UNITY IN DIVERSITY

'Everything alive interprets its world through its self, and must be free to determine its own responses. It is impossible to impose anything on life.' I was very interested to read this statement made by Margaret Wheatley in a talk she gave in 1999 titled 'Bringing Schools Back to Life: Schools as Living Systems'. This comment reminded me of the words enshrined on Indonesian's coat of arms, "Unity in Diversity". I believe it is now more pertinent to our lives to celebrate our differences and explore our mutual interests. This concept could be in applied to any living social system, including a school community.
Working together becomes possible when people discover they have a shared interest in a project that is strong enough to embrace all interested parties. Held together in this rich center of meaning, people will let go of many interpersonal difficulties, and work around traditional hindrances. They are willing to struggle with relationships and grapple to find solutions when challenges arise, because they realize this is the only path to achieving their aspirations.
In his Australia Day Address in 2002, Dr. Tim Flannery spoke about the potential for positive community building. “While I celebrate Australia’s diverse cultural mix, I don’t think that Multiculturalism is the future for Australia, simply because no culture can exist unmodified in a new environment. Old practices die away and new ones, that help people adapt to their new home, spring up. At the most fundamental level that is what cultures do – they help us to survive in our particular circumstances.”
Margaret Wheatley echoed these sentiments when she said, "Over many years of work all over the world, I've learned that if we organize in the same way that the rest of life does, we develop the skills we need: we become resilient, adaptive, aware, and creative. We enjoy working together. And life’s processes work everywhere, no matter the culture, group, or person, because these are basic dynamics shared by all living beings."
Building upon this theme, I was very excited when I came across an article in my local newspaper announcing the launch of a ‘Living Library Project’; a concept that entails volunteers from diverse cultural and social backgrounds becoming a resource to be ‘borrowed’. The idea is that you borrow a human book for a half-hour chat to get an insight into the lives of people from outside the mainstream of society. It’s an opportunity to ask questions you’ve always wanted to ask. I could see this becoming a wonderful opportunity for students in high school to explore and develop understandings of diversity, leading to tolerance and greater acceptance.
References:
‘Living Library Project’-The Northern Star newspaper- Local News- 26.8.2006. Retrieved 26.8.2006
'Bringing Schools Back to Life: Schools as Living Systems'. Margaret Wheatley 1999 http://www.margaretwheatley.com/articles/lifetoschools.html Retrieved 26.8.2006
Australia day speech in the year 2002, Dr. TimFlannery- -http://www.australiaday.com.au/tim_welcome.html Retrieved 26.8.2006