The World in Which We Live Has Changed!

Our world is changing every day. In the last few years we have dealt with a pandemic, inflation and now the threat of a global war. The world in which we live has changed … a lot in such a short period of time. Beyond these macro-issues, we need to ask ourselves a question: what is at the heart of this change? Can you put your finger on it? Can you nail it down to a phrase or a sentence?

If I were asked what is at the heart of the change we see I would have to say that we are no longer moral in respects to our concern for others. Our norm is now entirely about ourselves. We don’t care for other people. We don’t really care about poverty or homelessness. I mean, we do care about those things, but not more than we care about ourselves.

That seems to be the single biggest cultural shift I have seen in my lifetime. Being selfish used to be weird and taboo. Being selfish used to be embarrassing. Oh, sure, people were selfish years ago but they never flaunted it. They tried to at least present a certain humility or concern for others. Now, being selfish is celebrated; it is the norm. We are told to look out for ourselves and to get what we can get. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that summed up this mindset perfectly: the one who dies with the most toys wins.

Why is this bad? Well, first, it does not embrace difference or even care about difference. Second, we do not live in isolation but in community and there is responsibility when it comes to community. There are a whole lot of people who cannot take care of themselves and are dependent on you and me to take care of them. What happens when we want to only take care of ourselves? Well, look out your window because you are seeing the effects of this mindset in real time. Governments want more … millionaires want more … politicians want more and who suffers the consequences … everyone else. What is the answer?

Difference! Look around! Where you see beauty you see difference. Where you see excellence you see difference. Do you find beauty and excellence in sameness? Athletic teams win championships because of difference. Artists are successful because of difference. Sameness produces mediocrity and more sameness. Difference is all around you and there are many who claim to embrace difference and support difference, but all they are really doing is embracing and supporting their own power. Do you want to embrace difference … I mean truly embrace difference? If you do, then forget about equality and celebrate difference. If we celebrate difference than everyone wins because everyone is different!

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!