Differences

This is way off topic , but working with our Locally Employed Civilians (LECs) today brought home to me the way different people deal with various races and cultures.  I have always believed that we are all created equal and the only difference is how we deal with what we get in life.  Obviously some of us are more fortunate than others and receive many benefits in our lives, but I believe who we are is defined less by what we have than by what we do with what we’ve got.

Despite what happened to me as a child, I believe I had a good childhood.  I had a secure home, in a nice area.  I never wanted for clothing or food.  My education was well taken care of and really my only limitation was my lack of self-belief.  But my parents also raised me in such a way that skin colour meant very little to me.

Obviously, due to the law of the land, my exposure to different races was somewhat restrictive, but when the barriers came down it actually meant very little to me in real terms.  The confident and secure front I put on means I will happily interact with anyone – my problem lays within me and not with those around me.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been lucky to be exposed to a culture that is totally new to me.  I want to grow as a person and so am endeavouring to learn the local language.  Yes, it is hard and slow, but amazingly it has earned me the support and respect of our LECs.  And yet today I saw how a lack of respect for people of different races and cultures can directly affect how a person performs and behaves.  Never before have I seen this so clearly and it does make me look back at my life and wonder if I have always been fair and respectful to others.  I’d like to say that I have, but how to be sure?  I wish I knew!

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'I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly'