Where do you look for friendships?
Most of the times, you would expect that friends are similar, for example they are the same age or they attend the same classes or work together. They might share the same interests and have some things- or o lot- in common. However, life is not about uniformity. Life is about diversity. Millions of different animal and plant species make up our world and each one of them-even the tiniest- is playing a big part in sustaining Life. The same goes for colors or music. It’s the bringing together of different shades and notes that we love.
Diversity includes change. Everything changes around us. We ourselves undergo change all our life; we grow taller, older and wiser. We learn things all the time. Our emotions change too. The philosopher Heraclitus said that it is the nature of all things to constantly change- nothing ever stays the same. The same goes for friendships. Having a friend that seems different from you, helps you change for the better; when you care for your friends, you try to understand them and that’s how you learn to see life from different perspectives- yours and theirs. And what you see makes you wiser, less selfish and more sympathetic.
I think Heraclitus was right. His idea about change has made me realize that it’s worth looking for a friend in people that seem very different from us and, therefore, we shouldn’t criticize or reject too soon others. Even though we are not all the same, it’s okay to be open to change and diversity because they are in our nature. After all, isn’t that also one of the reasons we learn new languages, because we want to communicate and understand people who are-basically- strangers?
Imagine our differences as a wall we could climb over. Once on the other side, we would be able to walk away from things that stop us from connecting with other people. Imagine if things like physical appearance or ability, race, gender, national or social background, money and peer pressure didn’t matter; then no student would feel bad or get bullied in our schools; no grown up would feel lonely, isolated or rejected. Everyone would feel accepted and appreciated despite their differences -or thanks to them. Mutual respect and friendship would grow among people. Peace would override hatred and war.
