Diversity and Inclusion are beautiful words. In many instances the beauty is lost in the beauty itself and that’s where they begin and end.
To live the beauty in business, social setting and in the world, we need to experience a paradigm shift in our thinking. This is not only a money making scheme. It is a plan to bring people of diverse backgrounds, thoughts, religions, age, ability and social classes together at the table to talk to each other and to attempt to walk in each other’s shoes.
We have to be able to think at a deeper or higher consciousness level that as human beings we are one. There are no real hierarchies. The hierarchies we imagine are only in our heads – they are not real. I know it will take some time for business people to get this in their heads and hearts but the exigency of time will force even those in power to cower to the people’s needs and wants from a diversity and inclusion perspective. We all want the same things in this life whether we are rich or poor, black or white, able or with limited ability. We all want:
- to be respected
- to the accepted
- to care for our families
- to earn a decent living wage
- to be happy
- to love and be loved
- to retire in dignity
- to be acknowledged for our individual gifts
- to have some autonomy over our working life
- to be trusted
- to live free from discrimination
- to give our children the best chances for a successful life through education
Why do we differentiate? It is the ego that wants dominance. When we become slave to the ego we become slave to external things to prop up our diminishing sense of self. We become uncomfortable with ourselves. We want to lord it over others to feel good and so we create the opportunities for egotists to feel good about themselves through the ghettoes in life we create whereby people are forced to live on minimum wage while others accumulate ghastly wealth at their expense – wealth that they cannot use up in two or three life times. Why is it we do not want everyone to live a decent life - why do we keep others down. Why with all that some of us have we still begrudge the ordinary person a fair share of the collective wealth? Inclusion and diversity must not be forced or used a weapon to scare us into a lip-service relationship. This must come from recognition that it is an imperative if we are evolve into the beautiful beings we were created to be.
Inclusion is about recognizing the gifts we all bring to the table. It is only when everyone is included that we as a species or as an organization or as a family can achieve lasting success. Inclusion and diversity is about setting aside the ego and enter relationships as naked human beings. We will be happier, there will be less crime, there will be greater productive and greater well being for all.
