Diversity: the art of thinking independently together
I have grown up as a Christian, and in my late teen years, I made a personal decision to embrace Christianity as a personal faith. Being an African from Kenya, topics about faith are common, and they have shaped my worldview and that of many Kenyans. For most of us, faith has been the lens through which we view and handle societal issues.
As a result, our attitudes and sentiments are often either black or white, and we tend to shy away from the grey areas. Malcolm Forbes was an American businessman whose father, B. C. Forbes, founded the famous Forbes magazine. My first semester experience could be summed up in this quote by Malcolm: “Diversity is the art of thinking independently together.” I might not agree with Malcolm’s way of life, but to some extent, I resonate with his quote.
Joining the ReD Global as a student, I can confidently say that my cohort has been a true definition of diversity. I am beginning to realize that the often-shunned grey area is, in fact, the diversity of opinions, ideas, ways of life, and beliefs. Malcolm’s quote has influenced my interactions with lecturers, classmates, coursework, group discussions, and everyday life.
I have been doing a lot of self-reflection—questioning where my heart truly lies, what I hold on to most dearly, and what my biases are. Most importantly, I continue to ask myself: what am I learning from each of these courses about who I am, and what I can or cannot do differently—both in my personal life and, hopefully, within my community? I am still learning.
Written by: Mokeira Manyonyi
It is great to have the awareness and environment to do self-reflection. What is very interesting is realising that this idea of black and white eliminates the possibility of learning without judging.