I believe we all are much more alike than we realize. Sure, between cultures we all might have different norms and beliefs, but overall, we are fundamentally similar.
The problem is that we will oftentimes focus entirely on how we are different. And when we magnify the differences, the similarities are much harder to see.
Think of yourself for example. What if somebody dismissed your thoughts and opinions based solely on who you are. Whether that be because of your race, political party, whatever. You probably wouldn’t like that right?
Oftentimes we will completely ignore all the common ground that we have just to bicker over stuff that may not even be worth fighting over.
That isn’t to say the differences are not worth highlighting, however. In fact, discussing our disagreements with others can be healthy.
But only if we do so in a proper manner.
Don’t run away from contrary viewpoints.
Obviously, not everyone is going to agree on everything. It’s naive to assume otherwise. However, we should not let our differences dictate the way we think and act towards other people.
Dividing ourselves does no good. It is with diversity of thought that we can truly grow. We should actively seek out different viewpoints not run away from them.
Life isn’t about being right all the time. It’s about learning and evolving as a person.
And sometimes that learning may be facilitated by unlikely people.
We must engage in critical thinking.
In today’s world it is very easy to get caught up in a us vs. them mentality. This is not good though because it can lead to bad things.
For instance, in the worst cases it can lead to dehumanization of other people. Which can potentially lead to violence.
Different strains of thought are good, and it is healthy to critically engage with them. But when we stick to ourselves and only listen to affirming voices, we will miss out on all of the benefits.
We are more alike than we realize.
Despite all of our differences, we are much more similar than we may initially assume.
For instance:
- Everyone wants to be loved.
- Everyone wants to be happy.
- We all desire to be accepted by others.
- We all see ourselves as the good guy.
These things are true for almost everyone.
Regardless of culture, beliefs, or even the time period that we are living in.
Conclusion
Only focusing on our differences can lead to divisiveness. People we disagree with are normal people too.
They eat, sleep, breath, and bleed just like we do. They just see the world differently due to different experiences and environments.
We need to start uniting as people. Sure, we might all have different beliefs and ideas. But deep down our goals are the same. We just have different ways of reaching them.