Embrace Differences

Not everyone looks the same as you. Not everyone thinks the same as you. Not everyone has the same background as you. Not everyone has the same desires and aspirations as you. Not everyone has the same beliefs and opinions as you. Not everyone has the same characteristics as you. Everyone is different. Everyone is a unique being with precise differences between them. Differences in human society have been ostracized for centuries. We are scared of what is different. We are scared of change and of not being around what we are used to. History shows this. History also shows a capacity to change and to learn to accept differences. It is more important than ever to not only accept differences but also to embrace and seek them out.

He who seeks only the same opinions he already believes will not learn anything else. He will only become more entrenched and arrogant in what he already believes. We do not want to become stuck in our ways, we want the option to change, learn, and grow. Differing opinions, stories, backgrounds, and theories are how we do so. Differences fuel conversations. They are a give-and-take aspect of learning the story of someone else and telling them your own story. Without differences, we lose our uniqueness. Without differences we become like sheep in a herd— all different beings but all looking and thinking the same. We do not want to be sheep, we want to be the creative beings that we are.

Differences are scary because they force us to go outside of our natural tendencies and beliefs. They force us to accept that someone else views the same thing differently than us. They force us to accept that our background is not the “right” background or the background that everyone had. Differences force us to see the real world. They force us to open our eyes and learn, feel, and understand what is happening around us. With differences, we can no longer hide in our own bubble. We have to be cognizant of what is happening around us. Failing to embrace differences is failing to live as a unique human.

Every day will be different. Every person you meet will be different. Every conversation you have will be different. Every adventure you take will be different. Every opinion and perspective will be different. Embrace these differences. Do not run from them. The world needs an acceptance of these differences more than ever. Be human. Be unique. Be and accept different.