Showing posts with label embracing difference. Show all posts
Showing posts with label embracing difference. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Stripping Away the Blinders

Stripping Away the Blinders

Just about arguably everyone goes through life with a set of invisible blinders obscuring their surroundings and others in their peripheral.  This is by no means a biological trait we are born with, but rather a habit that can slowly develop over time.  Before long, a solid and unwavering barrier is established that can go on to be with certain individuals for an entire lifetime.  

This is an unfortunate truth that comprises much of many people’s lives.  Whether such behavior is reactionary or instinctual is debatable, but take a walk through the streets of New York City and one can see how self-involved everyone seems.  In a metropolitan setting as densely populated as New York can seem an appropriate setting for one to keep to oneself, but usually only after a significant amount of time does the evasive nature of the street leave people once at work:  relationships are eventually developed in the workplace and slowly the blinders start to disappear.

Fundamentally living in a cocoon, and developing the courage to break out of that shell, is a process that can take years if not decades for many people who are unawares of these blinders.  It takes time, and information, for individuals to realize they are indeed shutting out much of the world.  Oftentimes, these people are passing judgment on those foreign to them since their personalities have yet to appear on the table.  In order to break down these barriers, educators go out of their way to better inform others of diversity, identity, inclusiveness, and cultural responsiveness either in the classroom or in the workplace.  By educating people on the pitfalls of labeling and judging others, people can become more empowered than ever before. 


Scott Loren Moore is one such individual who commits his time towards educating people on how judging others based on race, gender, social status, and religious background will only further solidify the cocoon that many are living in on a daily basis.  Visit Mr. Moore’s website to learn more about his incentives and teaching methods, and how his workshops and trainings have helped government organizations, educational institutions, non-profits, and major corporations. 

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Embracing Differences


If there is one lesson that teacher Scott Loren Moore would like everyone to learn, it is that by embracing differences we open our own lives to greater discovery and awareness.  Scott Loren Moore is an educator that works closely with the transgender community and strives to open the eyes of all to create a more cohesive and accepting society.

Image Source: i1.tribune.com.pk
Recognizing that society can come in all sizes and styles, from small workplaces to neighborhoods, when all the members of the society see everyone else as more like them than as different from them, a sense of solidarity and unity forms and creates a strong bond.  Remember that it was not even 100 years ago that it was considered wrong for people of two different races to marry.  The thought that this was wrongheaded and purely prejudiced was not even open for discussion at that time (and perhaps some people still have trouble accepting this concept).

Image Source: www.neurope.eu

Of course, back then to even admit that you were not heterosexual was also not a particularly safe stand to take.  So consider the circumstances and feelings of today’s transgender person.  It may seem to be easy to dismiss a whole group of people who think, feel and want to live just like you, but once you personally know someone in the transgender community, you will probably change your tune.

Scott Loren Moore has done more than hold workshops and seminars to illustrate the similarities as well as differences of the transgender person.  He has also contributed by editing “Trans Bodies, Trans Selves” which has become a major resource for the transgender community.  Keeping in mind that it is what we do not know or understand that creates the most fear and discomfort within an individual, the workshops that Scott Loren Moore leads are a great way to open your eyes to the truth that differences are what bring beauty to the world.


Image Source: www.youtube.com

Just like a song has more than one note, think of the world as a symphony and each person within the universe as just another note to hear and appreciate.  This is a way of embracing differences to make yourself a better and happier person!