Sunday, April 8, 2018

Acknowledging our own diversity as a foundation to the one beyond

As foetus, my “Heimat” was my mother’s womb. At birth, my father and sister were strangers and threatening. I had to grow and learn that diversity is life and a need. Once I got over the fact that father and family were a plus, I then was confronted to the extended family, then school, then a working place, then a country, then a marriage, then my own kids, then a different profession,  etc. etc. 
The concept of Heimat/home (where I feel good, productive and giving/creative is constantly evolving and changing as I grow and develop my own identity, my own mosaic.
Some stay stuck at one step, always because of a trauma and that is tragic enough, but supporting this blockage at any step is detrimental for the individual and for society.
It is clear for most of us that a child who do not want to meet his family will be supported to do so. Yes there is always somewhere a bad uncle but we have a chance to succeed in our life because we get support to engage and because the good side of the family will put limits/educate/punish the bad uncle. 
It is the same with the rest of the steps of our growth.
To have a government stopping us from embracing our own individual diversity for capitalizing on our fears is as detrimental as parents who keep her/his child home because the world can be a bad place, sacrificing the life of his/her child.
Governments may have different motives to stop you from growing your own mosaic, like using your fear to gain power, but each of us, therefore society is paying the price. 
Extended across cultures, we have a ground for fear, misunderstanding, fight, anger, dishonesty, suspicion, paralysis, and yes war. 
Since this may not be a positive path , we need to practice the art of engaging with diversity (ex. with creativity, patience, and compassion). Yes, there are bad uncles in every culture but communicating constructively with the majority who are not "bad uncles" is the path to liberty that brings out our best, and that is at the end what counts. 
Staying home and letting the "abusers" take over should not be an option, and yes it takes practice but isn't it part of the meaning of life?