Different Strokes For Different Folks

  One thing I marvel at in this world is the variety of EVERYTHING!  On just about any subject, there are choices and preferences.  Whether it be colour, or taste, or size, or what have you, which certainly makes the world more interesting.  Can you imagine what it would be like without variety?  Pretty boring!  Well, there are certain times when less variety would be okay; when I am waiting while my wife is trying to pick out a dress or a handbag or when she is waiting while I am trying to decide on which tool to buy.  But that's okay because then we can exercise other disciplines like patience.

  I think the best variety is the differences of people.  With all the different languages, cultures, traditions and lifestyles; studying them is a profession or hobby all on its own.  Unfortunately, there is one human trait that is inherent when we meet someone different and that is mistrust.  The fear of the unknown, if you will.  If we aren't familiar with something new, we don't trust it.  I suspect this trait is a carry over from Early Man as part of self-preservation, but we need to learn to manage it in a civilised way.  Just as we find joy in our own families, so can we find joy in the family of the world.

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams