What is diversity? It means the condition of having or being composed of differing elements; variety. It also refers to the inclusion of individuals representing more than one national origin, color, religion, socioeconomic stratum, sexual orientation, etc.
Diversity is any dimension that can be used to differentiate groups and people from one another; Ethnicity, race, dress, socio-economic status, gender, language, religion, beliefs, settlements, colour, age, physical abilities, geographical area, experiences, viewpoints, backgrounds knowledge, sexual orientation, food, festival etc
The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differencecs.
The richer life experiences, along with the changing perespectives and increased productivity goes on a long way into increasing the the importance of diversity. There is growing acceptance and diminishing discrimination in Bhutan. All this is taking us forward to becoming a World Citizen.
But sometimes when we do see some actions that are different and unique, it is difficult for the rest of us to digest. The playing of a male-dominated traditional game of Khuru by women, the emerging of women in leadership roles, the emergence of previously-unpracticed religion in Bhutan, the tagging of religionalism to people, the coming out of the third gender in a close-knit society, the recent mourning of a K-Pop star by fans in Thimphu, etc all are different and new. And it is frightening.
How do we deal with such stuff? Education is the key (its always the key to everything).
There is a need for Education to Respect Diversity. And it all starts in the classroom. A primary goal of culturally responsive education should be to help all students become respectful of the multitudes of cultures and people that they will interact with once they exit the educational setting of schools.
We cannot afford to be isolated. We cannot afford to be ignorant.
