"There is something invisible here..."

Diversity training: Hour One. 

We all went around and artistically or logically represented ourselves and our culture with crayons, colored markers, bright pipe cleaners, and our words. Some people identified with their home town, education, family, friends, sexual orientations, religion, and on and on. 

The last person to present, however, said something that will definitely stick. “There is something invisible here…” No matter how much we talk about who we are, or act who we are, or look like who we are…there can be (and there may always be) something invisible we don’t share with people. Perhaps the “something invisible” is known to us…or perhaps it’s not. I guess that’s a huge part of diversity, isn’t it? We must treat everyone with respect regardless of what’s on the outside and on the inside…because it’s possible some of our biggest insecurities are still invisible to even ourselves. 

It’s been beautiful already, half way through this day, to learn where my teammates have come from, what they’ve dealt with, and finally understand why they act in all their quirky and beautiful ways.