During my reflection this morning, my thoughts wandered to diversity. With the large collection of people I know, I am blessed by having a very diverse group. I am not referring to race and culture, although that is a factor. I have a broad group of people that I associate with on a regular basis with very different views, opinions, backgrounds, and beliefs. I never really knew how broad this diversity was until I reflected on it consciously. We have just come through a Federal Canadian Election and I know people who are on the extreme left and others on the extreme right. Some friends are devout Christians, others follow a more Eastern path, and yet others are agnostic or atheist. There are a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, interesting stories, education, career choices, and health issues. Some of my friends are extremely athletic whereas others are quite sedentary. I know many people with high IQs that rate well into the genius category.

There are some people I know who are very judgmental and form strong opinions quickly and firmly, and yet there are others that seek to walk a mile in everyone else’s shoes. Some of my friends have overcome serious addictions while others are in the process of creating them. The more I reflect on this as I write, the deeper the diversity gets. It is a deep well of slice and dice and each way of looking at the assortment of people in my life spawns new ways to recognize and celebrate their diversity.

Recognizing the diversity is key to celebrating and respecting it for me. It is good to spend time focusing on what we have in common, but I think it is equally important to focus on our differences in a respectful manner that honors the differences. This cornucopia of ideas, beliefs, backgrounds, thoughts, feelings, and life choices makes for a very colorful palette. It provides a much broader context in which I can examine my own ideas, beliefs, and choices. I feel very rich all of a sudden. I feel like I have been given the very special gift of the collective of people I know and interactive with on a regular basis. Very humbling. Very humbling indeed. I will give thanks and go forth with a smile today.

Diversity: the art of thinking independently together. ~ Malcolm Stevenson Forbes