I am writing a small essay wherein I want to urge the reader to "look at his problem from the other person's perspective" (to understand why the other person is behaving in a particular way).
Example: (just making this up, not from my actual essay, which is somewhat … uhm, confidential)
Jane: My husband is always late from work, and he even works weekends. He never seems to have time for me.
Friend: I have sympathies for you. However, try looking at this from his perspective. Well paying jobs are hard to come by, and he needs the overtime to build a good future for your family.
Is there a more "flowery" or idiomatic expression I could use to replace the italicized phrase?
I used to occasionally use put the boot on the other foot, but I recently realized that it doesn't mean what I thought it meant.
Best Answer
Looking at this from his perspective sounds good to me. You could also say
If you really want an idiom, in addition to putting yourself in his shoes, you could try walking a mile in his shoes: