Dearest readers, hope you liked my last post on the lessons about humanity from the movie Alpha. In it, I think you may have noticed what some of my core values are that inform my everyday life, worldview and so on. It's far from the description of me in a nutshell, but it's a solid hint. One other thing I'd like to tackle, without getting political or provocative (not interested in feeding trolls haha) is the idea of diversity, especially here in Canada where it's a huge thing, some key things about how people understand it today, and my contrarian view of it that I think many of you will like or at least use as a topic in your internal debate and sorting your thoughts out on the topic.
Canada is a great example of a First World country that managed, for decades, to integrate people from most world countries- especially in the major urban hubs like Toronto and Vancouver. This is truly an amazing achievement so far, because even though diversity existed long before Canada in pretty much all of the ancient empires and so on, never before have so many people from different backgrounds worked so well together in a MODERN, DEMOCRATIC system. Different cultures, holidays, cuisines, festivals, and different life and business philosophies as well as approaches to problem solving have created a plurality of hybrid life experiences, making many of us more than just our heritage and our parents' upbringing, and did so beyond what's possible by reading books or watching stuff online. This is what I'm all about, and I believe in openness towards everything that the world has to offer, to pick and choose what I want, and create something new. In a truly diverse society, the geopolitical, social or cultural boundaries of the days long gone should not exist.
Yet, this is increasingly not the case in Canada.
More and more, Canada is becoming a mosaic rather than a melting pot. This, sadly, seems to be accompanied by tribalism, isolationism, group think and lack of dialogue with people who have very different life experiences from your own. It is especially the hostility between different groups that worries me the most, because at the end of the day in this great country of ours there are really very few things to be supremely hostile about, and most of us know it. Yet, it keeps getting worse.
Let's look at a Google search definition of diversity:
Definition of diversity. plural diversities. 1 : the condition of having or being composed of differing elements : variety; especially : the inclusion of different types of people (such as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization.
If you go by the definition of diversity, it's easy enough to see that diversity is in trouble here in Canada because these tribal, outwardly hostile groups that are forming are most often only partially diverse- people may look different, but are compelled to think the same. With human beings, you cannot have true diversity unless you allow for at least three things: diversity of looks, diversity of thought, and openness to new and different experiences. Tribalism only allows for one of those three, and that is not enough. Furthermore, people who have truly embraced diversity have become cultural hybrids and tribalism doesn't allow them to fit anywhere because no matter what group you pick, some part of your new hybrid self is going to get you kicked out sooner or later because you may be unable or unwilling to get rid of it just to fit in.
Looking at all of this, I cannot help but arrive at the conclusion that, due to the infinite complexity of how individuals in a diverse society may develop culturally, spiritually, morally and so on, diversity works best with individualism, not tribalism and inter-tribal hostilities. Sure, there may be groups and organizations of like-minded people, as well as rules to follow, but these are fluid and subject to change based on the evolution a diverse society, and is not something over which we should ge is t hostile.
If you believe in yourself and messages you have for others, get active and make a difference. If you're fine either way, just focus on your life and let the world around you keep evolving and sort itself out in endless cycles of change. Finally, stop thinking that the only important thing about people around your is how you're similar. Tribalism is all about picking a few key things that a bunch of people have in common and then punishing group members for anything they incorporated into their lives that is a defining feature of another group deemed hostile. True diversity and individualism are about finding out what you share with people around you, and then having a conversation with them to see how they're different from you, so you can talk about those differences and so both of you can experience personal growth. It is quite fascinating to find someone so similar to you yet so different from you that you just have to know how that's possible. If we were to do that with people around us, we would respect both our similarities and differences, experience true personal growth, and eliminate the need for mind-numbing small talk. Also, I noticed that when you talk on a regular basis with people similar but also very different from you, the more times you talk about things you disagree with, the less of a hot button topic those things become, until all that's left are only a few major issues that are truly worth discussing. It's a journey worth taking as often as possible.
