Be selfless and care

Sometimes lessons take awhile to hit you. Sometimes a simple conversation teaches you more than you could have ever anticipated. It's been 2 days already since we've gotten back from our trip, and everything I took away from the trip is just now beginning to come together. I saw a cartoon about perspective the other day online (and now of course I can't find that same one) and it really got me thinking. Our class is about diversity and disasters. We've learned so much about different backgrounds, races, genders, socioeconomic statuses, and the list goes on. We also learned about Hurricane Katrina and will be learning about even more disasters throughout the rest of the semester. But I think it all can be summed up into one word. Perspective. You don't have to be in our class or learning about the things we are to be able to learn that the point is that we have to learn to understand  and appreciate other people's perspectives. The point is that no one on this earth has exactly the same perspective as another person. We are all different. We have different backgrounds, different histories, different families, friends, experiences, morals, conversations, lessons, influences, etc. I think that one of the biggest problems in our world is that people don't appreciate others' perspectives. We're selfish and fear anything different from what we're used to and comfortable with. Closed  and tucked away in our own little boxes.

(This is the one I couldn't find before- FINALLY stumbled upon it today)



This is the best example I could find so I'll do my best with it (even though I think it's pretty clear already).
Sometimes we all look at the same situation, problem, or occurrence and see completely different things. Some may see a duck, while others might see a rabbit. Are either of us wrong or right? No!! The problem isn't that we have differing view points; that's actually the beauty. The problem arises when we begin to judge others for having a differing view point. It's a problem when we stop appreciating the fact that other people can see something differently than how we see it. And it becomes an even bigger problem when we close ourselves off from that differing point of view. If I see a rabbit, and someone tells me they see a duck, and I tell them they're wrong and refuse to even just attempt to see it their way (whether we agree or not), then I'm shutting myself off from all kinds of relationships, beauty, and so many other good things. Sometimes it's scary at first to open yourself up to new viewpoints, ways of life, and possibilities. And sometimes even if you can allow yourself to accept those differences in others, you don't allow yourself to actually learn from those differences. When you can begin to challenge your own viewpoint and way of life you get the most out of it. That doesn't mean you have to immediately take on other people's perspectives simply because you can understand where they're coming from. It means that you can take those perspectives into consideration and decide if that is actually how you see it or not. But you always have to remember that diversity is a REALLY good thing- especially when you can appreciate it and nurture it.
I guess the point is- we don't have to agree with others in order to appreciate them. There should be joy and curiosity in finding out other's opinions rather than fear and disapproval. The beauty of our world is that we ARE all different.  We just have to be able to learn to respect each other's differences, and sometimes accept that we may not know why they think the way they do, or what has shaped them to this point but that that doesn't matter. I don't necessarily have to know your past to appreciate your thinking or decisions.

I've also realized more and more that if we have differing viewpoints and have to work together, it's okay to compromise and allow yourself to take on someone else's opinion for awhile. That doesn't mean you have to agree with it or live by it, but it does mean that you can empathize with it (if that's the right word). You see a rabbit, I see a duck- it's okay (and valuable) for me to allow myself to see a rabbit for a little while in order for productive things to get done. Sometimes you have to swallow your pride, take one for the team, or allow yourself to not have the upper hand. You don't have to completely change your views in order to live someone else's for a little while. I guess it's about being selfless. Selfless and open.

Through my experiences on the trip and my conversations before, during, and especially after the trip, I have begun to fully understand diversity. It's not about people being different from each other in specific categories. The fact is that we're ALL different. Our pasts and backgrounds make us who we are. The real growth occurs when you can learn to care about and appreciate others whether you both see a duck, or you see a duck and they see a rabbit. Heck- maybe someone sees a clothespin. Who am I to tell them that they're wrong? We all could accomplish so much more if we just opened ourselves selves up to letting others have differing opinions.


In respect to the trip last week- I couldn't have asked for anything better. Were there points in the week that I hated or struggled through? Of course. Could I have done without some of the problems we faced? Absolutely. But how do you grow when things are easy? You learn and grow from experiencing adversity and diversity. And that is exactly what I did. I didn't just learn to respect and appreciate "diversity" but I learned even better to respect and appreciate everyone around me. I learned to be selfless and care. It's as simply, yet as complex, as that.