One day I was eating breakfast with my daughters in a crowded restaurant and I asked them to look around. I asked them, “How many of these people look like Barbie or Ken?” They looked around…then had blank looks on their faces as if they were processing something…then a look of surprise…and then big smiles. They said excitedly “None!” Then I asked, “How many could be on TV?” There was one woman who could have doubled as a mannequin that they pointed to, “Maybe her,” they said. They seemed so excited and relieved that life was beautiful in its diversity.
Try it. The next time you are in a crowded restaurant, look around and see the beautiful diversity of life.
What we consume in the popular media doesn’t even remotely resemble life on earth. Also, we are often too uncomfortable to cross social and cultural lines to experience something different. Crossing social and cultural lines can be scary, but if it is done without hiding our authentic selves it allows us to broaden our family and transforms both cultures. We need each other in this world. Cross cultural communion is both a gift given and received.
I’m so grateful for the diverse beauty of this world. When I saw the video below, it reminded me of the moment I had with my daughters. Here’s the video that prompted this memory and post: