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Challenges for you in embracing the diversity within your own community?

Jim

Nets of Wonder
The hardest challenge for me in embracing diversity has been embracing what members of my own religious community do sometimes in Internet discussions, because of some harmful consequences that I’ve seen, not only for my community and its interests but also for what has happened to me in some forums, where people imagined the worst about my motives and intentions because of what they saw some members of my community doing before I came.
 

Mindmaster

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
The hardest challenge for me in embracing diversity has been embracing what members of my own religious community do sometimes in Internet discussions, because of some harmful consequences that I’ve seen, not only for my community and its interests but also for what has happened to me in some forums, where people imagined the worst about my motives and intentions because of what they saw some members of my community doing before I came.

I'm really not sure what this has to do with diversity. :D
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
The hardest challenge for me in embracing diversity has been embracing what members of my own religious community do sometimes in Internet discussions, because of some harmful consequences that I’ve seen, not only for my community and its interests but also for what has happened to me in some forums, where people imagined the worst about my motives and intentions because of what they saw some members of my community doing before I came.
That's why I left Christianity for example. If a religion claims it's transformative , and the people are collectively not, what's the point of remaining ?

Later I found out it's really human nature that surfaces. Nice and natural.

Not religious expectations that cast a favorable or negative light whenever that nature goes into overdrive so I prioritized my individuality over collectivism leaving the religion to fend for itself.

Think of it as painting a religion instead of the religion painting you.

If you were representative of your own religion, then it doesn't matter what light others cast that religion into.

It's a reason why I don't act like a 'Buddhist'. *Grin*.
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
That's why I left Christianity for example. If a religion claims it's transformative , and the people are collectively not, what's the point of remaining ?

Later I found out it's really human nature that surfaces. Nice and natural.
Exactly. It might have taken me longer to learn that than it took you. I didn’t see that clearly until last year, at the age of 73.
 

LightofTruth

Well-Known Member
Exactly. It might have taken me longer to learn that than it took you. I didn’t see that clearly until last year, at the age of 73.
The apostle Paul talks about mortifying the works of the flesh and putting to death the old man who walks in the ways of the flesh and the world.
I myself find that to be the most challenging thing.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
I live in an incredibly diverse community, and have faced no challenges embracing it. I can't really see the problem, unless your subconscious mind is filled with pockets of bigotry that you're either unaware of, or ignore.
 

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
I live in an incredibly diverse community, and have faced no challenges embracing it. I can't really see the problem, unless your subconscious mind is filled with pockets of bigotry that you're either unaware of, or ignore.

This isn't atypical, actually. May biases are wired into our brains such that we're not particularly aware of them - they're just part of how we think. Back in undergrad, I took quite a few psychology courses and one of the instructors pointed us to an interesting research tool being used to measure subconscious biases. In basic, it works by having the subject look at images of diverse people and then being instructed to tap a key to associate that face with positive or negative words. Subconscious bias is then factored based on a combination of time and errors. Most people who take this test do not score bias-free.

There's an important caveat with this though - while we speak of bias as if it is a bad thing, that is not necessarily the case. All humans are biased. The real question is how those biases meaningfully impact our behaviors.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
This isn't atypical, actually. May biases are wired into our brains such that we're not particularly aware of them - they're just part of how we think. Back in undergrad, I took quite a few psychology courses and one of the instructors pointed us to an interesting research tool being used to measure subconscious biases. In basic, it works by having the subject look at images of diverse people and then being instructed to tap a key to associate that face with positive or negative words. Subconscious bias is then factored based on a combination of time and errors. Most people who take this test do not score bias-free.

There's an important caveat with this though - while we speak of bias as if it is a bad thing, that is not necessarily the case. All humans are biased. The real question is how those biases meaningfully impact our behaviors.

Experiences create the subconscious.

I know I'm biased towards one particular group here in my city. That group has high crime rates, and scary neighbourhoods. When I meet with a person from that group outside of that context, I'm fine. But within that area of the city, too many news stories of gang robberies, random beatings, and the likes have me locking my car doors while driving through there. Sometimes I think it's just common sense on my part, yet other times I think I'm a racist jerk. It is a troubled community.

All others, not a problem, unless it's deeply hidden in me. I would have a hard time counting the number of ethnic restaurants I've been to.

So judging the individual comes first, or should. When that individual happens to be a recognisable minority, it's certainly not clearly racism. I would avoid anyone with a nasty criminal record, or a history of anger.
 
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