The spate of recent events that call into question our very humanity made me think of a childhood conversation that seemed laughable as a kid but poignantly points to the very problem before us today: our human tendency to stereotype people based on appearance, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or anything else outwardly identifiable.
Somewhere in the early days of school desegregation in my hometown, a black classmate told me I was lucky to have “good stereotypes.” When I naively asked what she meant, she explained, “You’re Chinese. All of you Asians have pretty hair, and you’re really smart.”
Without much thought, I chuckled and accepted what seemed to be just a funny compliment at the time. After all, if people were going to make assumptions about me, they might as well be positive ones rather than negative, right? Absolutely not.
Stereotypes of any nature are dangerous seeds of separation. Singling out a person or a group for their differences creates the misconception that being different is somehow worse, better, less, more and other contrasting ideas of hierarchy.
Such seeds of separation, if tended with fear, anger or hatred, fester and grow into discrimination, persecution, and as history has shown time and again, even violence and death.
The Truth is that there is no separation. The Truth is that we are all one, one mankind here to do good and leave this Earth a little better for our having walked this path.
In the wake of all the recent violence, many of us have felt helpless, wondering what we can do to stem the tide of discourse and separation. There is, in fact, something we can do right now.
We can allow each other to claim the authentic story of our lives without fear of repercussion. We can honor who we each uniquely are – including ourselves – and stop the stereotyping. It all starts right at home, with you and with me.
Let’s be vigilant when thoughts creep up that beckon us down the path of type casting. When we find ourselves making assumptions or judging another simply because they’re different, stop. Refrain from jumping to unfounded conclusions and stick to the path of what is true, what is simply fact.
There’s nothing to fear about being different. Our differences are beautiful facts of life and quilted together, they create the colorful tapestry of humankind.
When we step into our own Truth and accept ourselves for who we are in all of our perfectly imperfect uniqueness, we give others permission to do the same. We mitigate the fear of being different by seeing that we’re actually alike, alike in the most fundamental of ways. We’re all divine souls making our way in this human experience, so let’s make the most of this experience together. We can always do better.
