Difference

            I find it very interesting that, as humans, we are always looking for something different.  It doesn’t matter what it is that we are discussing or comparing, we always look for something different.  Let’s consider just a few areas and see how our thinking process works in that particular area.

            MUSIC!  Think of all the different styles of music, rock-n-roll, classical, country, rap, contemporary and many others.  But within these various styles there are always things that are different.  Imagine if you had only ONE type of music to listen to and yet within that type there was only one song!  Regardless of what you may WANT to listen to, it always had to be the same song, over and over again.  A different melody?  A different set of words?  Of course you would love to have that!  Your inner person can find exquisite enjoyment in all the different musical offerings there are in the world.  And what a joy we find in “discovering” different musical instruments and the sounds that they make!  At times you can become very soothed by the pleasant sounds of a calming tune.  At other times you can be moved to great emotional feelings because of a specific tune or perhaps because of remembering the situation you were in when it was playing.  What a more joyous and wonderful world we have because of the many different styles of music.

            FOOD!  I’m pretty much a “meat and potatoes” kind of guy. (My wife, bless her heart, gets deprived many times because of my simple tastes.)  But, it’s almost impossible to conceive the many different variations of food that are available in the world.  Imagine the meats, fruits, vegetables, and grains that are grown all over the world.  We’re not even going to mention the seasonings and spices that can be added to these foods.  But again, consider the many different combinations that these food items can be arranged in to and you can only guess at the limitless possibilities that are available.  But, what if there were only ONE food!  How you would yearn for something different.  When a “new” dish would be placed before you, your palate would want to saver all the different sensations that would explode upon your taste buds.  And even today, many people in the food industry make life long careers of creating new and exciting foods for us to enjoy.  The varieties of foods from all around the world provide the opportunities for new restaurants being opened in cities all over the country.

            FLOWERS!  Which one of you ladies wouldn’t look forward to receiving a beautiful arrangement of flowers?  And yet, as beautiful as they are, what if there were only ONE type of flower and add to that maybe only ONE color!  Don’t we enjoy the many different kinds of flowers and the wide variety of colors?  And we could add to that the many different fragrances that they give off.  At times just walking into a room of freshly cut flowers we can become overwhelmed with the aroma that enters our nostrils.  Our lives are truly enriched because of the different flowers we have in the world!  And consider some of the flowering plants (or trees) that we have that also provide a variety of edible items for us to enjoy.  While some flowers may be vastly different from ones we may be more familiar with they are still enjoyable to us.  Now as a spousal moment of weakness, I encourage you men who haven’t gotten your special other flowers lately, do so!

            ANIMALS!  Look around the world and what do you see?  Animals of all kinds!  Different in looks.  Different in size!  Some can be domesticated and live peacefully with us as pets.  Others we can visit in zoos or reserves and enjoy seeing them there.  We will also include birds in this group.  Many different kinds!  Some so beautifully colored we almost can’t fully appreciate their beauty!  What about waking up on a warm, spring morning and hearing the beautiful songs of the birds?  And their wonderful tunes can be as different as the music we create as humans.  The majestic giants in the sea and on the land simply amaze us.  How enchanting they are although being so different from one another.  What a truly miserable world we would have to live in without animals!

            We look in the areas I have mentioned, and in others, and we are overwhelmed by the many differences within them.  Music, food, flowers, and animals are all different from one another and even different within their own groups.  And yet it is because of these very differences that we so deeply appreciate and enjoy each one.  It is the differences that make us appreciate them as unique and a truly wonderful creation.

            However, regardless of all these differences that we have pointed out in the world around us that bring us happiness and joy, that truly makes our lives more satisfying, there is one other group we need to consider and it is the same as all the others considered with the exception that it’s the DIFFERENCES in this group that makes us react differently!  HUMANS!  As with all the other groups we discussed, music, food, flowers, and animals, for some reason when we look at our fellow humans and notice our differences, we are repulsed instead of joyful.  We are alienated instead of having a desire to be unified.  We cannot look at ourselves and others and grow in our lives by embracing the differences and allowing our lives to be enriched because of them.  It is these very differences that provide a variety in life that we should appreciate within our fellow man as we do with all other things in the world.  When we take the time to truly “get to know” what’s in the hearts of people we better understand what is in our own hearts and perhaps at times this is what scares us.  Maybe we are afraid to understand others and give them a chance because we are afraid to understand ourselves and the dark secrets we hide in our own hearts.  When we love ourselves we can love others.  When we can treat people the way we want to be treated we will have gained a great step forward in having peace.  We need to stop looking for those things that are different because we want to have a reason to hate.  But, look for the things that can bring us closer together and THEN learn to appreciate the things that are different.  Enjoy these differences in people as we do in all other things.  Let’s start by making changes within the person we see in the mirror.  That will help in bringing us together because ALL of us are only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

"THOUGHTFUL GEM"

"Kindness can be given away all day and you won't run out!"