Convince me

  Diversity is only a good thing when you are comfortable with that diversity. It really isn't about accepting others, it is about convincing them to accept you. And that, my friends, is how things work in the real world. Whenever anything is disturbing to your core values, ethics or sense of morality you tend to push that away. Yes, there is a certain amount of curiosity that will draw you towards things that are different, but usually not if they are diverse. There's a fine line between the two, different and diverse. Diversity is more in the alien department than the curiosity section. It's been said that curiosity killed the cat but when something is completely alien to you, you tend to stay back, avoiding it whenever possible. It's that, or you try to kill it!

 The narrative today is diversity. The deal is this, convincing others that anything goes is the best way to live in a society. If you can't convince them of that, create laws to enforce that. As I said, getting others to accept your ideas. But it is slowly being realized that diversity is like candy, great up to a certain point, but it can also make you sick. Too much of anything is always a bad thing. Yes, you can get too much diversity, which leads to chaos and uncertainty. People, generally speaking, are creatures of habit. We have our own ways of doing things, our own ideas and principles. That's the reason for legislation in societies, to agree upon such things. 

 For diversity to be an accepted thing, it has to benefit you in some fashion. That's true with almost everything. All that is necessary is that you are convinced of that. We are seeing the virtue flags flying everywhere these days, that display of, look at me, I'm a great person. That has always been a thing on some level, sometimes with certain pieces of clothing, tattoo's or other markers to signal to others who you are. Nations do it with flags and banners. But they really aren't used to display diversity, no, quite the opposite in fact. The thinking being, you will submit to that signal rather than speak against it. And yes, silence is consent. It is also true that rebellions begin in silence. Conversations begin with a whisper, battles with a scream. 

  I figure I am as diverse as anyone else. As long as what you are doing doesn't make me uncomfortable in some way, I won't say a thing. If what you are doing or saying begins to disrupt me, upset me, or create a motivation to act, that is what will happen. It may be nothing more than stating my opinion, but I will respond to that. It doesn't have anything to do with hate, it has to do with sensibilities. I have interacted with all types of people over the years. Twenty years in the service will do that for you, believe me. I won't say I've been friends with everyone I met, that I've had friends that were (fill in the blank) I have never thought of those I call my friends as anything other than my friends. I don't have black friends, white friends, yellow friends, or any of that, I simply have friends. It's true I don't have many I call that, and that is by design. It's all the diversity I can handle. There are some things that are just none of my business, and I prefer you to keep it that way. Do not ask me to fly your flag! For you to become my friend I must pick up your flag by my own volition. Convince me that I should. That's how it works; in the real world.