Blindspot!
From Issue: 626 [Read full issue]
Roadblocks to Celebrating Differences
Although there are many, three of the largest roadblocks to celebrating differences are ignorance, cliques, and prejudice.
Ignorance. Ignorance means you're clueless. You don't know what other people believe, how they feel, or what they've been through.
Cliques. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be with those you're comfortable with; it becomes a problem only when your group of friends becomes so exclusive that they begin to reject everyone who isn't just like them. It's kind of hard to value differences in a close-knit clique. Those on the outside feel like second-class citizens, and those on the inside often suffer from superiority complexes.
Prejudice. Have you ever felt stereotyped, labelled, or pre-judged by someone because your skin's the wrong colour, your accent's too heavy, or you live on the wrong side of the tracks? Haven't we all, and isn't it a sick feeling? Although we are all created equally, unfortunately, we are not all treated equally. It's a sad fact that minorities of all types often have additional hurdles to leap in life because of prejudices held by so many. Racism is one of the world's oldest problems. We aren't born with prejudice. They're learned.
Compiled From:
"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" - Sean Covey, pp. 190-192