"We are Created as Unique beings!!!. Let's Take Ownership in Accepting Others Differences By Respecting Each other!!!"

What does it mean to accept people as they are?

Acceptance. To accept someone is to show respect for and validation of who they are, what they do, and for the life and path they chose. It by no means agreeing with or approving of anything about another. You don't have to like it. Yet, you can always accept it as being a part of everything that is.

What does acceptance?

Acceptance in human psychology is a person's assent to the reality of a situation, recognizing a process or condition (often a negative or uncomfortable situation) without attempting to change it or protest it. The concept is close in meaning to acquiescence, derived from the Latin acquiēscere (to find rest in).

What is the difference between acceptance?

A world of difference between t olerance and acceptance. Living someplace that is merely tolerant without acceptance is like an existence within a sensory deprivation chamber.

Accepting Difference

No two people are the same.

backgrounds, beliefs or religious practices. They may have different abilities. They may live in different houses or in different families.

Children need to learn that being different is OK.

Children will often ask about differences they observe between themselves and others.

• "Why is that person in a wheelchair?"
• "Why does that person have different skin to me?"
• "Why does that person wear those funny clothes?"

Young children tend to accept difference in others without question. They make friends with children from a range of different backgrounds or abilities or from a range of different types of families.

As children get older they learn to value difference from their parents. Your attitudes towards cultural and other differences will have a big impact on the way your growing children treat others who are different to them.

Reflect on your own acceptance of difference. How tolerant are you of the points of view of other people? How patient and flexible are you in accommodating different customs, beliefs and cultural traditions? How much do you respect and value individuality? How do you talk about and describe others who are different from you?

Accepting difference means understanding how we are alike, how we are different and treating everyone with respect and understanding regardless of the differences.

Promoting Acceptance

Help your child understand your own family history and background.

Talk with your child about the ways in which people within your own family are different from each other - they each have their own likes and dislikes, interests, and things that they are good at.

Encourage your child to talk to you about their observations, questions or concerns.

Help your child to consider the feelings and opinions of others - to put him or herself in the other person's shoes. Help your children to see that differences are to be appreciated and celebrated. You can do this by exposing them to other cultures and people through watching television programs or reading books about other people and places and participating in local community cultural events and festivals.

Accepting Other Peoples Differences

We are all the products of our own individual upbringing and experiences so it is completely natural that we will all have differences in opinions on a wide range of issues. The world would be a very dull place if we were all the same and it’s the incredible diversity among-st people throughout the world that makes it such a fascinating place.

The World is Getting Smaller

Cheaper air travel and the internet has made the world seem a much smaller place and we are increasingly brought into contact with people from many different ethnicities religious backgrounds, languages, cultures and belief systems. You can see this every day on TV, on the news, in newspapers, out and about in society etc. To feel comfortable about people whom we encounter means that we must feel comfortable about ourselves and this means accepting ourselves for what we are.

Prejudices

Unfortunately, many people put up barriers to protect themselves instead of opening themselves up to others. This, in turn, leads to a mistrust of others regardless of colour, religion, gender or any other stereotypical excuse given as to why we fear others and, on a global scale, this is often borne out in the wars that we see around the world and in an increase in terrorist activities. We all know that these kinds of responses only really fuel further mistrust yet, even in our own immediate environments such as the workplace or even in our local pub, we all tend to congregate in our little groups without giving much thought to others around us.

Benefits of Being Open to Others

When we get to learn about others and respect our similarities and our differences, we get to learn so much more about the world and about ourselves and this helps us to grow spiritually, instead of stagnating. It also opens the doors to many other opportunities, be they friendships, work prospects, travel possibilities or a wider understanding of the world in which we live.

How to Become More Tolerant and Accept Others Openly

Many people who are fearful of others are not so because they have any sense of resentment towards them but because they’re not sure how to go about communicating with them and also because they fear that their own little ‘cocoon of protection’ might be threatened. In other words, they make the mistake of believing that others’ viewpoints and opinions might open them up to the risk that their own opinions may be deemed worthless. This is simply not true. What is important is that everybody is entitled to a viewpoint or opinion and we should respect that right even if we don’t necessarily agree with it.

Tolerance is the key but you can still maintain your own identity and still have valid viewpoints. Remember, even identical twins have their own individual experiences and opinions and you probably don’t agree with everything your parents or children say but does that necessarily compromise you?

