For weeks, I’ve watched this man walk three VERY different dogs. I figured he is a paid dog walker. But today, when I finally asked him, I discovered that the dogs belong to his three children. Apparently, each child got to select the dog of their choice.
I love that thought. The kids aren’t bound by one kind of dog. They have no one-size fits-all picture of what kind of animal they can love.“Viva the difference”, said the Dad.
He is so right. It goes along with this banner I found hanging from a light pole in Jasper Alberta, Canada. We are all different. It is the richness of diversity that affords color, texture, imagination, and yes—solutions to common problems.
I remember a former client who claimed that he only hired people who went to USC and had this one professor. Thus, all of his employees had one line of thinking based on the professor. Today’s world is far too complex to have a narrow cast. Adaptability is a cornerstone to resiliency and that requires multiple options.
The world would be a sad and lonely place if only the best bird sang or if everything were monochromatic. Imagine if only one kind of flower grew in your garden or that only black clothes hung in your closet. Imagine if you only spoke to people who went to your school, who only rooted for your team, who only sang one song. Boring. Blah. And, ultimately the opposite of adaptability.
Let’s hear it for diversity. In fact, let us celebrate it.
