Diversity

The differences and variations are nature's rule, not exceptions. Nature likes variations because it helps in maintaining a harmony among disharmony, order among chaos. Differences exist because they help in preserving the supremacy of nature. We are all different, in our tenacities, in our culture, beliefs, values, customs, manners, superstitions, attitudes, behaviour and a whole lot of other things. There are so many varieties of plants, animals, insects, and other living and non living organisms, there are so many varieties of natural formations, of colours, sounds, tastes, smells and other objects of senses. These varieties on the one hand exist because they fit with others. Take for instance culture - there is no inferior or superior culture, it merely fits the person who embraces it. Similarly the varieties of sense objects are there to satiate the sensory pleasures of different tastes and preferences, which themselves stem from the varieties of nature and character of a person. No two persons are same in embracing the same set of beliefs, values, creeds, dogmas, behaviour, habits, understanding, intuition, reflex and other traits inherent in human beings. Such inequalities exist among siblings who inherit the same biological traits, among parents and children, among people who supposedly share common interests or goals. Therefore diversity is the law of nature, it is a way by which nature asserts herself over us, the puny humans who dare challenge her in terms of progress of civilization and technological advances.

According to Vedanta every name and form are but representations of our mind and therefore all divisions are products of the mind. Actually there is a grand unity pervading all diversities which we fail to see or comprehend. Therefore diversity exists in our mind as we are incapable of merging ourselves with the universal consciousness to detect the underlying unity.

Is it little wonder then that we need to respect diversity? Nature teaches us not to be intolerant to something which does not comply with our tastes and preferences, but be aware of the fact that both the things or ideas or people we love and hate have right to exist equally. Through a continuous cycle of love and hatred we make ourselves more miserable and more pitiable than the thing or idea in question. More so if we believe in the Vedantic concept, because if a grand unity pervades everything what other choice do we have than to embrace or accept everything?