What the Veil Reveals

IntroductionIn my early teens, I read a book by I think it was Dale Carnegie and one idea from it has stayed with me for over 40 years. The book suggested that one should walk a mile in another person's shoes before judging (for being untruthful, immoral, wearing Crocs, or whatever). As a young, non-native English speaker, I of course recognized it as a metaphor but not as a common English expression and, therefore, I spent more time pondering the concept than I otherwise probably would have. Just a Mile or a LifetimeI imagined not just walking a mile in someone's shoes, but an entire life. Assuming I got swapped at birth, would I end up being the same person I am now? Unlikely; my upbringing would be different; friends, education, etc. If a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a tornado weeks later, then the accumulation of all those differences would have to result in a completely different me. Would I then end up resembling the person who I currently judge? Almost certainly not,…