Accepting Differences

Why is it that so many people out there seem to have so much trouble accepting others who are radically different than they are? Are they threatened by things that they can not understand? Do they have unresolved childhood insecurities? Were they raised or maybe even conditioned to turn their noses up at those who don't act, look, or dress like they do? Maybe its none of the above.....maybe its all of the above.

Listen. We could sit here all day and take shots in the dark as to why people act the way they do. We can psychoanalyze them, profile them, and maybe even interrogate them to obtain our answers. At the end of the day, all that we're going to be left with is a wide variety of answers with a few similarities that link one set of individuals to the next. That being said, I guess we must ask ourselves "Has this really made a difference in how one human being will treat the next when he or she leaves the clinic doors, or do we just have a better grasp on why people act so bizarre sometimes?" If you want my my two cents on the matter, I'd say that answering these questions will have some impact on how people will treat each other, but the impact will be minimal at best.

So what's my reasoning? Good question. It's simple.... people need a motive to do something, or, not to do something. A friend of mine told me that people do things for one of two reasons :1.to seek pleasure or 2. to avoid pain. In most cases I think that theory is essentially correct. Let's test this theory on a very basic level(yes, you geniuses out there will find ways to disprove it....it is not 100% flawless). Question #1. Why do people go on vacations? Answer: to seek pleasure Question #2. Why do people prolong calling up an ex-girlfriend or boyfriend? Answer: to avoid pain * Bonus Question:Why do people get drunk every weekend? Answer: (both) some seek pleasure, some avoid pain, and some do both at the same time.

So what am I getting at? People need a motivating factor if they are not hard-wired to accept others for their differences. A person needs to know that this "different" individual will bring them happiness or pleasure, or shelter them from pain. Once someone is convinced that another individual can or will do one of these two things for them, they will usually start letting their walls down and befriending someone who was once referred to as an outsider. Having at least one thing in common always helps, but is not always necessary. Some of my best friends have nothing in common with me, but we will always be there to help each other during good times(creating or seeking pleasure/happiness), and will always be there for each other when life gets rough(shelter from pain).

Here's a final thought.....The day you start accepting others for their differences, is the day that you will start becoming more accepted yourself. You are just as strange as they are...It doesn't matter what you look like, dress like, or how you speak. It doesn't even matter where you're from...... Get over it. Take care everyone!

See you next time!