Diversity – It’s a Respect Thing

Diversity: we define it as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, socio-economic status, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status.

For most people, learning, working, and living in a diverse society is not a new reality. We live in a part of the world where people of all ethnic, spiritual, cultural and lifestyle preferences and backgrounds have come together and, for the most part, find that it works. At InAccord, we want to make sure it works.

But making diversity work is not easy. Having good intentions is not enough. Diversity can be a source of dissention and bitter conflict. People will tend to gravitate to others who resemble themselves in thought, looks, and deeds. “Birds of a feather” do flock together. Misunderstandings and resentments are common.

Most people live by the golden rule: treat others as you want to be treated. But when you look at this through the lens of respecting diversity, you might have questions.

What does respect look like? Does it look the same for everyone? Does it mean saying hello in the morning, or keeping your distance, or making eye contact when you speak?

The answers depend on the person. We may share the same core values, but how we exhibit those values may be different.

How do we know what different groups or people need?

Perhaps instead of using the golden rule, we could use the platinum rule, which is "treat others as they want to be treated." Moving our frame of reference from what may be our default view ("our way is the best way") to a diversity-sensitive perspective ("let's take the best of a variety of ways") will help us to manage more effectively in our richly diverse environment.

Author and speaker Eugene Greissman, who has interviewed some of the world’s most interesting people, wrote the following “Diversity Creed.” He said, “diversity brings new solutions to an ever-changing environment, and that sameness is not only uninteresting, but limiting.” Thus, he pledged to affirm his citizenship in a world of diversity by taking responsibility to…

Be tolerant. Live and let live. Understand that those who cause no harm should not be feared, ridiculed, or harmed—even if they are different.

Look for the best in others.

Be just in your dealings with poor and rich, weak and strong, and whenever possible to defend the young, the old, the frail, the defenseless.

Avoid needless conflicts and diversions, but be always willing to change for the better that which can be changed.

Seek knowledge in order to know what can be changed, as well as what cannot be changed.

Forge alliances with others who love liberty and justice.

Be kind, remembering how fragile the human spirit is.

Live the examined life, subjecting your motives and actions to the scrutiny of mind and heart so to rise above prejudice and hatred.

Care. Be generous in thought, word, and purse.

Words to live by!