Sociologically Mindful

In class this week we talked about being sociologically mindful. How we have to see things around us in a new way in order to appreciate life to the fullest. I remember while reading about it, thinking that this was stupid. Why should I have to analyze everything about my life? But I realized after that being sociologically mindful was more than just appreciating the life around me. It is seeing people in a new way. It is putting myself in their shoes. It is not being judgmental but rather taking into account a person's life and struggles.
 The reading stated that people are not sociologically mindful because it can point out things that we would rather not see or think about. Unfortunately, this reading did point out that I am not exactly sociologically mindful; something that I did not really want to admit. I have never thought of myself as judgmental but while watching the video of Joshua Bell I was judging every person who did not stop and listen to his music. I thought about how busy all of their lives must of been that they couldn't have stopped for two minutes to listen to his music. But when I put myself in their shoes I came to the conclusion that I would have done the same thing myself. I would not have recognized him and I would not have stopped to listen to his music but here I was, shocked at the video, that not even five people stopped to listen. Putting myself in their shoes really changed my mindset and I think that is the most important part of being sociologically mindful. To really understand a person's situation and to know where they are coming from.
After seeing this video and reading about being sociologically mindful it made me want to work on the way I am. I can't promise that I will stop to analyze the things around me everyday. But I can promise that I will try to see situations and people differently by really putting myself into their shoes before drawing any conclusions about the kind of person they are.