Ask any ecologist or biologist and they’ll probably tell you that greater diversity in a system, usually referred to as biodiversity, increases its health and long term viability. Extending this to human populations, a diversity of ideas and perspectives makes for a healthier society. While conflict and strife are inevitable, co-existing is in our best interest.
What does any of this have to do with dispatches from the bus? The other day I stepped on the bus and took my place. Among the half dozen people on it, there were three conversations. A succinct one exchanging morning greetings between the bus driver and me in English, a Russian dialect of some sort between a man and a woman, and what I’m guessing was Punjab or another language from the Indian subcontinent. While there was no “cross pollination” to continue the ecological metaphor, there were three languages in a confined space involving people sharing a resource (the bus in this instance).
Although interaction amongst the populations was limited to eye contact, it was a sign of our common goals. If we can see these, as opposed to conflict, perhaps we can move toward a diverse society that coexists peacefully.
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