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John P. Weiss's avatar

"...you learn how to inhabit different perspectives. An old man. A young girl." This line reminds me, of something I used to mentor in new police officers when I was their supervisor. "Imagine being in their shoes," I'd tell them. "Imagine what they're thinking, feeling, worrying about. Be it suspects, victims, witnesses." My goal was to inspire empathy. Understanding. Which makes one a better cop, in my view. As for your story, I wonder what would have happened had you immediately handed the purse to a fellow rider, smiled, and proclaimed, "I know what you're thinking, but the purse belongs to my good friend, (and then said her full name). She handed it to me when the door was closing. Check her ID inside the purse, you'll see her name." I don't know if that would have worked or only made matters worse?

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Oh, wow, this is so visceral. I'm time-travel worried about the you on that train.

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