Word Count: 512 Duration 140wpm: 4:03
Our topic here is subjectivity, which is a person’s own viewpoint. Now, this necessitates objectivity, which is a perspective other than subjectivity that generally sees more. One solid connection to the idea of shifting one’s frame of reference is empathy, being able to feel other people’s emotions. It’s kind of hard for some people who never learned how, so let’s get into this woman’s story today.
Ms. Ahlmer was a woman who lived into her late sixties, and she never had siblings, she never got married—who knows if she had a boyfriend, right? She wasn’t very friendly, but she was very independent all her life. She worked, never really left her house—she just kind of kept to herself. There’s nothing wrong with that, per se. I’m a homebody myself.
It’s the way she interacted with people when she had to. She believed each interaction to be a waste of time when it lasted longer than necessary. She was impatient, exceedingly so, and no one understood her. What was she so eager to do? Why was her time so valuable that she had to skip through all the dialogue?
She lost her job at a time when she really needed it. She was in her last few years, her money was running out, and after a few months, she couldn’t pay her bills. She got sick, and without anyone to take care of her, her neighbor, Mara, stopped at her house to check in. Usually, Ms. Ahlmer smoked a cigarette on her front porch each evening. She hadn’t been there for a week, and Mara had noticed.
Mara brought a light salad for Ms. Ahlmer’s dinner, and when she knocked, nothing happened at first. A few moments later, a weak voice told her to come inside. The house was a mess, there were small insects flying around, and Mara notice Ms. Ahlmer lying on her living room sofa under a few blankets. She placed the salad on the kitchen table, and entered further into a house whose inside she’d never seen. You know what Ms. Ahlmer said? “I’m ready to go.”
She was ready to pass away, saying that she had done and seen all she cared to. She claimed the world was a cruel place because no one had ever helped her. She had no one to care for her, no one to love her, and nothing interested her. Mara told her that’s not true because she had come to check on her. She mentioned she brought a salad for her dinner, and she said that seeing Ms. Ahlmer on her porch every evening after she got home from work was part of her nightly routine. She had always wanted to visit but also wanted to respect her space.
Mara continued to visit her every night for a week before Ms. Ahlmer passed away on her couch. Mara spent the whole course of their seven-day relationship trying to get Ms. Ahlmer to see that love for others is what brought Mara to her door. She convinced Ms. Ahlmer that she is never really alone because there is enough love in the world for everyone.
Ms. Ahlmer convinced herself that she was a central part to the universe. She believed that others had to follow her schedule, do as she said, and she found out that people don’t appreciate that point of view. Mara demonstrated empathy to her in her final days, and in her last hours, she understood empathy. She knew that others have struggles and demands, too. She was sad to have taken such a long time to see, but she was happy to have received Mara’s love when she needed it most.
The moral of Ms. Ahlmer’s story is that you are connected to everyone, even if you don’t want to be. Though you have your own views, it’s wise to be empathetic because it draws people closer instead of pushing them away. You never know when you may need assistance. Truth reveals itself in pieces, and if you limit your perspective, you reject the chance to learn more truths.