Thinking about difference …

Difference … is defined as “a point or way in which people or things are not the same” (Dictionary.com) but that pithy statement does not really tell the story of difference, does it? Difference or different can mean many things. It can mean weird or strange as in “you are really different.” It can be a pause of concern, “that’s different.” It can be a personal statement, “I am different.” Whatever way you use it, if you are like most, you use it in reference to something negative over 60% of the time.

I remember the very first time I traveled to another country and encountered difference. I was surrounded by people who were not like me, did not speak like me or even think like me. My choice was to recoil into my shell and avoid changing (difference) or embrace it and learn something new. What a difference (chuckle, chuckle) it was for me to embrace the difference around me. It changed me and made me who I am today. I learned how to think about the world in a very different way. I learned a new language, new food, and a new way to interact with a world that just doubled in size for me.

Difference is not to be avoided but to be sought. How are we to seek difference? Well, let’s start with social media. If you want to seek difference then you should avoid unfriending or unfollowing anyone who disagrees with you. Instead, you should engage them respectfully to see why their opinion is different. You may continue to disagree but both of you will have learned something from each other. One of the most frustrating things to hear is those who push an agenda of equality but then promote conformity to their standard as a single position. That is not difference but sameness and sameness should be avoided because it leads to many things that are bad. Think about the past and sameness. I doubt you come up with much that was positive.

As I conclude, I want to implore you to think about difference and whether you seek it or avoid it. Your response to it will make all the difference in your own life and the lives of others!