Everybody’s Different — And That Makes Us All More Powerful
True diversity — the valuing of that differentness that defines us — actually gives us power.
We’re all different.
Some people like to swim and some don’t. Some live for winter sports like skiing or ice skating, and some don’t. Some people are artists, or musicians, or architects, or athletes, or artisans, or writers, and some aren’t.
If we were all the same, our lives would stagnate.
Innovation wouldn’t happen. There would be few new products or services, and little improvement in the ones that do exist. We would all dress alike, act alike, and think alike. Life would, frankly, be boring beyond all imagining.
What is Diversity, REALLY?
But in certain areas, today, there’s a powerful movement to say that everyone should think, or believe, or value the same things as everyone else.
One the one hand, lip service is given to diversity, and on the other, whenever someone says or does something that is creatively diverse from the widespread cultural thought, a whole slew of voices express outrage.
But true diversity — the valuing of that differentness that defines us — actually gives us power.
I read a powerful tweet recently from David Sacks that led me to ponder this quite a bit:
Just because an opinion is wrong doesn’t mean it should be censored.
Just because a behavior is harmful doesn’t mean it should be prohibited.
Just because something is beneficial doesn’t mean it should be required.
That led me to recall one of my own tweets:
Got a problem?
- Brainstorm 20 possible solutions.
- Then look at the exact opposite of each.Sometimes the answer hides in the opposite.
Two Perspectives
Opposites are incredibly powerful, aren’t they?
- You can’t truly understand what it means to be happy, unless you’ve been sad.
- You don’t ever truly value your health, unless you’ve been sick.
- And, you can’t grasp the stunning richness of love, unless you’ve felt the despairing depths of loneliness.
We all need opposites, because opposites are the root of the best solutions.
In the world today, nearly all of the prevailing ideologies are based on two discrete perspectives:
- I’m capable. If people, the government, etc. would just leave me alone, I can take care of and provide for myself.
- I’m a victim. I can’t take care of myself. So, I need someone else to take care of me.
These perspectives are opposites.
Chances are, you identify with one of these more than the other. Which one resonates more with you has a lot to do with your background, upbringing, and the environment you live in.
But here’s the thing. Neither of these perspectives is completely right.
And, neither of them is completely wrong.
Personally, I identify most with “I’m capable”. I believe that, given the opportunity, I can mostly take care of myself. And, I’ve had the joy of experiencing great success that I’ve built for myself over the years.
But I’ve also experienced times of needing government welfare and food stamps to provide for my family, when life happened.
I’ve learned that, no matter how capable I think I am, I’m also capable of making mistakes and experiencing tough luck.
I’ve also watched people who believed they were victims, and thought that there was no way they could make ends meet…until someone showed them how. And, I watched them become stunningly successful.
Better Solutions to Difficult Problems
The reality is that both perspectives are necessary. And, both need to be actively considered.
When trying to solve problems, the best solutions come somewhere in the middle of these two perspectives. Starting at one perspective and looking at what the opposite perspective can offer, helps us create solutions that are richer and more effective than could EVER be possible when looking at just one viewpoint.
Plus, it helps us anticipate and avoid those unanticipated consequences that seem to doom even the most well-meaning of “solutions”.
When we look at the intensely challenging problems that we face at national and world-wide levels, it’s very clear that we need to use every tool of creativity at our disposal in order to come up with truly effective solutions.
I once heard Brian Tracy say that there are two major obstacles to creative thinking.
The first obstacle is what he called homeostasis, which means clinging to the status quo, or trying to continue acting and thinking in habitual ways. When homeostasis is blocking us, we tend to spend more time and energy protecting and defending the past, rather than focusing on the future. And, our attempts at solutions tend to be surface-level rather than deep and all-encompasing.
The second obstacle is what Brian called psycho-sclerosis, or a hardening of the attitudes. You see this when people have rigid opinions and a refusal to consider alternatives. This is often called black/white thinking, because people only see the opposites. They never consider the vast set of possibilities that lie in between.
On the other hand, people who can think and find creative solutions tend to have very open minds. They are easily able to consider many different ways of exploring a problem. This is often called divergent thinking, and is a hallmark of genius.
The truly weighty and meaningful problems that we face today deserve our best, collective genius, don’t they?
It seems, then, that rather than vilifying and condemning opposing viewpoints, perhaps we should welcome and consider them.
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