some thoughts on diversity

well, life continues on as usual here in memphis, much as it has for the past few weeks.

lots and lots of free time interspersed with periods of extreme business due to work.

right now i am enjoying the all too brief period of the day between when daytime duty ends (4 o'clock pm) and when i go on the clock for the night shift (8 o'clock pm). i had really hoped to find something interesting to do off-campus to fill this cherished space in my day, but--obviously--there was nothing better to do than sit in front of my computer screen in my boxers and write away aimlessly on here.

i must make due.

i made a vow that i would attempt to keep this thing updated. writing my second entry just over a week later, i'm wondering if i'll be able to hold to that promise.

*shrug*

i guess it doesn't really matter.

moving right along . . .

do you ever find that person who just gets under your skin? whose point-of-view is so far different from your own you have a hard time accepting the fact that they live on the same continent as you?

i find a lot of those people.

people who grew up getting a view screamed at them so loud that they finally just gave up fighting it--and thinking for themselves--and began to shout the same thing to other people?

individuality and the right of people to be who they want to be is something i put a lot of stock into.

if we were all meant to be the same, then we would be. why would there be so much diversity on earth if it wasn't natural . . . or "the way God intended?"

look at the plethora of plants and animals around you. do they look the same? what would nature be without mountains? streams? oceans? the beach?

imagine a world where everywhere looked just like . . . oh, i don't know . . . kansas.

a world with miles and miles of corn. and the occasional cow.

would that be natural?

wouldn't we be missing out on something?

there would be no amazon rainforest, no nile river valley . . . no saharan desert and no matterhorn.

did God make the world that way? corn and cows? and silos?

no, He didn't.

He made corn and wheat and tomatoes* and potatoes* and squash and zucchini and palm trees.

He made cows and elephants and ants and monkeys and ostriches and geckos and Geico.

and all of these creations work together in the circle of life (sorry . . . lion king moment) to make this world whole.

that's why God made different kinds of people, too.

people of different colors, ethnicities, languages, religions, beliefs, tastes, toothpaste brands, and socio-economic backgrounds.

the important thing for us to remember is that they were each made exactly as they were for a reason. and their own point of view developed as a result of the particular conditions under which their life has been shaped.

and, while we may not always agree with what other people have to say, it is our responsibility as human beings to respect their points-of-view as legitimate.

without being mean or screaming.

and that, ladies and gentleman, is why i did NOT go on a political tirade just now.

though a calm, peaceful description of some of my own views may follow at a later date. when i have another span of time i need to fill.

until then, ciao muchachos!

bk

*have you ever wondered where the e's come from in these two words? what was wrong with writing "tomatos" and "potatos?" why don't we write "tomatoe" or "potatoe?" who put the e's there? and why? this is one of the great mysteries of the english language.

it also wreaked havoc on my spelling grade in elementary school.