Why is diversity a good thing?

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We interupt the political crap fight for the following philosophical opinion.

The value of diversity:

The simplest forms of life can often perceive only a single stimuli, and cannot
"think" at all. A microbe may react to light, or heat, or the presence of food
but it will do so in exactly the same manner as all the other microbes- or it
will die. When a microbe reproduces, it divides to create another microbe that
is an exact replica of the original.

Higher forms of life acquire the ability to react to a multitude of stimuli
simultaneously, as well as to categorize, memorize, compare, evaluate, and
postulate....in other words, the higher life forms develop the basic dynamics
required for intelligent thought. The highest life forms by human standards are
humans, (the gnostic or self-aware, advanced primate).

Individual human intelligence, and the collective conscious intelligence of a
community (aka society) is enhanced by the exercise required to solve a wide
variety of problems and resolve complex social situations. When there are
diverse
religions, ethnicities, and cultural priorities within a finite group of people
who will interacting on a regular basis, the human consciousness has the
opportunity to repsond by expanding the boundaries of things that are currently
known and respected, (if not believed).

In a society where we were all the same color, same religion, same political
party,
same social values, etc.....some of the best and most creative parts of each
individual member would atrophy for lack of use.

Often as not, it is the tension between the dissimilar that results in creative
energies
rather than the sleepy, homogenized, mundane boredom of the strictly
conforming.

Without diversity of thought we would still believe the sun orbited around the
earth, and that our planet was the geographic center of the universe.

Without diversity of culture, we would have
107 classical music stations to choose from on the radio. Jazz, blues, rock 'n
roll, country western? Never would have happened.

Without diversity of religion, we'd all be worshipping the Earth Mother.
Hinduism, Buddhism, or the religions of Abraham (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)
would never have evolved because each religious person would have been careful
to be, think, and act in strict conformity with those who preceded him.

Without diversity, we would go out to dinner in America and eat porridge.
Chinese food? Italian food? Mexican food?
French food? Ain't happening.

Many of the people who clamor most actively for a conformist "American" society
fail to appreciate that American society as we know it today is the result of
a creative process that resulted from balancing and incorporating diverse
factors, not the strict adherence to a conformity.

Many of the people who decry diversity define the "diverse" as almost anybody
who is not exactly the same as the person devaluing diversity.

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We now return you to our regulary scheduled political crap fight.