Whenever we talk about humanity, we also talk about our similarities and differences. Acknowledging these traits has been part of our quest to know more about who we are. The world is currently home to 7.5 billion people. Given this huge number, it’s easy to see why our sense of truth and purpose differ. And with it comes cultural diversity.
According to the UN, three-quarters of the world’s conflicts have a cultural dimension. This means that differences in cultures and beliefs have caused nations to disagree. It isn’t really surprising since people from various regions have different standpoints. Our native language, background, and experiences play a huge part in how we interpret the world. Thus, the UN declared May 21 to be the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.
This day is very special for us because to live harmoniously, we have to accept our differences. It is possible to prevent and stop these misunderstandings from happening. If we accept and understand what makes us different, we can know where each one of us is coming from. We can know what we can do to come together as one. So, here are three things we can keep in mind as we celebrate this day.
1. We are all different, which means we are all unique.
The world has many stories from different cultures and each one has its own beauty. Cultural diversity is a great way of learning how the world looks to different groups of people. Cultures have diverse sets of beliefs like how snowflakes differ in shapes and sizes. Our uniqueness makes us beautiful because we all have something to bring to the table.
2. Uniformity is boring.
Imagine a world where everything and everyone is the same. We would listen to the same music, eat the same food, and visit the same places every single day. That would be the worst thing ever. Nobody likes the same routine because, let’s admit it, we all love to learn and explore new things. It’s the same thing with cultural diversity! Each culture has its own sense of style that entices us to explore them.
3. The learning never stops.
One of the greatest things in life is our ability to learn from what we see and experience. When we travel, we get to see the other side of the world. We also get to know what daily living means to others. When we meet new people from other walks of life, we see how their stories connect with us. And because there are thousands of people we have to cross paths with, it means learning never ends.
We are all different. But at the end of the day, we all belong to the same family. We may speak different languages but we all want the same things. And we may have different ways of showing our affection, but we all have the same feelings.
Featured Image by Omar Lopez via Unsplash
