One Apple A Day #136
“The superior man aims at harmony but not at uniformity. The mean man aims at uniformity but not at harmony.” — Confucio
I found this quote reading some articles about gender equality and diversity in general. When we deal with these topics, it is easy to push the idea of uniformity instead of harmony. But there is a profound difference between these two words.
Uniformity: the state or quality of being identical or consistent, without variations in detail; overall sameness, homogeneity.
Harmony: The quality of forming a pleasing arrangement of parts to create a consistent whole.
As humans, we have a natural desire to belong. To be different means to stand out at the risk of being excluded. So, we smooth our differences to blend in. And we buy ourselves into the idea that if we are all the same, there will be equality. The result is that not only we lose the beauty of uniqueness, but we also easily fell into a “us and them” vision of the world. We draw neat lines and boundaries, so there are only two options; you are like us, and so you are in, or you are not like us, and so you are out. Us, we are all the same. Them, they are all the same.
What a loss of human potentials.
We are all unique human beings. Each one of us with his/her unique set of weaknesses and strengths coming from his/her personal history, culture, education, family, society, wins, loss, failures and so on.
We must celebrate diversity, seek the strengths in the others, recognise their uniqueness and create connections to build a harmonious whole. Like notes combined to create beautiful music.
You and me, we are not the same but together, we can create a new amazing sound.