Defining Diversity
Diversity, in regards to people, means for me: anything others might feel or do that I would not characterize as characteristic of myself or representative of my ideals. It comes from my identity as American, man, and many other things. That means that everywhere I am I consider people diverse, but at no time before my experience here in Cologne have I had to reconsider that definition. This city is also very diverse culturally, with an especially strong Middle-Eastern presence. It was easy in the States to respect diversity, here I am diversity to these people just as much as they catalyze my thoughts on the term.
So after being thrown in cold water and emerging as a simultaneous member and observer of this culture, I know now that I did not know much before. These people are different not only in their culture and language, but as humans and thinking-beings as well. I realize now how important it is to explore the globe, because I can say now that there are things that Americans would never have thought of that Germans or others might. My American professor here said as much when he told us in class that although one's first language is important, there are somethings that cannot be spoken about in near as much depth and intricacy as in another language. I think now I understand what he means although I cannot say that I think like a German. To understand and use that knowledge fully is so valuable. Diversity then is not just a matter of nation or culture, but a necessary difference between humans to understand in order to open up to exploration certain knowledge that was previously unaccessible.