Diversity

What does it mean to be different ??

It may have so many different meanings: I like to think about it just in positive terms and a resource to get new ideas and new point of views.

A resource that allows me to have a better understanding of the world we live in; a resource that is the underlying source of creativity and innovation and problem solving.

But let’s go step-by-step.

Diversity in sex:

Man vs. woman.

Diversity in sexual preferences:

omo vs. hetero and all possible variations.

Diversity in skin color:

white vs. black and all the possible nuances. Isn’t there white and white, yellow and yellow and black and black?

Diversity in weight:

fat Vs. skinny. If the person in front of us is obese or anorexic, are we influenced?

Diversity in physical appearance:

handsome vs. ugly. Are we influenced by the beauty of the person who speaks to us? It is not true that good looking people say positive things and ugly ones do not: we all recognize it. However, the better looking ones can often afford to say trivial things and still have the “wow” effect on the counterpart

Age diversity:

youth vs. old. This is a form of discrimination that goes in both directions depending on the situation. A person of a certain age cannot be an expert in innovation, technology and a young person cannot say wise things. Yes, of course it can happen, but it must be persuasive.

Diversity in social extraction:

It’s called classism. Specifically, aren’t we in a society (Italy) that does not know social mobility?

Diversity in mental skills:

what about people with Down syndrome? Or other mental limitations? But have you ever been told that Down people have “longer” DNA? I say “longer” not “shorter”. Scientifically it is a silly observation, but it is not so trivial as it may seem at first glance.

Diversity in physical skills:

what about people who don’t have a finger, a hand, a foot, a leg? Now, please explain me why someone who doesn’t have a finger or a hand, should always be looked at with regard not only to his moving skills, but to all his abilities (including cognitive and processing skills)? Then, respect is due to everyone, regardless, but why do I have to lose focus from what a person says, writes, thinks only because he lacks a finger? Aren’t we so “distracted” by this disability that we filter the messages he/she sends to us?

Finally I want to let you be inspired by Marco Trombetti’ words about diversity.

We are all diverse. No two human beings are completely alike. Your diversity is an asset that you are probably not leveraging. If you want to be truly successful, accept, embrace and love diversity. Invest in your diversity and don’t let anyone limit it.

Marco Trombetti
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