I Love Diversity!

courtesy/garrison-michigan.army.mil

I never could understand how people can be closed minded about things – people, music or anything for that matter. I don’t understand how a person couldn’t be at least willing to hear others out about their interests. Okay so maybe the history of the paper clip isn’t so interesting, but you never know…you could learn a little piece of interesting history that you’d otherwise overlook. We take so many of the small things for granted that we often forget the cool stories of how those things came to be like post-it notes. Just a thought.

Paper clips and post-it notes aren’t really the focus of this post. It was a way to start. Really, my focus is diversity. Everyone has a little different perspective on life, have different interests, hobbies, etc. I love that! Life would be so boring if we all looked the same, if we all liked the same thing. I mean, how could I ever learn about the things I wouldn’t normally be interested in if someone else wasn’t around to show me? I don’t really care about math but if someone could explain it to me in a way that it would catch my attention, I’d find it interesting. I think part of that for me is simply the company. I love listening to a person talk when he or she is passionate about that topic. I admire people for their love of topics.

I love diversity in lots of things. I suppose I’m a little bit apt to love diversity in appearance because I’m not an average looking person. When I say that, I’m not saying I think myself a supermodel or drop dead gorgeous…I mean that I’m only 4’8″ with very curly hair. I don’t fit the mold so I suppose I’m biased that way. To be fair, I don’t think I’m alone in feeling this way though. I’m glad not every single person is super tall and skinny. I’m glad to know there are different skin tones and hair types. Variety is the spice of life! Our varied colors, sizes, shapes, ideas, thoughts all help make up the quilt of humanity. Through those wondrous varieties we can see our story being told. I love that! How can you not?

I love the diversity in choices of sports. Not all of us are meant to play basketball or volleyball. I think it’s fabulous that there are more options than just sports. Not everyone has the coordination to be an athlete so maybe music or the arts are a better option. I love this because it means we all add something to this world. I can go to a ballet or a football game and still find enjoyment of knowing those people have put in their absolute best effort; they’ve trained hard and I can benefit from it. I love going to a good movie or going to a concert where someone’s talents can be showcased. For me, music is the absolute best! Musicians can put so much heart and soul in a performance that it’s moving beyond words.

I mentioned the Olympics the other day. Again, I love the variety in sports and getting to watch them. I also love, despite the Russian bigotry, the idea behind the Olympics is (mostly) pure. It’s about the athleticism and appreciating one another for their hard work. Athletes come together once every four years to participate in these special games, and even if politics aren’t far behind, they’re behind enough that it’s not about politics. It’s simply about putting your best effort forward and showing pride in yourself and country without putting down another because of where they’re from or the color of their skin.

I really love that there have been and continue to be groups of people and individuals, willing to fight for diversity. I know there is some controversy around Black History Month and I understand the arguments, but I’m glad there is something to “force” us to think about diversity and appreciate it. I hope one day it doesn’t have to be forced and we all can see the value in diversity. I know some people say we shouldn’t acknowledge differences for the sake of becoming one, if you will. Okay, I can kind of see that but I don’t like the idea of losing individuality. I think it’s a good thing to be different but I think it’s important to embrace those differences and not be “afraid” of them and certainly not to hate our differences. Our differences are what help make this world so fascinating and much better.

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