The Tribune

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” – Maya Angelou

By BIANCA CARTER

If you want to find a great quote, look to Maya, she’s got thousands of them; meaningful, poignant and significant for pretty much any topic.

I go to Maya for perspective. She’s like that old, wise grandmother who when you return to the place you call home, you rush to see for wisdom and understanding. She’s everybody’s grandma, ready to offer great advice on the things you’re pondering about. If you don’t know Dr Maya Angelou, find her.

It’s hard to believe that even in 2016, acceptance, equality and diversity still challenge us, but they do. In many places in the world, there are still challenges related to being different, having a different skin colour, sexual orientation, religion and gender. I often think about the concept of being human, about accepting people no matter what their skin colour, gender, belief etcetera.

Being human was what connects all of us in the world together, and we should embrace each other rather than fear or discriminate against each other.

I wonder why we teach our children to see the world in black and white.

I don’t believe that children naturally perceive that way; I think that type of thinking is learned through various means. I think children see the world the way it should be viewed, through the eyes of love and acceptance. And as parents we should foster this understanding of acceptance, love and equality.

There is beauty and strength in the things that make us who we are. Being individual and diverse allows for different perspectives, understanding, empathy, ideas, and solutions to many things in life. We are different for a reason. If we were meant to be the same, we would be.

How boring a world would it be if we all thought the same, acted the same, looked the same? Where would growth, understanding and compassion be in that realm? We learn and look to each other for understanding.

Countries look to other countries for help; people look to other people for help. We look for help to those that often have a different thinking or expertise.

If we were all the same, where would we go for that guidance and understanding? We all learn from each other and that’s how it should be. The most famous scholar is not any more significant in the world than the wise woman in the village, both have made significant contributions to people’s lives.

Let’s take off the lenses that we look through to discriminate against each other and put on the lenses that make us see the beauty and strength in our differences. Let’s stop holding on to the thinking that one person is better than the next because of their gender, race or belief system.

We are all human beings and we all deserve to be accepted as equal contributors to the world we live in. Acceptance is not a weakness, but a strength. And let’s teach our children to look at the world with love and acceptance, with the understanding that our differences are actually what make us beautiful and strong.

Love and hugs!

• Bianca Carter is a certified lactation counsellor (CLC), founder of Bun in the Oven, and weekend radio personality on Y98 radio. For more information, e-mail her at info@babybunintheoven.com, or bcarter@tribunemedia.net. Follow BITO on Facebook at babybunintheoven, and check out the BITO Blog every Monday and Thursday at http://babybunintheoven.com.