There are many things we can do to move towards accepting other people’s opinions and respecting our differences. At a very basic level, we should treat others with the same degree of respect as we would like to be treated ourselves. We should embrace our differences, not be afraid of them and we should never judge a person on our first impression which is often about how he or she looks. Taking the time to get to know the person within is a far better indicator than pre-judging them on appearances alone.

Getting to truly know a new person who we may feel is quite different to us can be a very rewarding experience. It’s true that when we’re looking to make friends or start relationships that we tend to gravitate towards people we believe are similar in outlook to ourselves but in restricting ourselves to that mindset, we can often miss out on many interesting experiences.

Be Prepared to Listen

Communication isn’t simply about talking. In fact, some of the best communicators on the world stage tend to be less ‘vocal’ than we might think they’d need to be to be effective communicators. Take Kofi Annan at the UN for instance. He holds one of the world’s most powerful positions when it comes to mediating between powerful people from different countries often with major differences in opinion but he’s good at what he does as he’s a good listener and, in effective communication, it’s listening that’s often the key.

Take time to listen to other’s opinions and acknowledge them and also be confident to express your own. Listening to other’s opinions doesn’t mean you have to deviate from your own firmly held viewpoint, although a diverse opinion to your own can sometimes make you think about things in a different light. This is all part of a maturing of the mind. It’s not about convincing others that you are right or about them convincing you that they’re right but simply a matter of being understood and an acceptance that you might agree to disagree.

If people become more tolerant towards others and take time to get to know some of those with whom they were unfamiliar with previously, it would lead to a far more peaceful and understanding world and, ultimately when considering your own self-growth, an acceptance of other people’s differences is a sure-fire way of gaining a more complete acceptance of yourself.

Imagine if we extend this way of seeing the world to include the entire human race. We would treat every person that we come into contact with a basic level respect and kindness.

We would show more concern towards others in need and be more willing to lend a helping hand.

We would be more understanding and accepting of the differences in others.

If everyone on the planet showed this kind of tolerance towards each other, there would be a lot more harmony and peace than there is in the world’s current state of affairs. I believe that all the tension in our world is imbued by clashing ideologies and people’s inability to accept the unique viewpoints of other races, culture or religions.

The truth is that all forms of discrimination come from a place of fear. Intolerance is caused by the fear of a loss of power, which creates an overwhelming need to control others with what one believes to be true. Like any other belief system, myopic views on diversity are influenced by early conditioning.

If you grew up in a small town that was socially and racially homogeneous and you were taught to be cautious of people who were different from you, you would be more prone to being prejudiced. On the other hand if you grew up in a diverse locality with parents who encouraged you to mingle with everyone, you would be more open to embracing others who are different from you.

Whenever I find myself slipping into a judgmental mindset, I think of one of my favorite quotes by Shakespeare, which says, “Nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so.” It instantly reminds me that there is no right or wrong way of seeing (or doing) things. The world is essentially a neutral place and we give it meaning based on the interpretations we choose.

Although I stand by my personal beliefs and ethics, I try to remain open to seeing the truth in what others think. I take on the role of an explorer and allow myself to be fascinated by how the unique configuration of a person’s personal traits, family background, culture, schooling, and life experiences shapes their unique perspective.

If you face any resistance while doing this, you can be sure that you are being triggered by a shadow aspect of your personality. Exploring your shadow self can provide invaluable clues about the parts of you that need healing, and is essential if we want to have healthier relationships.

By gaining awareness about our own “stuff”, we become more conscious of how we may be projecting our insecurities and judgments onto others. When we clear our minds and hearts, we open the doorway for more understanding in our interactions.

This does not imply that we become pushovers and accept bad behavior from others. We still have to be discerning about whom we allow into our life, but if they are not causing any harm and staying within the boundaries of ethical behavior, we need to be conscious of any judgments that we have about them.

