Recognising Diversity

In a divisive world where people fiercely shield their identities, the rhetoric has turned to an ‘us vs. them’ mentality. In the United States, it has divided people often within a family itself. In the Middle East and Eastern Europe, it has waged wars. The fact is this mentality promotes in-group members while banishing out-group members. Those in the in-group get opportunities and support from fellow members while those in the out-group are left on the lurch. 

Imagine you meet an unfamiliar person. What are your first thoughts? As it is said, first impression is the last impression. You might gauge your memories to see if you know him or her. If the person is unknown to you, you try to determine the nationality, race or ethnicity. Here, skin, hair and eye colour and type matter, which determines your next steps. You then greet the person accordingly. If you are meeting a fellow Nepali, you may join hands in Namaste, especially if the other person is older and respectable. 

Young generations today prefer a hi or a hello. Either way, your brain has instantly gauged and made an impression of the stranger and the best way to communicate with him or her. All this is worked out in a matter of seconds in your mind. However, you might be friendlier if the person looks more like you. If you exchange words, you could determine the language and if it is a common language, you might hit it off. It is likely that the more things you have in common, the friendlier the communication could be. It is the core principle of human communication and connection. 

But there is a snag to this snap judgment of the other person. Whether we like it or not, first impression is in fact not the last. Often it is in the moments when we are on unfamiliar turf that our judgment is tested. Human brain prefers similarity and familiarity instead of the contrary so as to preserve its past knowledge. When the previous knowledge comes into question, it rankles the mind, which then tries to decipher it. Is it a friend or a foe? Was that statement friendly or insidious? With a brain that prefers binary thinking, humans have evolved into a species that tends to protect its fellow members of the in-group. 

This sense of solidarity based on similarity instead of differences might promote a feeling of safety but it can actually be a hindrance. People don’t learn if they don’t get out of their comfort zone. For the mind to grow, it has to constantly check reality and align it with the mental models. It means we have to correctly bridge the gap between reality and our mentality for better clarity.

When people see outside of the box that they have lived in, it extends their mental horizon. It makes them see the world with new eyes. It sees a frown and yet tries without any prejudice to turn it into a friendly smile. Most importantly, it sees the other person as another fellow person on a journey to life with his or her own struggles, dreams, hopes as well as ambitions carried out on a shared place on earth.