Diversity is almost universally recognized as inherently valuable and important. The desire to achieve it spans from universities to workplaces and it is one of the distinguishing themes of the United States. But the value of diversity isn’t always openly apparent.
There is of course the simple beauty of human diversity that requires no inference. It can be appreciated and enjoyed in the same way that we take the biodiversity of nature to be indispensable. The Earth would cease to awe if it were merely a limitless monochrome. From an anthropological perspective diversity of all kinds— ideas cultures perspectives backgrounds— separates us from the indistinctness of the ant heap or sheep herd adding color to life and transforming us into lifelong learners. If we were all the same if we always agreed if our histories could not be distinguished— being human would become mundane.
But to fully understand the value of diversity one must contemplate the hopelessness of a world void of it. In fact our diversity attests to the great fortune we enjoy as a free society; it isn’t without cost and shouldn’t be taken for granted.
A survey of American society’s extraordinary diversity serves as a reminder of how far we have entrenched ourselves from a tyranny like the Orwellian totalitarian regime— where differing opinions are not tolerated where the exercise of freedom in many aspects of life is dictatorially suppressed and where human will and thought are regulated with no regard for liberty. Such a world seemed plausible only a few decades ago and our society’s diversity signifies the triumph over that specter.
Indeed uniformity in place of diversity is often borne from oppressive governments. History is replete with examples of this. The Spanish Inquisition and several Communist state atheisms to name a couple of prominent examples established homogeneity at the expense of religious freedom. Efforts to achieve ethnic cleansing past and ongoing constitute some of the most appalling crimes ever inflicted against humanity.
As Orwell himself commented those who cannot think for themselves will have their thinking done for them— and it is this intellectual freedom that serves as the sole guardian against the continual threat of oppression. More than that it has empowered humanity’s efforts for a better social and political condition— for instance the many independence and civil rights movements of past ours included. At some point or another they all arose from minority thought.
Diversity then is in fact an outgrowth of a free society.
What does this mean for us today? It provides context at a time of mounting ideological discord in Congress and throughout the political commentary with battles over issues like health care reform and unemployment growing increasingly tense. There are times when the sides tire of each other and decry the very existence of the opposing position. But history has shown that intellectual freedom so long as it is guided by civil discourse is far more precious than intellectual consensus.
That’s why diversity is so critical on a campus like ours. We’re shaped by the people around us and we grow the most as individuals when we’re surrounded by people different than we are. The Transcendentalist notion that one can discover oneself in seclusion detached from people— popularized by Henry David Thoreau in “Walden”— is somewhat impractical on its own.
It is equally impractical to expect any personal growth by associating purely with like-minded people or by avoiding engagement with views that clash with our own. Life is most purposeful when we are continually challenged experiencing new things and learning to think in different ways. This is the essence of the university experience. It is richest when every perspective is given a voice and when we listen most carefully to those with whom we disagree all the while keeping open minds and settling on conclusions rationally.
In the end it doesn’t matter if we disagree whether in politics or anything else really. What matters is that we’re free to think as we wish— and where there is freedom there too will be diversity.
Diversity makes for a rich experience in countless spheres of life. It adds to life’s beauty encompasses much of what it means to be human makes us better people and thinkers— and most profoundly serves as an emblem of a free society.