Diversity. The obvious has escaped us.
Diversity. For some reason, it has become a charged word. Say it silently and we all go to different places in our minds based on our experiences, or perhaps more often, to what we have heard or seen in the media. Say the word out loud, and you may get a response that surprises, shocks, or disappoints.
I think we have so sadly, blatantly missed it. The obvious escapes us. We have lost the real meaning and beautiful simplicity of the word.
Last week I created a little spiral from rocks I had sitting around the house. Stepping back, the word diversity came to mind. Had I gone to the beach with the intent to collect rocks that showed variety, I would have certainly found even greater diversity and beauty.
As I walked along the rocky New England beach later that day, I thought about the thousands of little rocks at my feet. Diversity. In nature, diversity is beauty. Would I want all the rocks on the beach to be one color, one size, one shape? If they were, I probably wouldn't be collecting them in my pocket as I do. My walk would certainly not be as interesting or rewarding. The reason we look at rocks, love them, collect them, is because of diversity. They are all unique. They are all beautiful!
Nature is all about diversity. We go there for just that reason... to witness... diversity! We are amazed. We are delighted. So why do we change our perception when we look at each other? We are, in case we have forgotten, part of nature!
Right. Go ahead, call me naive. Tell me its complicated. Perhaps the reason why it is complicated is because we have made it that way. Maybe it is complicated because we are, and for hundreds of years have been, listening to the voices of man, and not the voice of the Creator.
The rocks on the New England beach have more in common with themselves than differences. They are, after all, rocks. They all are subject to the force of gravity. They all feel the effects of the tide. They all make some sort of sound when the roll against each other in the surf. They are all rocks! We, too, have more in common with each other than differences.
What if, before we go to the complicated places in our minds, or open our mouths, what if we choose not to listen to the distorted voices of others? What if we look at the obvious? We are all a part of nature. We are all created unique. We area all beautiful.
Whose voice are you listening to?
© Beth Adoette
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