Different

The word different is a simple word and yet it can invoke so many emotions. This word can bring joy and anticipation when someone is visiting a new place with a different culture and history. It can cause wonder and delight when science discovers a different species. However, this same word can bring fear, anxiety, anger, hate, violence and division.
Most people feel the need to belong. It is common for us to desire to have others around us with similar beliefs and attitudes. It makes us feel safe and gives us a sense of security. When something or someone comes along that is different from us in either appearance or the way they think or live it makes us uncomfortable. It causes us to question the very things we hold true, this is not a problem unless we as a group of people believe there is only one right way to be, and it’s our way.
History is littered with examples of injustices perpetrated upon people because they were different. Some examples include, but are by no means limited to, Hitler and his treatment of the Jews, The genocide that has taken place between different groups of people in Africa, and in our own countries treatment of the Indians and African Americans. These issues are not just about race or culture; they flood over into religious, social, educational, and economic difference as well.
The bottom line is that we are all different in some way. There is no right or wrong way to look or believe. Many of these differences are out of our control and we need to be accepting of one another. The others, that we do have a choice about, need to be viewed with an open mind as we ask the question, is it right to mistreat or withhold a right from someone just because their different?