Have you ever considered what a blessing it is to live in a country where you can freely interact with people of different cultures, religions, races, opinions and lifestyles? However, we view the other with fear and suspicion, building up a prejudicial and competitive attitude on our part.
Generally we prefer to be around people who think and act like us or who are to our liking. But if we find them different from us, we tend to prejudge them and develop certain stereotypical opinions about them. These prejudices can often lead to unjustified emotional and physical injury to them.
The principle ‘survival of the fittest’ makes competition as the yardstick for thriving in the world. There is too much that is competitive about our attitude that causes us to always view certain qualities as ‘better than’ or ‘less than’ in relation to others. Consequently we develop an attitude of antagonism towards them.
Audre Lorde reminds us, “In our work and in our living, we must recognize that difference is a reason for celebration and growth, rather than a reason for destruction.” The world would be a better place to live in if we could but stand for and live in solidarity, friendship, interdependence, and complementarity. Instead of spending time focusing on where we differ and what we disagree about, we need to focus on the positives! We can consciously seek and define strategies to celebrate our differences by acknowledging, respecting and appreciating the other.
If God has created each one of us unique, why not celebrate the differences? After all, it is our differences that actually enrich and contribute towards our uniqueness.
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