
Earlier today I was in a public service vehicle heading home, suddenly, I heard the driver making fun of a guy crossing the road. The guy was of very short stature than most, may have been at most 3 feet and something which in essence is an extreme case of a condition termed as Dwarfism. I'm sure you may recall hearing of this word before. Maybe in a Biology genetic class? Or from a movie? However, if you are hearing it from the first time here's a piece of brief information about it.

So back to the driver, let us call him Mr X. His actions got me thinking; Are we aware of our actions towards other people? Is it a case of superiority complex that we treat others like lesser human beings for being different? Do we ever take the time to actually think through the words in our mind before we utter them? What do these words communicate about ourselves? Once we truly understand this, it then shall form a basis for all our humane activities for humanity is not just about people collectively, but it is about understanding the kind actions towards other people.
Day in day out we interact with people from all walks of life which is a very interesting phenomenon. Not so long ago diversity was a thing we often used to hear of and not really visualize. (At this point I am hoping my generation is not just restricted to Millenials). Diversity may be in the form of different religions, races, levels of economic empowerment, sexual orientation etc. With so many things being different around us, it, therefore, generates a need for us to be conscious of our words and actions towards each other.

Over 60years ago an American psychologist by the name Abraham Maslow stated that, for an individual to grow, some needs have to be met. He then generated a five-tier need pyramid and among them was love and belonging. In love and belonging tier, he deduced that for one to attain it one must feel like they belong. A lot more data has been generated by different psychologists and they all point towards the same conclusion "how we treat each other is of great importance."
How then can we improve ourselves so as to make coexistence easier despite our differences?
1. Desire to change the narrative
2..Nature versus nurture
3. Guard your mouth

Always ask yourself, " Is what I am about to say enriching to this conversation or not" because most times we are so quick to speak when exploring issues from a very ignorant perspective.
4. Educate yourself
5. We are all equal
In conclusion, “Let us know our differences! Let us understand our differences! Let us know and understand that we are all different people with different differences! We all have different differences that are not all that different! Understanding is the matter! When we get to know and understand our differences well, we shall least spit on each other just because of our differences!”
Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
People treat people badly because they hate themselves. Only in putting others down can they feel better about themselves
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