Human Oleo

I recently listened to a recording of the famous anthropologist Margaret Mead on the program This I Believe. She was ahead of her time, and very open minded for a woman of her era when she went out and visited the remote tribes and backwoods cultures during the 50s. She believed that while people are individuals, they are also a product of their society. To a certain degree, individualism gets buried under the blending together of people to make a common culture. On one hand, it's distressing to think that you might be a puppet of the greater culture, on the other hand, it's comforting to know that you are nestled firmly within that society and culture.

I read a novel called Time Pressure by Spider Robinson a long time ago. The thing I remember about the novel is that one of the main characters had come back in time to capture individuals' minds to add to a future group mind of all humanity. She described a particularly quirky and offbeat man as a unique spice in the mixture of humanity. I always thought this was cool, the concept that you could be both a unique individual and a part of greater society.

In all, when you think about it diversity isn't just a buzz word that most people have a vague agreement is a good thing. Diversity is essential because it makes us strong by providing unique individuals with special contributions. We hear stories about how the Nazis were stupid for driving out or killing the Jews when they lost such amazing people as Albert Einstein. There are few examples that extreme, but everyone that is different or not accepted has something to contribute to humanity.