Challenging myself

One of the many reasons we chose to move to Canada, and live in Toronto, was to enable Stewie to live in a more diverse society - or maybe I don't need the word more there...any diversity would be a plus.  This last two weeks have been fascinating.  Children are oblivious to the diversity around them - everyone is a friend they haven't met yet, not a person to be judged or feared.  I, on the other hand, have been checking myself hourly, challenging prejudice that I thought I had grown out of. 

In Britain I am of a generation that straddles the passive racism of the 70's and the 21st century's complete acceptance of all faiths, races and sexual orientations.  I know now what is right, fair and equitable and I know what is unfair, offensive and wrong.  Whilst I know this I have been challenged this week by my early years programming that, for a split second, makes me weary of  people who are different to me.  It's a profound realisation. 

Having spent years working with people from all parts of the world I thought I had embraced the  diversity around me - I actually now think that I have been ignoring much of that diversity, regarding everyone as "equal and similar" rather than "equal, better, different".  I think I have missed out on all of the interesting stuff about people in my bid to be liberal and inoffensive.  I truly hope these words are not offensive...I question everything now!

I like the incredible diversity around me; the fact that many many people came from somewhere else to live here. I like that Stewie has already played in the park and made friends with kids from India; Korea; Japan and Canada. And the "so what" in all of this...I like it here.