When you look at the other guy, try to keep in mind that you don’t know him.
You don’t know the battles he’s fought and won (and lost).
You don’t know the way he looks at the world.
You don’t know his fears, his hopes, his dreams.
You don’t know what he’s thinking.
You don’t know his troubles – they may even be worse than yours.
You don’t know his triumphs.
You don’t know his pain.
You don’t know why he does what he does.
You don’t know his past, his present, or his future, and, concerning this last one, neither does he.
You don’t know what frame he’s coming from.
You don’t know what drives him – what gets him out of bed in the morning – what keeps him up at night.
You don’t know that earlier that day, he had a falling out with a friend, or a painful phone call with his wife, or an argument with his daughter.
You don’t know what he’s had to overcome.
Even after you’ve got to know him a bit, the other guy remains an enigma – an unraveled coil of mysteries, intangible darknesses, and hidden secrets.
The other guy’s Life may cross your Life, but they’re not the same Lives. He may affect, or seem to affect you, somehow, but you are still You even when he leaves the room, or you pass him in a crowd.
The other guy is not you.
The other guy (or gal) is doing what makes sense to him (or her).
Why should that make sense to you?
Or you might say, Why *shouldn’t* that make sense to you?