Our strength lies in our differences

Loeb’s quote, “The more we listen to those whose experiences and perspectives are unfamiliar, the more we realize what draws us together,” is a vital lesson that many of us probably have a hard time following, including myself. We need to step out of our comfort zone and see that seeking out and listening to other people, whose points of view may be different from our own, opens up a whole new door of opportunities. It exposes us to fresh new perspectives and ideas that we may have never thought of before. When we cut ourselves off from outside views and stay trapped in an isolated group of people who already agree with us, we are doing a disservice to our community and cause. We are missing out on opportunities for learning and growth, which could make all the difference in our success as a group.


An example from the book, that I think depicts this idea well, is the story about the Hasidic members of the United Jewish Organization and the Puerto Ricans and Dominicans that had long been at each others throats over many issues. They learned to overlook their differences when an issue was brought up that they shared common ground on. They came together to fight against Radiac and the building of an incinerator because they feared for the health of their children. Even though they had never worked with each other before they were able to unite for a common goal and ending up succeeding in their purpose. I think that forming such a diverse group like this made them stronger than they could have ever been as separate groups. It created a sense of balance in the group where everyone had something different to offer and developed unique ideas that may not have been realized if they had not worked together.

To be honest, before college I don’t think I was hardly ever in situations where I was exposed to people so very different than myself. Going to a private, Christian grade school and high school I was surrounded by people who shared very similar morals and values to my own, for most of my life. I am very happy that I decided to go to a school like GCC because I am constantly surrounded by people with new perspectives and it is refreshing. I’ve learned so much about myself and others in these last two years than I probably have in my entire life. In every class I have taken so far, I’ve been exposed to different people with unique stories that teach me something new. I think it’s great how you can be in a room with complete strangers yet feel comfortable enough to share so many personal stories and thoughts with each other. When sharing a little piece of yourself with someone else it allows them to see a little bit of who you are and not judge you by your cover. Through this you might find out you have more in common with each other than you thought.