Everything wrong with the human mind… well we could go on and on and on about all the imperfections of the human brain, but that could take forever.

If one were to skim the skin atop the insecurities lining the 7 billion strong population of humans, one would immediately notice that differences are generally frowned upon. These differences may involve religion, color, shape, size, gender, clothing brand preference, or sexuality; whatever the case, everyone feels some degree of initial discomfort, even subconsciously. A girl could approach someone wearing an absolutely gorgeous top that brings out the color in her eyes, and the first thing another girl will think, even if it’s a tiny, teeny voice in the back of her subconscious, is that that top looks amazing on the girl, and she looks better than HER. Emotions will swirl within her, feelings such as jealousy, red as a rose, and envy, slowly creeping up along her spine until she can’t help but let it affect her personality, no matter how hard she tries to avoid it.

Imagine that it’s very stuffy in your room, and you open the window to relieve some of that. The breeze flows down from the hills above, causing a chill to run through your body. All is perfect. Then you notice a cricket singing its song. A cricket, chirping and chirping and chirping until you just can’t stand it anymore and slam the window shut. Frustration builds up within you, and you begin to get angry for the silliest of reasons. It’s like watching the Sun go down; no matter how hard or long you try to stall it, the Sun will go down, and you will be thrown into a tunnel of darkness once again. But it will rise again in the morning, and so can we.

     Many religions, in fact most, encourage acts of human love. Deuteronomy 31:6 says “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you…” This quote shows that throughout history, even going back to the days of the Old Testament written by the Hebrews, change was an ever present force in human lives, change that they learned not to fear.

     “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences,” written by Audre Lorde in her poem “Our Dead Behind Us.” This quote explains what is being portrayed through this piece, that even though society has accepted this fact and moved on to the more pressing issues at hand, people hold a grudge when they realize we can’t all be the same. If we were all identical, no human evolution could occur. 

     In the dictionary, change is described as “the act or instance of making or becoming different,” or “to make or become different.” Leaders change things, trend-setters change things, inventors change things. And the things they change spread, and then the changes start to change, and so forth. The world began based off of change, and society as we know it today is the effect of an every growing change that spreads.

     “She throws like a girl.” Yes, as a matter of fact she does throw like a girl. Would you like to know why? Because she IS a girl. “Oh he throws like a girl.” Good for him, he can throw just as good as anyone else. The fact that vain children associate negative ideas with to gender differences is the most disappointing thing to possibly happen. Humans were created to love, to advance, to heal, and to protect, and to just BE. Not to kill, not to segregate, not to judge, or hurt, kill or deceive. There is no reason, no matter how hard you search, that a child not even above the age of 12 should believe that gender differences immediately define a person’s value.

     At the end of the day, no matter how hard some bigots may try, there will always be someone different, who positively influences other people to come out of their shells and shine. It’s not a bandwagon someone can just hop on, not a trend you try then dispose of as soon as it’s out of fashion. It’s not the gum you dispose of under your desk, or under someone’s shoe. It’s a life style, a rich human nature, and if you can’t accept the fact that no one will be exactly like you wish, or a copy of someone else, then you’re going to have a hell of a time getting through life. The sooner you accept this fact, the sooner you’ll start to feel happy, and the sooner you can demolish your wall of insecurities put up around you.

     After surveying 2 freshmen classes, I found that over 50% of the students would rather walk away from a situation where someone was being bullied or teased rather than help a student in need. After surveying two senior classes, I found that over 70% of these students would help a student in need.

     Next time you go out into the world, try to see it as many “different” people do. We see it as though there are no specifics. Only that we are all humans, trying to live in harmony among one another. Sure it’s been a very rough, bumpy road so far, but at least we’re trying. Whether you decide to be apart of a revolutionizing group of different individuals, each unique and special in their own shape, way, color, mind, and preferences, or stay in the dark, disappointing narrow-minded belief that everyone must be the same, is up to you completely.

     The only difference is, one group isn’t forcing you to be who you aren’t.