Learning Challenge: Empathy

I read the article, "10 Reasons to Stop Judging People" and I think everyone needs to read this piece. It's such good reminder because we often judge people as second nature and that really needs to stop. I think society has taught us that we're special so we make up reasons why everyone else is not. Let me tell you this: THERE'S ROOM FOR ALL OF US! It doesn't need to be a competitive world where only one person needs to win. We can all be successful in our own unique ways.

The article gives 10 reasons we should stop judging people and here are my favorites:
-Depersonalize: We take what a lot of people say as something directed toward us when that is most likely not the case. We need to remember they have a reason for saying and feeling what they do and it most likely has nothing to do with us personally.
-Look at your own behavior: Like I said before, judging people is second nature. But the more we catch ourselves judging people, the more we can learn and break the habit.
-Give the person the benefit of the doubt: It's so much easier (and better) to spread kindness rather than judgement. Let's all live our own lives the way we want to!

I'm going to try to implement these every day so I can become a better and less judgemental person! We should all do they same and remember to spread kindness as much as we can and love on one another! That's the only way we will be successful in the long run!

Empathy Quote. Source: Flickr

Week 15 Story: The Dog and the Corpse

A moujik went out in pursuit of game one day, and took a favorite dog with him. He walked and walked through woods and bogs, but got nothing for his panis. At last the darkness of night surprised him. At an uncanny hour he passed by a graveyard, and there, at a place where two roads met, he saw standing a corpse in a white shroud. The moujik was horrified, and knew not which way to go - whether to keep on or to turn back.

"Well, whatever happens, I'll go on," he thought; and on he went, his dog running at his heels.

When the corpse perceived him, it came to meet him; not touching the earth with its feet, but keeping about a foot above it - the shroud fluttering after it.

When it had come up with the sportsman, it made a rush at him; but the dog seized hold of it by its bare calves, and began a tussle with it.

When the moujik saw his dog and the corpse grappling with each other, he was delighted that things had turned out so well for himself, and he set off running home with all his might. The dog kept up the struggle until cock-crow, when the corpse fell motionless to the ground. Then the dog ran off in pursuit of its master, caught him up just as he reached home, and rushed at him, furiously trying to bite and to rend him. So savage was it, and so persistent, that it was as much as the people of the house could do to beat it off.

“Whatever has come over the dog?” asked the moujik’s old mother. “Why should it hate its master so?”

The moujik told her all that had happened.

“A bad piece of work, my son!” said the old woman. “The dog was disgusted at your not helping it. There it was fighting with the corpse—and you deserted it, and thought only of saving yourself! Now it will owe you a grudge for ever so long.”

Next morning, while the family were going about the farmyard, the dog was perfectly quiet. But the moment its master made his appearance, it began to growl like anything.

They fastened it to a chain; for a whole year they kept it chained up. One day, the dog eventually chewed through his chains and ran off into the woods. Its master ran after him with a shotgun shooting at him multiple times but the dog dodged each bullet. The master eventually gave up and let the dog go into the woods. The dog cared for its master but not its actions and never forgot him for what he did. He never came back and lived in the woods forever. 

Author's Note: The dog and his master passed by a graveyard and saw a corpse. The master tried to avoid him but the corpse rushed towards both of them and the dog tried to fight him off. The master left the dog and the corpse. Once the dog won the fight, he ran back towards his master and was very aggressive towards him because he was mad he left him alone. They chained the dog up and then ended up killing him. I changed it to where the dog freed himself from the changes and the master tried to kill him but he escaped into the woods. It's a much happier ending compared to the dog dying. 

The Dog and the Corpse by W. R. S. Ralston.

Chained Dog. Source: Pixabay

Reading Notes: The Warlock

There was once a moujik and he had three married sons. He lived a long time and was looked upon by the village as a Koldun or warlock.

When he was about to die, he gave orders that his sons' wives should keep watch over him after his death for three nights, one night for each one. He instructed his body should be placed in the outer chamber and that the wives should spin wool to make him a caftan and no cross should be placed upon him and none should be worn by his daughters-in-law.

The same night, the eldest daughter took her turn beside him and began spinning grey wool. At midnight, from his coffin the father-in-law says, "art thou there?' "I am" she answered frightened. "Art thou sitting?" he asked. "I sit" she replied. "Doust thou spin?" "I spin." "Grey wool?" "Grey." "For a caftan?" "For a caftan."

He moved toward her and asked again, "Daughter-in-law, art thou there?" "I am" “Art thou sitting?” “I sit.” “Dost thou spin?” “I spin.” “Grey wool?” “Grey.” “For a caftan?” “For a caftan.” She shrank into a corner as he kept moving closer. He strangled her and then lay back down in his coffin. The sons removed the body and the next night, the second daughter kept watch over him. The same thing happened. However, the third daughter was sharper than the others and said she had taken off her cross when she had not. Just as he was going to strangle her, she laid the cross upon him. He feel down and died.

She looked into the coffin and there was so much money. The father wanted to take it away with him but knew only someone smarter than him should have it.

The Warlock by W. R. S. Ralston.

The Cross. Source: Geograph

Reading Notes: The Dead Mother

In a village, there lived a husband and a wife. They lived happily and peacefully, and all of their neighbors envied them. The mistress bore a bon but died after it was born. The moujik was devastated. How was he to take care of it and raise it without its mother? He decided to hire an old woman to look after it. But the baby wouldn't take any food throughout the day and would do nothing but cry. However, it slept peacefully at night. "What is the meaning of this?" said the old woman. "If I stay awake all night, I might find out!"

The next night, the same thing happened and the night after that. She held a council with the kinsfolk and determined to stay awake one night to see who was taking care of the baby. So they lay on the floor next to the baby to see. At midnight, the cottage door opened and someone stepped to the cradle. The kinsfolk turned on the light and saw the dead mother in the same clothes she was buried in suckling the baby with her dead breast.

The moment the light shone in the cottage, she stood up, gazed over the baby and left the room without a sound. Those who saw her were terrified and next thing they knew, the baby was dead.

The Dead Mother by W. R. S. Ralston.

Death and the Child. Source: Wikimedia Commons