Celebrating Unity Through Diversity
Celebrating Unity Through Diversity
Written by Anthony L. Moore
Wednesday, 30 June 2010 13:07
Considering the amount of diversity that exists in our society today, it is imperative that we celebrate unity through diversity because we are one in Christ Jesus. Regardless of our individual differences, we can still promote unity through our diversity as long as we respect and value these differences. Paul tells us in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” One of the best ways to utilize diversity as a way of endorsing unity is to seek first to understand than to be understood. Solomon reminds us in Proverbs 4:7b, “With all thy getting, get understanding.” Stephen Covey, in his seminal book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, suggests that seeking first to understand is promoting empathy as a way of understanding other people’s situations. When we seek first to understand, we are demonstrating empathy toward another person’s perspective, feelings, and background.
The only time that differences promote segregation is when people fail to value, respect, and understand others. This apathetic attitude undermines any genuine efforts towards unity. Further dissention is caused by having an ethnocentric attitude, thinking that your ethnicity is better or superior to someone who is different from you.
It is a natural tendency for people to think they are right and anyone who deviates from how they think or act must be incorrect. Although it is easier said than done, all of us must make conscious efforts to suspend judgment and resist the temptation to evaluate people by how they look until we get to know them. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his famous I Have A Dream speech stated, “I have a dream that one day my four little children will live in a nation where people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their
Written by Anthony L. Moore
Wednesday, 30 June 2010 13:07
Considering the amount of diversity that exists in our society today, it is imperative that we celebrate unity through diversity because we are one in Christ Jesus. Regardless of our individual differences, we can still promote unity through our diversity as long as we respect and value these differences. Paul tells us in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” One of the best ways to utilize diversity as a way of endorsing unity is to seek first to understand than to be understood. Solomon reminds us in Proverbs 4:7b, “With all thy getting, get understanding.” Stephen Covey, in his seminal book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, suggests that seeking first to understand is promoting empathy as a way of understanding other people’s situations. When we seek first to understand, we are demonstrating empathy toward another person’s perspective, feelings, and background.
The only time that differences promote segregation is when people fail to value, respect, and understand others. This apathetic attitude undermines any genuine efforts towards unity. Further dissention is caused by having an ethnocentric attitude, thinking that your ethnicity is better or superior to someone who is different from you.
It is a natural tendency for people to think they are right and anyone who deviates from how they think or act must be incorrect. Although it is easier said than done, all of us must make conscious efforts to suspend judgment and resist the temptation to evaluate people by how they look until we get to know them. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his famous I Have A Dream speech stated, “I have a dream that one day my four little children will live in a nation where people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their