Besides learning about hidden aspects of our psyche and background, here are other reasons why we should be open to understanding the differences in others:

1. You’ll learn new things and make better decisions: They say that everyone you meet can teach you something new. When we are curious about others and ask the right questions, we can learn a lot of interesting things. You never know, you might get a spark of inspiration or a brilliant insight from someone when you least expect it.
2. You’ll make more interesting friends: When we come from a non-judgmental place, other people can sense it and will be naturally drawn to you. This results in you building a more eclectic network of friends from different backgrounds. The internet makes it a whole lot easier for us to access all kinds of online groups and communities where we can meet a diverse array of people.
3. You’ll be a more progressive person: Our world is becoming an increasingly smaller and cohesive unit because of the Internet and the ease of travel. Our global diaspora is filled with a population of individuals with increasingly complex layers and textures to their cultural identity. By becoming more sensitive to these shifts, we stay on trend with the progression of our global culture.
4. You’ll feel better: Whenever we experience any form of resistance or hatred towards another group of individuals, we are engaging in a lower vibration of energy. When we overcome this resistance, we feel lighter, happier, and give ourselves more opportunity to experience joy and satisfaction.
5. You’ll make the world a better place: When you demonstrate more understanding and tolerance towards others, you are making a positive contribution towards the collective consciousness. We are in deep need for individuals to spread the word and be role models to younger generations so that we can promote peaceful and amicable relationships between our communities.

So the next time you are people-watching, take the time to observe the people who are passing by. Notice everything about them – their mannerisms, clothes, facial features, color, and appreciate whatever it is that makes them different from you. Acknowledge their exoticism as an expression of the beautiful and rich diversity that we have been blessed with on this incredible planet.

Accepting others

Accepting others begins with accepting yourself. This means respecting others whether you agree with them or not.

Accepting others is a concept that can feel muddled and become easily corrupted. Particularly if your spiritual or religious tenants profess evangelism and conversion. There may seem to be a fine line between accepting others and leading them down your path, or the path you know to be “right.” But in reality, accepting others means being agenda-less. Not asking them or secretly wanting them to change. Asking and wanting others to change, hopefully for the better, is not bad. However, be aware of the difference between this and really accepting that person. Offering acceptance of what they believe, how they act, the way they live their lives, what they teach their children, how they treat you — any part of who they are.

So what is acceptance? What isn’t acceptance? How do we show acceptance to others?

1. Acceptance

• To accept someone is to show respect for and validation of who they are, what they do, and for the life and path they chose. It by no means agreeing with or approving of anything about another. You don’t have to like it. Yet, you can always accept it as being a part of everything that is.

2. Non-acceptance

• To not accept someone is to show disrespect and disregard for who another is, what they do, or the life and path they chose. You may actually agree with and approve of everything about another, but that does not mean you accept them. There can be something you think they could be doing “better” or “more” or “different.” Most likely, more like you, or someone or something you idolize.
• Non-acceptance is actually the norm in most societies. We constantly try to mold other people to be more as we think they should be. Even people in the same value or belief system suffer from infighting as they try to create homogeny amongst the ranks.

3. How to accept others

Accept yourself

• The first and hardest step in accepting others is to accept yourself. For everything you are. For all your perfection, and flaws. For all your beauty and blemishes. For every right move and wrong turn. For all your sin and salvation.
• This can be difficult for some. You may not feel it’s appropriate to accept the part of yourself you believe your higher power asks you to reject. This is an internal conflict you will have to resolve on your own, or with your spiritual community. Suffice it to say, everything begins with you. If you cannot accept yourself, you will not be able to accept others completely. You will always have an agenda. For yourself, and everyone else.

Know better

• When you feel you are more intelligent, more experienced, wiser, and generally just know better than others, you have the tendency to try to take people under your wing and educate them to everything you know. This can be a blessing. However, this doesn’t come without a cost. To “know better” is to assume the path you have chosen is superior to another’s, and she should, at least in some way, be following you. Or, following you on your path. This not only is not accepting another, it is ignoring the very possible reality that you may be blind to your own ignorance. How do you know this other person does not have something valuable to teach you? Accepting others means allowing yourself to be taught, as well as heard. By anyone. Especially people you believe you “know better” and know more.

As it is

• Accepting others as they are is a function of accepting everything as it is. It is a deep trust in your higher power to create your life, the lives of others, and everything that is in its own image of perfection. No matter how dire things seem, having faith that you and others are having the best of all possible lives, and this is best of all possible worlds, will immeasurably help you change your outlook on accepting anything and anyone you come across.

