People are People

May 2021

Today I’m pondering people.  We, the members of the human race. Almost 8 billion of us inhabit this planet. A planet I have traversed for the last 40 years of my work and personal life. Needless to say, but I will anyway, I have spent a great deal of time interacting with people from different countries and cultures. Tentatively at first.  I was cautious initially, until I grew more comfortable with myself.  As I progressed, I became much more open-minded and diverse in my relationships.  And it has been a blessing.

Not to say every interface has been pleasurable, but they have all been an education. I’ve tried hard to make them so. I’m not a cultural anthropologist but I’ve gathered my share of insights. Just when I think I’m getting it figured out, I learn something new.  That’s why I am pondering.

Around our world, people look different, dress differently, talk differently, eat different foods. We have distinct opinions on things like politics and social issues. We have unusual customs and cultural norms. Many of these contrasts are what make it so fun to interact with other cultures. Some of these also make us fear them.

But in so many ways we are all very much the same. If we look for differences, we will find them. If we look for similarities, we will find those too. It just depends on your perspective.  I love how we are all different. That makes the world more fun. But what connects us is how we are all the same. 

We all seek to be safe and raise our children properly.  We want them to be happy.  We want to be happy!  We smile and laugh at similar things. We are driven to care for others.  Especially children or the elderly. We try to keep cool when it’s hot and warm when it’s cold. We try to stay dry when it’s raining. We look for food when we are hungry. We all breathe the same air. 

Our hearts beat. We bleed when we are physically wounded, and we hurt inside when emotionally so. We all worry, and usually about the same kinds of things. We wish we were thinner or fitter, that we slept better.  We hurry when we don’t need to and procrastinate when we shouldn’t.  We all love, fear and hate. Many of these things are taught to us in our earliest years.

That’s right, being all the same does not mean that we are all alike. We have vastly diverse personalities, belief structures, and morals depending on what our individual experiences of life have been. The biggest thing we have in common is that we are all merely trying to survive on the same planet.  And most of us prefer to do more than survive.  We would like to thrive personally and do so while in harmony with one another.

Of course, there are exceptions, and they are everywhere too. Insensitive, self-centered people. People that thrive by creating chaos and harming others.  Intentionally or not.  This minority helps to create stereotypes that are disastrous for human relations. These are so difficult to look past, but we all must work hard to do so. 

What I have found is that we are all humans racing towards something. Trying to live a life of meaning. Always looking for more. Speeding forth towards our common end. Trying to find balance in a world that seems to be spinning out of control.  

Clearly then, doesn’t it make sense not only to embrace our differences but to celebrate them?   Wouldn’t life be more fun, not if we were all more alike, but if we appreciated what makes us different and why?  To that end I make this recommendation.  Ask questions when you meet someone from somewhere else. Watch and learn. Try to gain something new in any way you can about the world and its people. In doing this, the richness that would come to us all would be immeasurable. I’m up for it!  How about you?