Diversity & Variation

Diversity is an essential process. Variation is a natural part of life. According to biological science, all humans originated in Eastern Africa long ago. Since 200,000 years ago, we have spread around the world. Now our species has adapted to many different regions and climates, and has changed in many ways. We have explored a number of variations on our cultures. We have developed many different kinds of foods, music, sports, and philosophies. In itself, this is a wonderful achievement! By changing to local conditions, we have adapted to our world and dramatically improved our chances for survival world-wide! That's what adaptation is all about.

Unfortunately, in general, many people have difficulty tolerating these variations when they meet others from elsewhere. Those who suffer most from this problem are working with a real deficit. In our collective group personality, there seems to be a real difficulty in accepting others.

Another factor in this situation is that, thanks to intelligence, we have also managed to make ourselves the dominant species. This second situation may be a mixed blessing since we don't really get along with each other so well.

Why is this difficulty so sharp? Do we indeed have a shared group 'human personality'? How can we identify the common traits? If this is so, how can we improve this group personality to better help us as individuals?

Quotes

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”
Maya Angelou

“Diversity is about all of us, and about us having to figure out how to walk through this world together.”
Jacqueline Woodson

“Ethnic diversity adds richness to a society.”
Gary Locke

“The diversity of the phenomena of nature is so great, and the treasures hidden in the heavens so rich, precisely in order that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment.”
Johannes Kepler

“Human cultural diversity is vast; the range of cultural practices, beliefs, and languages that we speak is vast.”
Mark Pagel

“The one process now going on that will take millions of years to correct is the loss of genetic and species diversity by the destruction of natural habitats. This is the folly our descendants are least likely to forgive us.”
E. O. Wilson

“We need to reach that happy stage of our development when differences and diversity are not seen as sources of division and distrust, but of strength and inspiration.”
Josefa Iloilo

“We are increasingly recognising and accepting, respecting and celebrating, our cultural diversity.”
Julie Bishop

“This is a good time to ask apologists for the Islamic regime, who degrades Islam? Who imposes stoning, forced marriage of underage girls and flogging for not wearing the veil? Do such practices represent Iran's ancient history and culture, its ethnic and religious diversity? Its centuries of sensual and subversive poetry?”
Azar Nafisi (author: Reading Lolita in Tehran)

“We inhabit a universe that is characterized by diversity.”
Desmond Tutu

“Our cultural strength has always been derived from our diversity of understanding and experience.”
Yo Yo Ma