This post is also available in: English

Although the lives of people around the world are constantly being disrupted by countries and communities in turmoil, many people here in the United States seem to be dissociated with what others living in different parts of the world are going through.

In Greece, people have been struggling with their country’s extreme debt crisis for a long period of time. Banks have been closed. Despite nervous citizens wanting desperately to pull their money out, Greece essentially shut down its banking system and restricted access for the general public. Anti-austerity protests turned violent and the country is still in a state of turmoil, until financial resolution is achieved and order can be restored.

CNN reports areas in China and Korea were hit hard with a Category 4 typhoon that pelted the countries’ east coastline last weekend. Millions of residents had to be evacuated from their homes, airports were shut down and ships were called back into port. The full extent of the damage and losses, as well as the cost to the affected communities, has yet to be determined.

Fighting continues around Baghdad and other areas throughout Iraqi, as Iraqi News reports that Federal Police launched rockets in an attack which allegedly killed 20 ISIS militants. Due to its financial resources, seemingly unlimited supply of arms, its recruitment efforts and its aggressive tactics, many believe ISIS to pose more of a threat than al-Qaeda. This is a danger both abroad and close to home, a fact which many Americans may not fully grasp.

Seeing Life Through Other People’s Eyes

The majority of people who live in the U.S. have relatively comfortable lifestyles that can cause them to be disconnected from the plights that other people, thousands of miles away, go through on a daily basis. Even if you listen to the news, and hear about issues faced by people around the world, what is it really going to take to see life through a different lens?

Only once we can see life through other people’s eyes will we truly be able to have empathy for the situations that they may be may struggling with or living with on a daily basis. Millions of people occupy this planet we call home. Unless we can empathize with humanity’s difficulties and struggles, we will be unable to come up with solutions on a broader scale.

How We Can Become More Humble

While you go about with your day-to-day activities, it is important you recognize all you have here in the United States. Even those who may be fighting with monetary problems, physical ailments or other real life-threatening situations must realize how different life would be if they lived in another part of the world. So, how can we humble ourselves a bit?

• Before you comment, try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes.
• Try not to be quick to judge. Everyone has their own struggles. Find out about someone else’s before rendering judgment.
• Be willing to admit when you make a mistake and take responsibility for your actions.
• Be grateful and gracious, for what you have is probably far more than others could ever dream of having.
• Value other people’s time and worth as much as you do your own.