“The glory of creation is in its infinite diversity” (Gene Roddenberry).
IT’S HARD TO LOOK AT THE WORLD WE LIVE IN AND NOT BE INTRIGUED BY ITS INTRICACY. Rather than being one homogeneous substance throughout, it’s made up of billions and billions of separate entities. This world is not a vanilla pudding; it’s a tossed salad. And what a diverse salad it is! You could spend twenty-seven lifetimes studying the earth and not even list everything that’s here, much less describe how every “thing” is different from every “other thing.” If variety’s the spice of life, we’re surrounded by spice, aren’t we? And shouldn’t we be grateful? The diversity of our world is part of its strength and beauty, and meditating on that is a helpful exercise.
As individuals, most of us would be stronger if there was more diversity in our character. There is a sense, of course, in which simplicity is beautiful, and we’re not recommending that any of us try to become complicated, difficult, or hard to figure out. The point is just that variety can be a valuable thing, in ourselves just as in the world at large. Our characters will be better if they include various elements that reinforce one another and round us out.
One thing that can add diversity to our character is becoming interested in and respectful of people who differ from us in significant ways. As Charles Dickens has one of his characters say in Martin Chuzzlewit, “Them which is of other natures thinks different.” Conflicting opinions may make us uncomfortable, but we need not fear them. Our own thinking is strengthened, rather than weakened, when we view things from the perspective of people who stand at a different spot and see things from a different angle. This doesn’t mean that every viewpoint is equally helpful or accurate; it just means that our reasoning needs to be enriched and deepened by input from outside our present patterns of thought.
How many kinds of people can you enjoy working with? How varied are the situations in which you can function effectively? How diverse are your tastes? Your habits? Your ideas? If your answer is, “Not very,” you’re missing out on much of the world’s amazement. So, jump into the tingling waters of diversity and go for a swim!
The heavens rejoice in motion, why should I
Abjure my so much lov’d variety?
(John Donne)
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com
