There is a proverb that says “Don’t judge a man, until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes”. Although it is an ideal way to live, the truth is that people judge other people every single day, even every minute each day. These judgements may be based on anything, as minimal as an appearance or as intimate as personal details of one’s life story, it doesn’t matter. It’s simply a part of human nature. We all make judgements, but some are less critical than others because of one’s sense of compassion. The most important lesson Zits learns in Flight is how to empathize with other people because it leads to his understanding that individuals each have feelings of pain, shame and resentment as motivation for their choices.
With each flight, Zits deduces …show more content…
On Zits’ second to last flight in the book, he was inside a pilot named Jimmy. Jimmy’s character struggles very much with the burden of being betrayed by his close companion, Abbad, whom he taught to fly planes only to find out later that he committed an act of terrorism with that ability. Jimmy recalls a memory he has when he said, “‘[Abbad], you are my best friend,’ … ‘[and] you are my brother,’ Abbad said. Oh, Abbad, you are a murderer. Oh, Abbad, you are a betrayer” (130). In this quote, Jimmy shows readers that he had a very close relationship with Abbad and now only feels that he is a murderer because of him and an immense betrayer. This is important because it is an example that proves everyone is capable of betraying, even the closest people in your life. It is relevant, especially to Zits since it shows him betrayal can come from any person. Every time people trust others they are at risk of being betrayed. All Zits knew of his father his whole life was …show more content…
This lesson of empathy that Zits has learned throughout Flight has allowed him to achieve a better and happier life for himself. Originally, his entire being was consumed by feelings of rejection, shame, agony and trauma until he was able to look into others lives and learn just how much more complex things are than they seem from the outside looking in. His journey is especially important in modern day society for other teenagers who struggle with similar problems to him. Flight has proven to be a testament to all struggling youth who need to learn lessons like him in order to move on in their lives as well. Like the Dalai Lama said, the only way we will ever be able to have true happiness is through empathy and compassion for