SWENSDAY STUFF

Becoming a Considerationalist
Swen Nater

Something I have had a hard time understanding is why some guards didn’t pass the ball to me in the post. For years, I thought of them as selfish little people who would rather shoot and miss than give me the ball for the score. But recently, I’ve adopted a new lease on life. I’ve begun to try to see it from their perspective.

The reason is, I remembered Coach Wooden talked a lot about the word, “consideration,” and he practiced what he preached. “Consideration,” as he defined it, was the attempt to see the other side. For example, he considered Bill Walton’s view on the Viet Nam war and, in doing so, actually began to understand Bill’s perspective.

The longer I live, the more I believe “consideration” to be one of the most important words in our language, or in any language for that matter. Consideration results in perspective; perspective results in understanding; and understanding results in peace. Wars could have been avoided if people would have stopped to deeply and objectively consider the feelings, history, disposition, and motive of the other side. Nations would have discovered; those other people were not so bad after all.

There are exceptions to this, of course. In history, there have been horrid and unspeakable instances where a nation has decided to try and exterminate another or even a race. But there are other examples where a pause to consider the other side could have made a difference.

We often call consideration, “Putting the shoe on the other foot.” It’s easy to say, but very difficult to do. The difficult part is becoming objective enough to feel how that shoe fits. As conservative as Coach Wooden was, in order to see things from Walton’s point of view, he had to stop and listen to him with an ear that reached out and searched Bill’s mind, feelings, and heart. Then, and only then, was he able to begin to see how that shoe felt on the other foot. And once he did, Coach encouraged Bill to write a letter to President Nixon, requesting the US pull out of Viet Nam.

Related words to “consideration” are:
Understanding
Respect
Deliberation
Reflection
Ponder
Chew over
Weigh up
Ruminate

Some of us are better at consideration than others, but everyone can become an expert. How? Like almost anything else: Practice.

Today, I’m going to make it a point to listen to another person and see if I can put the shoe on the other foot. At first, it may be difficult to get that thing on but in time I’m going to learn, not only to put it on easily, but to feel comfortable with it on. The key word is “time.” It’s “time” that will allow me to get that shoe on the other foot and leave it there for awhile. It’s time that will, eventually, make me an expert Considerationalist (made that word up and added it to my spell check).

When I get to be better at this, perhaps I’ll begin to understand why those guards didn’t pass me the ball. Nahhhh! 

There are two sides to every story.
Sam “Buddy” Smart