In another's shoes

In an article reprinted on AlterNet Roman Krznaric talks about empathy. That word is gaining buzz because of "empathy marketing." The more a corporation can see the world through their customer's eyes, the more effective the sales. But instead of selling another pair of shoes why not walk in someone else's? Krznaric tells us of five people who did just that.

Goivanni Bernadone, a son of a wealthy merchant, was troubled by the contrast between the beauty of St. Peter's at the Vatican and the beggars outside. So he swapped clothes with one of the beggars for a day. He became Francis of Assisi and founded the Franciscans, a religious order of brothers dedicated to living in poverty like those they serve.

Beatrice Webb was doing research into urban poverty in 1887. She stepped away from her comfortable life to experience work in an East London textile factory. From that experience she published Pages From a Work-Girl's Diary which caused a sensation. Webb campaigned for improved factory conditions and for the trade union movement.

In 1959, white John Howard Griffin used medication and sun lamps to darken his skin. He then spent six weeks traveling the Deep South as a black man, experiencing racism. He wrote the book Black Like Me and worked with Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 1983 Günther Walraff of Germany started two years living as a Turkish immigrant worker, enduring harsh working conditions and harsh treatment by other Germans. His book Lowest of the Low led to criminal investigations of illegal labor and resulted in improved protection for contract workers.

In the late 1970s at the age of 26 Patricia Moore put on makeup to look old, wore fogged glasses to simulate vision problems, wrapped limbs and hands to simulate arthritis, and wore uneven shoes so that she hobbled. She traveled around America trying to walk up and down subway stairs, open store doors, and use can openers. She used that experience to design products, such as thick-handled potato peelers, that are now common in kitchens. She was also influential in getting the Americans With Disabilities Act passed.

There are ways each of us can practice experiential empathy, including a "wealth swap" or a "God swap."