One sees white where another sees black. One thinks that something is good, and another is certain that it’s bad. Different people, different worlds. How can we collaborate when we are worlds apart, closed inside our shells, and with completely different viewpoints? And, why are we built like this to begin with?
Each person is born with a unique set of traits and qualities. Each person grows in a certain family, under certain conditions, receives a certain upbringing, and lives through different experiences. Each person is influenced through media outlets and social media networks, and all those factors make us who we are.
Because of all those factors, we see the world through different filters, unique glasses that each one wears. This is why it is so difficult, or actually impossible, for us to understand other people. As a result, we find ourselves in constant conflicts. As we try to prove that our view is correct, we forget that each of us is unique, and we end up engulfed in endless ego-wars that lead nowhere but to frustration, despair, and depression.
Why is our view so important to us? Our view represents who we are; it is the expression of our self, our ego. If someone disagrees with me, it undermines the foundation of my being, makes me feel unworthy and insignificant, and therefore insecure.
As long as we are taught that we must compete with each other, we will keep harming one another and regard each other’s uniqueness as a threat. In order to turn our individuality into a socially constructive factor, we must add another layer to our education.
That layer has to do with nature’s complementing contrasts. We have to remind ourselves that all of life consists of contrasts that complement one another and enable each other’s existence. Just as there would be no birth or growth without death and decay, there would be no growth in opinions and ideas without conflicting views. In nature, opposites do not destroy one another; they complement one another, embolden one another, and guarantee each other’s existence. This is nature’s integral formula, and unless we understand its importance and apply it to society, we will destroy each other instead of strengthening each other.
Walking a long journey to reach one’s goal does not happen by hopping on one leg. It happens when we use both legs, left and right, to get to our destination. Human society should be likewise. Our destination is unity, and the only way to get there is by fostering a bond between us. That said, we will have no impetus to bond unless we feel that we are separated and hateful of each other, and must bolster our unity in order to rise above our hatred.
Therefore, when we come across a person whose views we despise, we must keep in mind that that view is there not for us to patronize, but as a basis for building a stronger connection. This remoteness that I feel is my impetus for building closeness, and there will never be another impetus besides the opposite of what we need to build.
People who feel no conflicts with others have no reason to unite; they are content as they are, uninterested and largely indifferent. Only people who are different, who are worlds apart, can ever build true unity, a strong connection, and, ultimately, true love.
#diversity #inclusion #cohesion
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