Understanding

Do any of you have those days/weeks where you have multiple experiences that teach you a certain life lesson? Like a time when everything that happens to you seems to be related to something you need to be better at like listening to people, humility, or to quit procrastinating? Generally when this happens to me its because there is something that I need to learn and I didn't catch it the first time so Heavenly Father, in His loving way, keeps hitting me in the face with it until it sinks in. Man I'm lucky to have a Divine Creator that copes with my hardheadedness and stupidity.
In the past 24 hours, I have had multiple experiences that have taught me the importance of empathy and seeking to understand other people. Apparently this is something I really do not understand because I have had lessons in this for at very least the past 2.5 years. I think that it is very easy to forget that every single person in this world possesses human qualities no matter who they are. Sometimes, due to someone's popularity or position of power they hold, it is easy to put a person on a pedestal and forget they have flaws, imperfections, and make mistakes on a daily basis. Also, concerning those closer to us, it is sometimes natural to tend to expect perfection from the ones we love and create long lists of requirements for one to meet in order to "qualify" for our affection. Such ideals and mindsets, I believe, are completely un-Christian and I do it every day.
I recently read a journal entry from the commandant of the concentration camp Auschwitz and it blew me away. The man talked about "secret doubts" of the terrible things he was overseeing, and the "heartbreak" he had watching innocent people suffer. It is so natural to believe that every single Nazi during WWII was cold-hearted and evil but here was a good father and husband that was simply carrying out orders from his country because he knew his family would be in danger otherwise. Here was a man with morals, good intentions, and a desire for the welfare of his family that just simply was charged with a less than ideal responsibility. Yeah he had the choice, but the amount of pressure placed upon him to perform a certain task seems to have influenced his behavior to go against his inner compassion and values. He made a mistake just like all of us.
With Election Day having recently past, I caught the end of a presidential press conference today that shocked me. I forget the exact words but a reporter asked President Obama a question that took a stab at his personal intelligence and integrity as it was being broadcast internationally. I'm not the biggest Obama fan either but that struck me as highly inappropriate, especially in such a public setting. I believe that people are generally good-natured and that those in power generally are doing their best to make the most of the less-than-desirable situation the world is in today. Barack Obama, no matter what his personal views and policies may be, I'm sure is a great husband and father to his family. I am sure he worries and cares for them just as much as any father and that he wants the world to be safe for them. He has made mistakes and, similar to each one of us, will continue to do so from time to time. Insulting the people involved in civil service does little to create our ideal situation. Just express your opinion at the ballot.
These tendencies to eliminate the human, often error-prone, characteristics from our view not only hinder our ability to understand people of influence but also those close to us. If we expect every person we encounter to be flawless we would find ourselves very much alone. It is easy to judge others because we all fall short of perfection. It is not as easy however to cast the beam out of your own eye and help another with the mote in theirs. We have weaknesses for a purpose and interaction/help with other people can greatly help weaknesses to become strengths.
I personally want to be better at "putting myself in their shoes" and seeking to understand better both the people I care about and those I do not know as well. I know that by doing so can help me to not only provide me with greater insight on how other people function but also can help me to get a better glimpse at the divinity we all possess within us. We are all a lot more alike than we realize.