Cohousing-L Mailing List: Diversity (was re: Are some ideas wrong?)

[Neena Jud (harmony]

Sharon, Ty, John, Tom, et al.,
Thank you for provoking thought! I contemplated the last question "Why
diversity?" and these are my reasons to seek out diversity:
*        To expand my awareness;
*        To begin to understand concerns that other people have;
*        To embrace a challenge, to exercise the mind by thinking about more
than I usually do;
*        To learn, to grow;
*        For exposure, the same type of exposure that can be obtained by
travelling to a different land and interacting with people who live there.
But (as my husband added) being with like-minded people is easy, comfortable
and everyone needs times where they feel like they can relax, not be on
alert for what might slip out of our own mouths.
 
I wish you all Happy Winter Holidays, and all the best as we move into the
new year!
Neena Jud
Cincinnati, Ohio
harmony [at] fuse.net
 
>> On Dec 9, 2016, at 9:18 AM, Ty Albright wrote:
>> Ideas and beliefs are typically based on personal experience and values.
 
>Also on factual knowledge, understanding of history, etc.
  
>> The concept of right and wrong /  good and bad is difficult to answer
because 
>> this requires judgement based on perceived values , and individual values
and 
>> judgement varies.
 
>Ideas are related to desired or expected outcomes In a way that is often 
>overlooked. Individual judgements are related to assumptions about desired 
>outcomes. Beliefs about what following an idea will produce. If I follow
the 10 
>commandments, I will be a good person and God will protect me.
 
>What are the ideas related to living in a diverse community? What will
happen?
 
>> Possibly you should be asking a different question.    Possibly the
preferred 
>> question is "what is best".
 
>"What is best? has the same relationship to an outcome. "Best" in
accomplishing 
>what?
 
>We discuss diversity (whatever it is) as if it is a given good but why? So
we 
>don't look like racists or conservatives? 
 
>One reason given for the ability to have harmonious socio-economic nations
in 
>Scandinavia is that they are not diverse. Similarity, or perceived
similarity, 
>reduces the conflict that we have in our highly diverse US.
 
>In the diversity discussion, I don't see statements of desired outcomes.
Why 
>diversity?
 
Sharon
----
Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC