Blooming in Diversity

I'm not your enemy. I'm just different.

A lot of different flowers make a bouquet.

~ Islamic Proverb

Dear Reader,

Nothing fancy, just a firm conversation.

Do you know why the world exists in the first place? It is because every single atom, every tiny bit of particle that exists in this realm serves a purpose, and because they serve their own purpose, they are different, no matter how similar they look.

They do different things, they act differently, they perform different functions, such that the absence of one, or the conformity of one into another can tilt the balance of the universe and make an incomplete picture.

The absence, or conformity of one atom can very much lead to the end of the world.

Have you met twins who look exactly alike physically, such that you must be a witch to even tell the physical difference between them?

Do you see how differently they behave and also think? This alone should tell you that no matter how similar things are, they are still completely different.

A lot of people do not understand this, and that is why there is strife everywhere.

We want people to think like us, behave like us, believe the same things we believe, do the same things we do, and if they don't, if they are completely different from us, we consider them opposites.

This is a thinking flaw. That two things are completely different doesn't mean they are opposites. They can still be serving the same grand purpose in different ways.

That two things are completely different doesn't mean they are opposites.

Back in high school, we were taught about Unity in Diversity, how the difference is what keeps the peace. Even though that's the ideal thing, it is different out here in the real world.

We want everyone to think like us, act like us, believe in our own God, and if they don't, then something must be either wrong with them and they'd go to hell, or they must be stupid, or they must be deliberately antagonistic.

This thinking is wrong!

Nobody has the same experiences ever. Though you might have grown up in the same room, or even shared the same placenta at some point; you will eventually have different experiences, and more than what we have heard, and where we have lived, what truly shapes us are our experiences and encounters, and for the almost eight billion people on earth, there different encounters.

More than what we have heard and where we have lived, what truly shapes us are our experiences and encounters.

For this reason, the next time you relate with someone else, remember that they have separate experiences, and those experiences have made them who they are, how they think and what they do.

If you understand them, you do well. If you don't, you need to put to terms the fact that there are many things you believe and do as well that even they might find very ridiculous. It doesn't mean they or you are on opposite sides. It doesn’t mean they are your enemies. It just means you are from different branches of the same tree called mother earth.

You could either try to understand these people, or at the very least, understand that the difference is necessary for the balance of the world.

Imagine a world where everyone thinks alike, the same culture, the same thought process. There will be zero innovation, zero development and progress. That’s not the kind of world I want to live in.

Heck! Imagine a tree with only one branch! How will it bring prosperity to its fruits?

Hence, the next time you are about to 'cancel' someone because you think differently than they do, next time you are about to condemn someone to being on the opposite side because they have different experiences, remember this newsletter and know that you exist only because there is diversity, and they are a part of that diversity.

In short, we exist only because they exist. That they are different does not mean they are our enemies.

To your growth,

Your Coach,

Abiola Okunsanya,

Handzinspired.