Strange that, in lands and countries quite unknown,
We find, not others’ strangeness, but our own;
That is one use of journeys; if one delves
Differently, one’s sure to find one’s selves. (W.R. Rogers: Journey of the Magi)
These words are so true, if we are prepared to journey with an open mind and heart. But we don’t need to wait for holidays to go on a journey. Walk through any city or large town and you will find yourself in a sea of languages, cultures, races. What is my reaction? Can I “delve differently”? Walk in someone else’s sandals? Listen to how your heart feels when you read these words, written by a school student in England:
The abusive names called to some of us because of our colour, culture and sex can be very hurtful….it haunts us and when we meet someone, the first thing we think about is “How are they going to react towards us?” We shouldn’t have to think about that. We should be able to be who we are, whatever the colour of our skin, whatever our culture… (because) inside our hearts are the same and we’ve got feelings and we’re made of flesh and blood just like everybody else….
Just close your eyes and imagine if everything was white – nothing but white…the planet and animals, plants and creatures great and small. But no! God gave us beautiful colours, united together to appreciate. What if there were just white roses – it would be boring but, thanks to nature, there are roses of all colours of the rainbow… However, the structure of the roses is the same. We appreciate roses so why can’t we appreciate the rest of the human race when only their colour, culture and sex are different?
God created colours and he did it for a reason – to UNITE. No colour, culture or sex symbolises that one is greater than the other because everyone is equal. Deep down in our hearts we know that. We must remember and act upon it.
A Touch of Colour, by Zuleika, India. Taken from website iRespect.
You must be logged in to post a comment.