Today I read a paper titled ‘Another Level: Friendships Transcending Geography and Race.’ by Timothy J Peterson. The paper tells the story of a group of men who managed to transcend all the social boundaries of age, race and among others.
The paper explains that the process of just ‘hanging out’ and having constructive conversations unconsciously breaks down any social prejudice or barriers that may have existed between a group of people. The more people relate, the more they learn about each other and most of their old assumptions about people from that circle are washed away.
The bonds we build with others also have to do with trust. In the Another Level group, there were some rules laid down, one being that no one would try to gain some business at the meetings. This rule fostered a sense of trust between the men and allowed them to drop their barriers and relate freely.
We are all in college now, some people close to home, some people very far. We are all on unfamiliar ground, and have to adapt to the situation. The people we meet and relate with during this period will most likely change our lives forever. We will be limiting our experiences if we choose to relate to a certain kind of person. The more diverse our crowd is, the more we are likely to gain from our relations. No matter who we are or where we come from, we can form bonds that may define our lives with the most unlikely of people.
Diversity is a huge thing for us since we're both International students. :-) cultural differences take a lot of getting used to, but it makes a person a lot more open-minded and accepting.
ReplyDeleteExactly. Diversity is essential in any gathering. After all, who wants to have discussions with people that have exactly the same lifestyle. It'll be boring after a while!
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