So there you have it, dearest readers- my two cents on the topic. Hope you find it a good, interesting read and that you find things about it that you agree with, as well as disagree with- both are welcome on the grounds on diversity, individuality, openness to new experience and mutual respect. :)
Canada is a great example of a First World country that managed, for decades, to integrate people from most world countries- especially in the major urban hubs like Toronto and Vancouver. This is truly an amazing achievement so far, because even though diversity existed long before Canada in pretty much all of the ancient empires and so on, never before have so many people from different backgrounds worked so well together in a MODERN, DEMOCRATIC system. Different cultures, holidays, cuisines, festivals, and different life and business philosophies as well as approaches to problem solving have created a plurality of hybrid life experiences, making many of us more than just our heritage and our parents' upbringing, and did so beyond what's possible by reading books or watching stuff online. This is what I'm all about, and I believe in openness towards everything that the world has to offer, to pick and choose what I want, and create something new. In a truly diverse society, the geopolitical, social or cultural boundaries of the days long gone should not exist.
Yet, this is increasingly not the case in Canada.
More and more, Canada is becoming a mosaic rather than a melting pot. This, sadly, seems to be accompanied by tribalism, isolationism, group think and lack of dialogue with people who have very different life experiences from your own. It is especially the hostility between different groups that worries me the most, because at the end of the day in this great country of ours there are really very few things to be supremely hostile about, and most of us know it. Yet, it keeps getting worse.
Let's look at a Google search definition of diversity:
Definition of diversity. plural diversities. 1 : the condition of having or being composed of differing elements : variety; especially : the inclusion of different types of people (such as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization.
If you go by the definition of diversity, it's easy enough to see that diversity is in trouble here in Canada because these tribal, outwardly hostile groups that are forming are most often only partially diverse- people may look different, but are compelled to think the same. With human beings, you cannot have true diversity unless you allow for at least three things: diversity of looks, diversity of thought, and openness to new and different experiences. Tribalism only allows for one of those three, and that is not enough. Furthermore, people who have truly embraced diversity have become cultural hybrids and tribalism doesn't allow them to fit anywhere because no matter what group you pick, some part of your new hybrid self is going to get you kicked out sooner or later because you may be unable or unwilling to get rid of it just to fit in.
Looking at all of this, I cannot help but arrive at the conclusion that, due to the infinite complexity of how individuals in a diverse society may develop culturally, spiritually, morally and so on, diversity works best with individualism, not tribalism and inter-tribal hostilities. Sure, there may be groups and organizations of like-minded people, as well as rules to follow, but these are fluid and subject to change based on the evolution a diverse society, and is not something over which we should ge is t hostile.
If you believe in yourself and messages you have for others, get active and make a difference. If you're fine either way, just focus on your life and let the world around you keep evolving and sort itself out in endless cycles of change. Finally, stop thinking that the only important thing about people around your is how you're similar. Tribalism is all about picking a few key things that a bunch of people have in common and then punishing group members for anything they incorporated into their lives that is a defining feature of another group deemed hostile. True diversity and individualism are about finding out what you share with people around you, and then having a conversation with them to see how they're different from you, so you can talk about those differences and so both of you can experience personal growth. It is quite fascinating to find someone so similar to you yet so different from you that you just have to know how that's possible. If we were to do that with people around us, we would respect both our similarities and differences, experience true personal growth, and eliminate the need for mind-numbing small talk. Also, I noticed that when you talk on a regular basis with people similar but also very different from you, the more times you talk about things you disagree with, the less of a hot button topic those things become, until all that's left are only a few major issues that are truly worth discussing. It's a journey worth taking as often as possible.
So there you have it, dearest readers- my two cents on the topic. Hope you find it a good, interesting read and that you find things about it that you agree with, as well as disagree with- both are welcome on the grounds on diversity, individuality, openness to new experience and mutual respect. :)