The Beauty of Us

As a child, I grew up in a household where racial issues never became a topic of conversation.  I never even heard my parents speak of Whites this or Blacks that.  In fact, I grew up in a household where I was introduced to all ethnicities from infancy.  In my bubble of society, there wasn't any racial issues or prejudices of any kind.  There was only love expressed from one person to another.  It never occurred to me that people did not like each other because of the tone of one's skin until I was 15 years of age.  I was indeed heartbroken with the realization that this mental disorder called racism still existed in our society.  I am so thankful that my parents raised me in a household that did not tolerate racist ignorance.  My parents taught me that our differences are what makes us all special. They intentionally introduced me as a child to a variety of cultural experiences.  

Fast forward 35 years later from that first encounter with the sheer darkness of racist society, I am still very much my father and mother's daughter.  I still hold the values that I was taught as a child.  My one wish for Humankind is to accept that we were meant to be different.  Like our fingerprints, we are all equipped with special talents and gifts.  We each have something special to offer each other.  I have been exposed to Arabic, Indian, European, African, Asian and other cultural experiences.  I eat their common foods, listen to their music and have participated in their religious experiences.  It has helped me to understand one common core.  We all are capable of kindness and love.  Your neighbor doesn't apply to the people that live on your street.  It applies to your brotherhood and sisterhood of humankind globally.  There is beauty is us all if you'd take the time to notice.  We all have the right to maintain our cultural beliefs without rejecting another person's perspective.  

I often have said that everyone is a friend that I just haven't met yet.  The best way to gain complete peace and happiness is to accept people who are different from yourself.  The fastest way to create angrier and hatred is to reject people who are different from yourself.  The choice is pretty clear!  I believe we owe it to our children to accept each other and embrace our differences.