I really realised the truth of something
recently - underneath it all we're the same; we have a heart, stomach, and liver
and we all yearn to live a good life and be happy.
Each of us is born and presented
with challenges, and obstacles to overcome, to learn, grow and evolve.
Anyone who doesn't see how alike
we are, in spite of culture, nationality, race, religion, gender or even sexual orientation, is
simply expressing their fear.
What is there to fear? How does
someone with a learning difficulty threaten us? Is it simply the fact that they
learn differently, so we might have to learn a new way of doing things, to
perhaps look at life through someone else's eyes? To adapt our own way of doing
things, our comfortable, easy, safe way of doing things?
Where is the harm in opening our
hearts, and our minds, in recognising and understanding their challenges,
respecting their courage and determination and learning something new?
Just because I visit another
country and perhaps even learn the language, does not necessarily mean that I
will choose to relocate there, or that I even want to move away from where I
live now. I simply want to experience other cultures, environments and
perspectives, and to see and understand something new. Some aspects I may
choose to adopt, and I may decide that others do not work for me.
I grew up bilingual because my
father is German, and this meant I grew up with at least two cultures. I
am so grateful I realised at an early age that there are other languages and
that I can adapt and choose the *best* of each culture to become the best I can
be.
Being diagnosed with Dyspraxia
and Attention Deficit Disorder led to a new discovery of my talents and
challenges. It has led to meeting new people and new opportunities, including
the knowledge-sharing group I started where I work to bring together colleagues
far and wide to share best practice, strategies, ideas and resources so we can
all save time and improve our working lives.
Looking back 4 years on, this
experience more than anything else taught me empathy and to recognise our
individuality. I know now that I am a better person for it. I hope that through this I can shine a
light for others.
And I think the more we can recognise, accept and even celebrate our differences, the more we can see how alike we really are.
Lynn
And I think the more we can recognise, accept and even celebrate our differences, the more we can see how alike we really are.
Lynn
