It still surprises me when I see how people treat one another with disrespect or hatred... I guess this is due to the fact that I simply was not brought up this way. In fact, there was a time that I was even obliviously unaware that "prejudice" existed.
As cliche as it might sound, I was never raised to see different "races" or "colors"... we are surrounded everyday with variations in hair colors and eye colors, but we don't take a second look because of it - we see that we are clearly different, but we don't draw barriers or define ourselves or others by these physical traits. Growing up, skin color fell along these same lines for me...
However, over the years I have learned that what I once believed to be an inherent trait, humanity, is just not so. That feeling that I have deep within to treat others as I would like to be treated (independent of ethnicity, skin color, religion, etc.) is apparently not a conscious thought that passes through everyone's mind. The motivation to treat everyone encountered with kindness appears to be overshadowed by self-centered actions and an outwardly display of indifference, at the very least.
Can we just relate through our similarities, learn from our diversity, and all be friends?
