More Different or Alike??

We may be a common species separated by language, place and ideas but in the big picture we all start out pretty much the same. We can learn so much from each other if we just take the time to listen.

In spite of all the differences we perceive in each other as adults, children seem able to demonstrate that behind all our diversity we are after all, just human!

Last June, on a rainy afternoon, I was sitting in beautiful Széchenyi Square, pictured above, in Gyor, a small city in Hungary between Bratislava and Budapest. I was drinking cappuccino and people watching.

A two year old was trying with all his might to keep up with his slightly older sister on his tricycle. Middle school age boys in shirts and caps representing their favorite teams ran through the rain splashing and laughing while the much taller girls huddled beneath their umbrellas and giggled. Pretty high school girls in fashionable jeans and shoes flirted self-assuredly with the attractive, athletic looking boys, while their plainer and less confident classmates huddle together and try to become invisible under their hooded sweatshirts. 

Were it not for the grand Baroque buildings lining the square, the scene could have been taking place at any playground, schoolyard or shopping mall anywhere in the world.

When do children start becoming aware of the traits that separate our nations? Because after all, we really do all start out exactly the same...tiny humans with no preconceived knowledge of our environment. We are taught by  society that people who are a different nationality, religion or color are not the same as "us" and are not to be trusted... But, has the growth of the Internet and our worldwide economy helped to minimize our differences? Are we on our way to becoming a global community? Perhaps...Societal change is not fast, but it does happen!

Be Well!