Life is serenely complicated. Some people try to stand out, and by doing so they hope to fit in with others who do the same. Me, I never wanted to stand out, to be different, but I am. I guess we all are, in our own way, different, that is.
It is in that difference that we find a common ground. It is in these often subtle differences that we find our strength as individuals, as a group of friends, as a culture. It is also the part of our being where we acutely feel our weaknesses, as others tend to treat our differences as oddities, or point at them as though they are abnormal.
If you really look at the human race, you will realize that what is normal is diversity. Diverse skin tones, eye colors, hair colors, patterns, and types. Diverse body shapes and sizes, facial and bone structures, fat distribution, brain function, intellectual and emotional strengths. We are diverse in our innate and learned abilities, in our emotional maturity in varying areas, and in our ability to cope.
We need to stop carrying around our measuring stick, the one we use on ourselves and on everyone else. We need to start seeing the differences in each person as beauty marks, because that is what they are.
~ elr
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