I spent last week in Boston, and the trip gave me an unexpected lesson in perspective.

We walked the Freedom Trail, attended two Red Sox games, and explored a city I had never seen before. Standing where consequential moments in American history occurred made familiar stories feel more real. But the most lasting lesson came as we were leaving. While boarding our flight home, the line stopped. A gentleman in a wheelchair had reached the entrance to the plane. Because his chair would not fit down the aisle, airline employees helped him transfer into a narrow boarding chair, wheeled him to his row, helped him into his seat and brought the chair back out.

The process took about six minutes.

We were close enough to see what was happening. We watched this man handle a difficult process with patience and optimism, and employees treat him with dignity and kindness. Seeing the effort required for him simply to board an airplane was humbling. Because we understood the reason for the delay, it was easy to be patient. Then I thought about the people farther back in line. They could not see the man or those helping him. They only knew the line had stopped. Some may have checked their watches, become irritated or wondered why everything was taking so long. I wondered how many times I have done the same thing. How often have I been frustrated by a delay without knowing what was happening ahead of me? How often have I judged a person while seeing only part of the story?

In my work as a financial planner, perspective is often the first thing people need. When markets fall 25%, clients understandably become anxious. My job is not to dismiss that concern, but to help them step back from the fear of the moment and remember the larger plan. I sometimes ask what they would do if they walked into Costco and discovered everything was 25% off. Would they assume the world was ending, or calmly ask why prices had fallen and consider buying what they already needed at a discount? The comparison is imperfect, but the point is simple. The same event can look very different when viewed from a broader perspective.

At the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, one line from his June 1963 civil rights address stayed with me. Speaking on civil rights, and asking Americans to imagine living with discrimination themselves, Kennedy said, “Who among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his place?” The circumstances were specific, but the principle is universal. Would we trade places? Would we exchange our temporary inconvenience for someone else’s daily burden? Would we still be impatient if we had to live with the challenge causing the delay? Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes does not require abandoning our beliefs or agreeing with every conclusion. It asks us to pause before judging, seek more of the story and remember that others might be carrying burdens we cannot see.

That pause is especially important in an age of instant reaction. Social media and modern news cycles reward whoever responds first, not whoever understands the most. Early reports are often incomplete, yet speculation and dramatic headlines can spread fear before the facts are known. Sometimes wisdom means stepping back, allowing those closest to the situation time to do their jobs, and waiting for reliable information before deciding what we think or what should be done. Waiting for facts is not ignoring a problem. It is resisting the pressure to turn every event into instant commentary before we understand what actually happened.

Sometimes perspective tells us to remain calm when markets fall. Sometimes it tells us to be patient when a line stops moving. Sometimes it reminds us that what feels like an inconvenience to us may be another person’s daily struggle.

Either way, a little perspective can do us all some good.