Open to Difference suggests an openness towards points of view, opinions, and ideas that differ from your own. It implies a willingness to listen, learn, and question, exploring different ways of thinking and allowing for new ones to emerge through discussion.
In a corporate kind of way, this Apple commercial highlights the power of thinking open and thinking different…
Photo by dbking
In his inaugural address, Franklin D. Roosevelt said:
This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.
Fear is an emotional response to threats and danger, real or perceived. The Hummer SUV that this plate was on probably wanted to convey its position in the automobile food chain - the monster of all trucks. It may have been feared by the Geo Metro’s of the world because of its presence and power, but it’s 32 gallon gas tank and 8-12 MPG is now causing great anxiety among many of its owners.
What’s feared one day may not be feared the next, and if so, possibly for different reasons. Fear has been known to induce quick-fire responses, but consider that the response may cause more anxiety than what first initiated it. Fear can paralyze, so question the assumptions upon which your fears are derived before you take action.
Photo by karlfrankowski
Much has been said about the media and how it manipulates the public by presenting some points of view and not others, perpetuating fears towards different individuals and groups, and furthering partisan politics.
The Internet has fostered new forms of journalism, allowing different voices to be heard; nevertheless, television and networks such as MSN, FOX, CNN, and CNBC remain powerful. While these and other stations claim to be neutral in their presentation, they aren’t fooling anyone.
When asked by my more conservative friends what I watch, they are appalled that MSNBC is on my short list. When more liberal friends ask, they are stunned that I tolerate FOX. When I tell them that I consistently watch them all, they wonder why I waste my time. The O’Reilly Factor and Countdown with Keith Olbermann are always on my to-watch list.
I could easily deny one set of stations and only watch those that more closely match my point of view, but then I wouldn’t learn how others understand and discuss the same or similar topic. How can I be open to different ways of viewing the world if I can’t except that they exist? Sure, I could avoid all that I disagree with, but then I would be no better than the pundits who want to further their agenda and ensure that points of view outside their periphery are not heard or given consideration.
Photo by tanakawho
I have heard the pro’s and con’s of immigration many times, and while proponents of each story make legitimate points, it’s common to hear from people on both sides of the aisle that immigrants must shed their historic identities and adopt the ways of their new country - assimilate and melt away, implying that we all become one and the same.
Immigrants who relocate to United States or any other country for that matter have no choice but to adapt to their new surroundings to some degree. However, integrating and creating new ways of living does not necessarily demand the melting of characteristics that make them unique. Sure, some immigrants strive to shed their differences completely, but others intend to keep them intact.
What immigrants cannot bring to their new country is the rule of law of which they previously lived by. In the U.S., laws may not be applied evenly, but immigrants and non-immigrants have to accept what they presently are. It isn’t the melting away of differences that makes America so unique; rather, it is the rights granted to individuals that help to ensure they can maintain them.
Photo by dbking
Just a few weeks ago, Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington Bureau Chief and moderator of Meet the Press, had a heart attack while preparing for his Fathers Day Sunday show. For the last few years, I have spent my Sunday mornings watching Tim do his thing. And while I never thought about him or the show after 11:00 am, I was stunned by this death. For days, I watched MSNBC honor Tim, his family, and the amazing work he has done over the years.
Weeks after his passing, I remain uneasy about it, but I am starting to figure out why I was so affected since reading Washington Post Columnist & Associated Editor Eugene Robinson’s Op-Ed, in The Outsiders Insider, where he wrote:
But why such a huge reaction? I think it’s not just because of who Russert was, but also because of the role he carved out for himself as a kind of ombudsman — the mediator not only of a television show but of a weekly dialogue between the public and the political establishment.
Tim Russert was an Ombudsman of sorts who was charged with representing the interests of the public, not advocating for a specific point-of-view, but rather helping to ensure that politicians were held accountable to whatever view they had. Tim was political, but not in the traditional sense of the word. Like an Ombudsman, Tim was an insider and an outsider, navigating politics in a way that so few can.
Photo by fotologic
Conflict is a normal part of human life, and while people sometimes reflect upon it as a negative state of affairs, it can be a source of creativity and innovation. As theorists, researchers, and others categorize, label, and dispute the causes and sources of conflict, it persists and continues to shape people including those that study and write about it.
This photo isn’t of me, but it could be. I have red hair and wrote about war and peace, among other things, while I studied Conflict Analysis & Resolution at George Mason University. In three words, I walked away embracing the idea that perception is reality. Thank you Dr. Sandole!
I understand that this string of words pushes truth off to the side. Many people assert that they know it, but I’m quite certain that other people hold truths that conflict with your own.
If you don’t embrace my perception is reality premise, that’s okay. My truth allows me to accept yours even if I disagree with it. It is not my place to change your mind to satisfy my own.
My original perception was that studying conflict would allow me to resolve it. But human behavior is impossible to fully quantify and predict, and points of view are continually changing. Conflict is life, and life is conflict. Resolution is change, and change is constant.
I have pushed my original perception aside, and believe (for some time now) that it is the quality of difference that humans have most in common; drawing upon this trait should be the core of change-making efforts of various types (e.g. improving interpersonal relationships, developing public policy, negotiating an agreement). Change is constant, and with it comes conflict. It shapes us as we shape it.
We all have agendas, so let me more clearly express mine. I believe that an attitude of openness towards difference is the only path to making the world a more humane place to live.
Image by TheLawleys
Much has been said about the virtues of tolerance and the practice of respecting the beliefs of others. It is an attitude that many strive for.
I was recently reintroduced to the idea by an acquaintance that liberals are more tolerant than conservatives. Referring to policy and personality, she suggested that conservatives are not open-minded or tolerant of those who seek help (e.g. government) to satisfy their basic needs.
While political parties certainly have a core set of values and political positions, points of view and tolerance of others generally vary from situation to situation, much derived from past experiences and future expectations.
On Boston Legal, conservative William Shatner (Denny Crane) is quite tolerant of his very liberal friend James Spader (Alan Shore), and vice versa. I actually prefer to use the word acceptance rather than tolerance to describe this quality of their relationship. Their political orientations and politics are very different to say the least, but their differences bring them together, or at least make the show interesting!
Human differences can separate people as much as they can bring them together.