Diversity

Mankind is like a can of jelly beans. There are all different colors, kinds, shapes and even tastes. An ideal world would be a mixed bag where all the other jelly beans could end up living in peace. The only problem is one jelly bean has so often got to a bunch of other jelly beans and goodbye those targeted jelly beans. Kind of like a bad apple. So where am I going with this? Diversity is that mixed bag of jelly beans and appreciating diversity is equalizing the playing field for everyone no matter what they seem to look like. Today, we just happened to have a Diversity Day at our school.

I can certainly affirm that it beat out going to gym. Basically, Diversity Day is a day where all these groups meet in the gym and get to talk about themselves. There were all sorts of community groups, religious groups and groups with different ideas. Some of them I definitely didn't agree with and some of the people I ended up talking to for a while.

All of it definitely got me thinking, which is pretty much the point. I actually ended up learning a lot about certain things and everything.

Diversity is what makes the world go round. Diversity in people, ideas. If everyone was the same, the world would be so incredibly boring that it wouldn't even be funny. Under circumstances where everything is made the same, things are oppressive.  This usually is an environment of brainwashing and involves the squashing out of dissent.

Even different races can bring different things to the mix, particularly if there is a cultural element to it too. Ideas and everything like that. Because of the treatment based off of race in society, many minority groups can bring a different perspective with their experience. With more perspective, it's easier to become wiser and more open-minded. When you are open-minded, you have the chance to experience new thinga and meet new people.

Unfortunately, there are so many things in the world that drive people apart. Hatred is one of them as well as intolerance.Yet what mostly drive this is fear and ignorance.  As better as it would be to just love and accept everyone, so many people don't see it that way. Yes, we can disagree. We should be able to disagree pretty strongly. However, it's wrong to make assumptions about people just because of one opinion. It's even more wrong to assume something about somebody just because they happen to look differently than you do or come from a different culture.

It's when people force their ideas on others that things turn out for the worst. Proof of that is Amendment One, which was a ban on gay marriage and civil unions in California. When people want to force their ideas, that's what they get. Not a live-and-let-live but an outright trampling of someone else's rights. And that's not cool. In fact, it makes it that much easier for someone else to trample on yours.

Once you get to know someone or something, it's not as scary. It's the unknown that can scare so many people. It's the uneducated who are often the ones who are left in the dark and who are taken advantage of in the end. Understanding others is the first step to becoming more educated about the world around you and stepping out of your comfort zone.

It's a little difficult to appreciate diversity in my school, which is mainly full of rich, white kids and the occasional Asian kid. Not much of a mixed bag. And yet, I'm trying.

If I can do my part, it seems as if most politicians can do theirs. So often they don't, though, and that's so frustrating. If they did, they might read their own Bible or maybe the Koran and they might not feel the need to promote fear-mongering against certain groups of people to get their way. That same goes for the media too.

Overall, it's amazing what you can see when you open your eyes. There's a whole world out there, not just the world in your mind and thoughts.