4. Acceptance at home

• Acceptance has a tremendous effect on the dynamics of a family. You may not even notice how comforting and safe it feels to be brought up or invited into an accepting environment. However, it is easily recognizable when those you hope will understand and help you in life seem to see you as the biggest problem. Non-acceptance can be very difficult, even heartbreaking in a family. You may see yourself as a role model and the guiding force in your children’s, or even partner’s lives. Yet, when this guidance turns to pushing, and expectations turn to judgment, resentment or rejection, parenting can quickly turn into managing. Managing is for employees. Not family.
• As the head of the household, it is your job to teach your children values and make your aspirations for them clear. Make sure that if there is non-acceptance in your family, it’s not coming from you. Your children, siblings, parents or friends may not even know they’re practicing non-acceptance. If they are, address it with them again from a standpoint of guidance. Not dictation. Let them know you choose to accept them for the person they are. Even though, you may now disagree with their behaviors and attitudes toward others. Or themselves.

Make your household an Acceptance-Only or Judgment-Free Zone.

• Accepting someone the way they are does not mean you need to keep them in your life or close to you. Especially if they become toxic, abusive, or neglectful of you and your needs. Yet, you can accept them for who they are. Hopefully, as you accept yourself for who you are. If you want to change something for the better, go right ahead. However, know completely accepting something the way it is and pushing an agenda to change it is incompatible.

What is an accepting person?

Relating to Others. Purpose: To have students describe the positive qualities of people they know whose behavior is nonjudgmental and non evaluative and explore the positive feelings that accepting people inspire in them. Introduction: Our topic for today is, “Someone I Know Who Is an Accepting Person.”

Accepting others is a very important part of life. Especially the way they are. If you can't learn how to do that then you will miss out on a lot of friends in life.

Life is hard enough and when you have to try to "fit in" the cliques of life, it makes life much harder. When you go to school you always have to worry about the way you look or how you walk or who your friends are in order to "fit in". If you don't have a model body or an "Abercrombie and Fitch" boyfriend/girlfriend you don't really fit in with the so called "norm".

However, it is hard sometimes to accept people. If someone looks kind of funny or talks weird most people's first instinct is to walk away and not talk to them. But if you just give that person a chance, you never know, they could become one of your best friends.

Furthermore, if more people accepted others by what was on the inside the world would be a much happier place. I believe this would cause less fighting in the world, less fighting in school, and over all more well being. So if accepting others the way they are can not be established in our society I believe people will miss out on a lot of enjoyable things in life.

Accepting people does not itself mean agreeing with them, approving of them, waiving your own rights, or downplaying their impact upon you. You can still take appropriate actions to protect or support yourself or others. Or you can simply let people be. Either way, you accept the reality of the other person. You may not like it, you may not prefer it, you may feel sad or angry about it, but at a deeper level, you are at peace with it. That alone is a blessing. And sometimes, your shift to acceptance can help things get better.

How?

Pick someone who is important to you. (You can do this practice with multiple people.) In your mind, out loud, or in writing, say things like these and see how you feel: "I accept you completely. Countless causes, large and small, have led you to think, speak, and act the way you do. You are who you are. I let it be. You are a fact and I accept the facts in my life. You and I are part of a larger whole that is what it is, and I accept it, too."

See if you can tolerate what comes up for you when you soften into acceptance. Often we avoid accepting other people as a way to avoid the feelings we'd have if we opened wide to everything they are and everything they're not.

Consider how you have gotten tangled up with this other person, struggling to change them. When I do this myself, I become aware of my own rightness, positionality, judgments, pushiness, irritability, narrow views, hurts, longings, grievances, or remorse. See if you can let go of some, even all of these entanglements. Open to the easing, relief, and peace that can come when you do.

Also consider how much you like it when you feel that another person accepts you completely. It's a beautiful gift - and we can give it ourselves to others when we accept them. Imagine how it might improve your relationship with someone if that person felt you accepted him or her fully. Acceptance is a gift that gives back.

In the end, I am taught a bigger picture. I learned to be more accepting of people regardless of ethnicity, looks, or background. Ethnicity, looks, and backgrounds don’t define a person, but rather what the actions they choose to take in life. I’ll admit I’m not perfect. I still occasionally catch myself judging people or stereotyping based on looks, but I’ve learned to recognize what I’m doing, stop, and get to know the person before labeling people. It also made me a stronger person. I am now a more confident, self-assured person. I now know that who I am is good enough. It’s not the color of my hair or skin that defines me, but rather the things I do with my life. I was also taught that despite all our differences, everyone’s more similar then we acknowledge. Everyone’s DNA is 99.9% the same. But it’s the .1% that we will be known for. We are all made up of unique components consisting of race, religion, beliefs, customs, personality, gender, and more. We were all created into unique beings. Now it’s up to everyone individually to take ownership in accepting their differences, and to take the time to respect and accept the differences of other