The Value of Differences

Another of His signs is that He created the heavens and earth, and the diversity of your languages and colours. There truly are signs in this for those who know. (30:22) It is a fact that our life is full of differences. In fact, every man is Mr. Different and every woman is Ms. Different. Diversity is an integral part of nature and is immutable. What to do in such a situation? The only option in this case is to adopt the principle of tolerance. Maturity is the ability to accept things that we cannot change. And every man and woman should prove to be a mature person in this regard. In such a situation, everyone should learn the art of difference management, rather than try to eliminate the differences, for this can lead to nothing but failure. Difference is not an evil: it has a great positive value. Difference is a challenge. Difference awakens the mind. Difference management is not a difficult task. In terms of the capacity of the human mind, it is certainly an easy task. Regarding the capacity of the mind, it has rightly been said: “I am large enough to contain all these contradictions.” Difference is not an evil: it has a great positive value. Difference is a challenge. Difference awakens the mind. Difference invites discussion and dialogue. And, dialogue and discussion lead to intellectual development. Difference saves us from being a victim of intellectual stagnation. There is a saying: “If all think alike, no one thinks very much.” This saying aptly explains the value of difference. Uniformity is not part of the scheme of nature. The scheme of nature is based on diversity rather than uniformity.