Variety: A-Z Blogging Challenge

     There is a scene in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves with Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman where a young child, never having seen a black man before asks:  "Did God paint you?"  Freeman replies "Did God paint me?, why yes."  "Why" asks the boy.  "Because Allah loves wondrous variety," Freeman responds.
     Allah simply means "The God" in Arabic, so I hope that doesn't offend anyone.  One only needs to look at their back yard, or at the stars at night to understand that God does indeed love wondrous variety.   If we even ponder the jungle regions of this planet or the many unexplored portions of the oceans the beauty, variety, and uniqueness of life around us is not only inspirational but not close to being completely cataloged by science.
    When one looks at genetics the differences between human beings across the planet are so small as to be inconsequential.   Now I'm not a geneticist, but long ago, particularly in work with the United Way of Southwest Michigan, Cornerstone Alliance and Lakeshore Rotary among others, I simply stopped seeing differences.  We have so much more in common than the superficial external skin, hair, eye color or even languages.  I have no doubt if sitting with someone who I had no specific language comparison with, that within 5 minutes we'd figure out how to communicate.
     Which is why it's so difficult for me to understand bigotry, gender bias, sexual bias, racial, ethnic or religious/theological discrimination.    Can I hate myself?  Well, I can dislike behaviors I have exhibited in the past, or mistakes made because I only looked both ways before crossing the street and didn't take a full 360 degree vantage, but that's not the same as the disregard or disdain for those who are only superficially different that one hears and sees in the media, the office, or anywhere in our communities. We're all colored people and they call us the human race as DC Talk sings below.
    So should we chance to meet, you are simply, my brother or sister from another mother, and someone whose story I'd love to hear.  Thursday looks pretty open at the moment. Monday I'm in Chicago.

Comments

  1. Hello Jon,

    I enjoyed this post very much and had to include it in my A.D.'s FAV 5 of the A to Z Challenge today.
    http://adduling.wordpress.com/

    Loved your thoughts and had to share them...
    Have a wonderful day!
    A.D.

    ReplyDelete

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