To place oneself in the position of another
During the Spring and Autumn period (722-481 B.C.) of China , there was a winter which was extremely cold . It had been snowing heavily in the state of Qi for three days in succession . Clad in a fox fur gown and seated in the hall enjoying the snow scene outside , Duke Qi Jing was fascinated by what he saw .
He was hoping that it would continue to snow for a few more days to make the snow scene more beautiful when his prime minister , Yan Zhi come in .
He stood beside Duke Qi Jing for a while as if he had something troubling him . Duke Qi Jing told Yan Zhi in a very happy mood , " It has been showing for three days and the snow on the ground has piled up so thick , but , strangely , it is not cold at all . It is , on the contrary , as warm as spring . " Seeing Duke Qi Jing in such a frame of mind , Yan Zi deliberately asked , " Is it really not cold at all ? "
The Duke nodded his head with a smile as if saying , " I am not a child . Don't tell me I can't differentiate between warm and cold . " Knowing that the Duke did not understand what he was driving at , Yan Zi said , " I've heard that wise kings of ancient times often thought that there might be people starving when they had just had their hearty meals ; that there might be people shivering in the cold when they were enjoying the comfort of warm clothes ; and that there were yet people toiling laboriously when they were having an easy time . Why don't you think of others ? " These words made the Duke feel very ashamed . The saying " To place oneself in the position of another " come from this story . It means that one should be considerate to others by putting oneself in the place of others and thinking in terms of them .
He was hoping that it would continue to snow for a few more days to make the snow scene more beautiful when his prime minister , Yan Zhi come in .
He stood beside Duke Qi Jing for a while as if he had something troubling him . Duke Qi Jing told Yan Zhi in a very happy mood , " It has been showing for three days and the snow on the ground has piled up so thick , but , strangely , it is not cold at all . It is , on the contrary , as warm as spring . " Seeing Duke Qi Jing in such a frame of mind , Yan Zi deliberately asked , " Is it really not cold at all ? "
The Duke nodded his head with a smile as if saying , " I am not a child . Don't tell me I can't differentiate between warm and cold . " Knowing that the Duke did not understand what he was driving at , Yan Zi said , " I've heard that wise kings of ancient times often thought that there might be people starving when they had just had their hearty meals ; that there might be people shivering in the cold when they were enjoying the comfort of warm clothes ; and that there were yet people toiling laboriously when they were having an easy time . Why don't you think of others ? " These words made the Duke feel very ashamed . The saying " To place oneself in the position of another " come from this story . It means that one should be considerate to others by putting oneself in the place of others and thinking in terms of them .
A tribute to a great leader who prosper Malaysia +TunMahathirMohamed
Comments