Find power in differences

Emma's Enlightenments

This Week’s Advice: Difference is Power. 

All of us are different. No two are the same- yet we criticize this all the time.  

This raises the question, what differences are okay, and which are not? Who decided this? 

Differences, to me, mean power. There should be no decision on who is right and who is wrong. This is just an excuse. 

There is no wrong. 

Just because you aren’t the same as the person next to you doesn’t mean they are better or lesser than you. It simply means you two are different. 

This is important to remember, especially at such a trivial time we are in. Differences are not being used to be celebrated, they are tearing us apart. 

This is not okay.  

We should be taking pride in the fact we are not the same. It is something we should be joyous about. 

In a world where everything is already so split, why would we want to tear ourselves apart even more?  

I have seen this all my life. 

I grew up not popular, not ideal looking, and not on the same social spectrum as my classmates. I never felt normal. 

I always felt so bad about myself. It was always hard to make friends, much less keep them. It was a constant cycle of trying and trying, over and over. 

As I grew up, I saw other classmates experience the same thing as me, but a little differently, in their own way. Just because we didn’t fit the social norm, doesn’t mean we don’t fit at all. This is a biased and unhealthy point of view that was made up to excuse being socially apart from each other. 

I have even seen this in some organizations here in Troy.  

Blatant grouping just because of how someone looks, acts, or even presents themselves. It’s all an excuse to separate even further, and to treat others badly for being different. 

Why do we do this? 

Difference is not weakness.  

It is power. 

We shouldn’t feel lesser because we aren’t socially the same. 

The idea that we should stay separated for being different is contradictory to everything. We are supposed to be united, working together, to be happy. 

The next time you feel different, in any way, feel empowered. Feeling different is a good thing. 

It is not a weakness. 

It is our strength.