer. Or maybe this very lady is the low-wage clerk at the motor vehicle department, who just yesterday helped your spouse resolve a horrific, infuriating, red-tape problem through some small act of bureaucratic kindness. Of course, none of this is likely, but it’s also not impossible.

David Foster Wallace – This Is Water

via @brainpicker via Twitter via stellar.io

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