As a child, I greedily absorbed the many books I read as visions of alternate lives. Now, still capable on occasion of the same sort of greedy absorption, I am also aware of books as structures of language and of specific problems that they set out to address.
Spacks, Patricia Meyer. On Rereading (p. 46). Harvard. Kindle Edition.
As a Psychiatric Social Worker I have been taught and learned that the skill of empathy is essential to good Social Work practice. In order to become skilful in empathy a person can practice the “platinum rule” which is to do unto others as they would have you do unto them. To practice the platinum rule one must know how others, especially those different from oneself, want to be treated. How does one learn this? The easiest way is through reading and rereading. As Spacks puts it, to experience “visions of alternative lives.” In reading books and working with people from different cultures, religions, generations, etc. I often feel like a voyeur. This is one of the reasons I enjoy my profession so much. I am endlessly curious about other people’s lives and experiences.
