Diversity: What’s gained & what’s lost?
Growing up I didn’t really experience much diversity. Whether it was a variety of thoughts, life experiences, or cultural differences within my neighborhood. I spent most of my childhood in a part of the country not known for being a mosaic of the human experience: Sandy, Utah. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed my childhood and the amazing friendships that came with it. Along with everything this state had to offer as far as outdoor lifestyles. There just wasn’t much in the way of variety because of the nature of society here in the 1980’s.
Most of the people in Utah shared similar cultural and religious beliefs. Even today, in 2021, the majority of people are white and share similar religious beliefs. Although it has become more diverse over time here, the reality for me was an absence of variety growing up as a child in this environment. My family did road trips several times but nothing outside of the country, except for that one trip to Tijuana, Mexico when I was a teenager. Trust me, it was definitely an experience for a teenager who grew up in Utah. I learned the world was an interesting place with much more to offer than I had previously thought.
As I grew older, I had more opportunities to travel. I eventually traveled to Europe several times, along with other parts of the country including Hawaii twice. With each experience, I learned more about people, society, and different cultures. I loved it! Traveling outside of my country helped me gain a different perspective and learn to appreciate how beautiful it was to have such a diverse world. I became more grateful for my life and what I had, including the people in my life.
It’s amazing how we can think our way of doing things or lifestyle is right, somehow better than that of other people. In some cases it may definitely feel that way. But, I learned to see other ways and value different cultures as a result of experiencing them firsthand. Walking the streets, seeing the sights, eating the food, engaging with the people and culture in other countries was priceless. I also began to see myself in other people who I assumed were vastly different than me. I loved watching people embrace who they were and own it. I admired their originality and the uniqueness of who they were. This is part of what makes our world beautiful.
So, what do we gain and what do we lose with diversity? Here’s my thoughts:
What do we gain from our diversity?
- Awareness
- Compassion
- Education and wisdom
- Deeper understanding
- Multiple solutions to challenges
- Stronger brain function (e.g. Forming new neural pathways)
- New insights, ideas, increased creativity
What do we lose from diversity?
- Preconceived ideas or prejudices
- Assumptions
- Group thinking
- Generational repetition (e.g. “We’ve always done it this way.”)
- Ignorance or lack of knowledge
- Outdated patterns or behaviors
We are better when we have a variety of thought, experience, and representation. It sets the stage for a deeper level of growth and wisdom to occur. We begin to see more and recognize how much we all gain from exploring the spectrum of humanity. Life is better with variation and unlimited possibilities. Diversity makes it so.
An example, from personal experience, where diversity made all the difference between people losing their jobs or keeping them, comes from the financial crisis of 2008. Our company was considering layoffs in order to keep it running during this time. The CEO, at the time, was wise enough to know that the executive team would never come up with enough ideas or ways to retain jobs, avoiding layoffs.
He and his team decided to reach out to the employees for their thoughts and recommendations. They received thousands of ideas, resulting in saving the company millions of dollars, and preventing larger-scale job losses. He constantly expressed his gratitude to the employees for their help and frequently mentioned this experience to the new-hire classes. He would talk about how the diversity of ideas from various employees made this possible.
The difference between growth and stagnation is often decided by how willing we are to embrace diversity into our lives. Travel. Embrace new perspectives. Become open to learning and seeing the world through different eyes. We need this. Our brains need this. The world needs this. The universe is diverse. This is why it has survived for billions of years.
Enroll in the university of diversity!