Sofia F. — University of Texas at Austin, Sustainability Studies

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People in our world today are discriminated against for many things including their gender, religion, race, or disabilities they may have, when these traits have no impact on anyone else. It is so important for people to learn not only tolerance, but respect, for people who are different from them. The only way to achieve this is through inclusivity, which drives the formation of new perspectives, more empathy and respect, and develops a sense of belonging. Everyone deserves to feel safe and welcome in society, and including people from all different backgrounds in every group is the best way to accomplish this.

Hearing the perspectives of people with different cultural backgrounds than mine has opened my eyes to the severity of social issues happening outside of the U.S.. Including diverse groups of people in your discussions can enlighten you to problems you might not have previously been aware of. My sophomore year of high school, I met a girl that had moved to the U.S. from Tunisia, and she became an incredible source of resources and information surrounding the Palestine-Israel conflict. Asking for the perspective of an African, Muslim woman when this conflict first began appearing in the news showed me just how severe this it was. It’s so important to surround yourself with people who have many different backgrounds, because they can teach you about the things they are passionate about. Had I never met her, it is likely I would have never taken the time to educate myself more on the conflict and remained in ignorance. By welcoming someone who had a very different background than mine, I gained a new perspective on an important social issue and made a friend that taught me to be passionate about conflicts affecting other countries.

You also develop deeper empathy and respect for others in the process of learning how people different from you may see a situation. When you truly listen to others rather than being defensive, you can really hear their side of things and understand their thoughts and feelings. You may not always agree with people on certain topics, but simply trying to understand them shows a lot of respect. Learning to be respectful to those with different opinions is essential to becoming a more tolerant and peaceful human being. By including a diverse set of people in important discussions frequently, you become accustomed to hearing opinions you may disagree with, which makes it continually easier the more these conversations are held. It is hard to hear contradicting opinions without getting frustrated sometimes, but if you really take the time to try and understand the reasoning behind people’s opinions, you may learn to feel for them and have your eyes opened more easily to when you are wrong.

By striving to make every group you are a part of more diverse, you allow people to feel welcome and accepted. It’s scary to walk into a group where everyone appears similarly being the only person who looks different. High levels of diversity ensure that people won’t feel like the odd one out, or may even see people similar to them and feel as if they belong in a group. Groups of people shouldn’t be segregated based on physical or cultural traits. People should embrace each other’s differences, and strive to learn about these differences in order to show respect and better understand each other. When we make sure not to exclude anyone for superficial reasons, we are given the opportunity to learn more about them, which will make them feel seen and appreciated. It makes it much easier to connect with people when you take the time to learn about what makes them different from you. Genuine connection with other humans is essential to developing that sense of belonging we all want.

There is no reason to shy away from being kind to those who are different from you. Pushing yourself to connect with diverse people teaches you to see things from a new point of view and understand people’s opinions, which will ultimately make everyone feel more accepted. I have been blessed with a diverse group of friends that share many different passions, and learning from each of them has truly made me a better person. Inclusion is so important because it is the first step to a world where people respect each other, and no one is discriminated against for unjust reasons.