Free-D

As in rainbow every individual colour is equally important and responsible in the formation of the gorgeous arch, all individuals and groups living in a diverse society are equally of significance. Gender, race, religion, creed, disability, sexual preference, and nationality shape who we are and how we perceive the world. It influences us as much as the historical factors that define our generations. Diversity as a phenomenon is moving along a continuum. Initially, when people all strived for the comfort of sameness, variety was a threat. So, diversity was cause for segregation. One might call it a mere opinion. However, Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam has found that diversity in a community pronounces a decline in “social capital”, resulting in fewer votes, less volunteer-work and charity projects, and less trust among neighbours than most homogenous settings.As the world nation, most of us have already moved toward tolerance and the next stage along the continuum is acceptance, which not only recognizes and tolerates differences, but also respects and welcomes them. In the near future diversity might be evolutionary, not revolutionary. It will have more to do with acceptance, flexibility, and respect, slowly challenging us to move from segregation to celebrating equality through our differences. Where we are on the continuum at any given time with regard to a particular group is shaped by any number of factors, such as where we live, how we were raised, and even what is happening in the world. After 9/11, anyone of Arab or Muslim descent, at least in the US, became immediately suspect and many Americans slid instantly from acceptance to fear of anyone who even looked Middle Eastern.Those fears and misjudgements are luckily dying out, but the most important treasure that we leave behind for our next generation is teaching them not to shut their mouths for they might hurt an ethnic minority’s feelings, but to understand and accept their difference to others and enjoy their enriched lives because of such assortment in their community. In modern multicultural societies children are growing up in exciting times. Just think about the different languages people speak, different ways people fix their hair, listen to the variety of music styles and instruments. As these children grow, they hopefully wont inherit our old fashioned hatred and resentments towards each other, but appreciate the beauty their society offers in many different ways and traditions.Social identities change over time living among people different to one’s original culture, yet as we adapt to their ways of life, they in turn are introduced to our cultures. That enriches our views on how we can live our lives  better together. So, maybe this is what the true evolution of mankind is and not our transformation from one specie to another.Today we are strangers, tomorrow we are family as our children grow together in a world with no boundaries. I love you no matter you are black, white, red, yellow, Asian, European, African or American, or whatever your beliefs are, or whatever your sexual preference is, because with out you my rainbow is incomplete.