On Behalf Of Others According to James Agee, “At seems… obscene and thoroughly terrifying… to pry intimately into the lives of a… appallingly damaged group of human beings…” Of course this quote means different things to different people. But what does this quote mean to me? As for me, this quote means that it looks disgusting and absolutely gross to listen closely to the lives of hopeless groups of individuals. I disagree with this quote because listening to the lives of others can trigger different reactions. Listening to different stories could help the teller express feelings, it shows trust and could give the listener an example of what life can do to them, it’s better to learn from someone else’s mistakes than to repeat their mistakes. But also the story of the teller can also be used against them. Being the listener could help the teller express their feelings which may even be a heavy burden lifted off their chest. Just by talking to someone and getting positive responses could make the teller so much happier. Talking about lives and supporting their stories can let a person know that they matter. People want to know that they matter in this world, it’s a common thing every individual shares. Acknowledging them and their past, listening with interest, and being there for them can change their view on certain things which can even make them forget about some of the unpleasant memories from the past. Listening to the lives of others shows that the person that’s telling the story trusts the listener. Possibly they want their story to be heard. Maybe there’s someone out there that is facing the same problems and they want their story to be known. For example; in 1 In 8 Million, Joshua Febres shared his story of joining a gang at a young age without knowing what it was all about. He would sell cocaine to people and after a short while of doing so, got arrested. He saw his mother crying all the time and decided to change himself for the better. He told a story of him trying to do the right thing and avoid doing the wrong thing. That’s inspirational and could