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Diversity
"What we have to do... is to find a way to celebrate our diversity and debate our differences without fracturing our communities."
- Hillary Clinton
The word diversity is from the Latin divertas, which denotes differences and unlikeness. Technically speaking, it is the opposite of unity, from the Latin unitas, meaning oneness. Unity suggests harmony and agreement where diversity suggests discord and lack of harmony. Though widespread, this inaccurate use of the term is probably not what any of are really looking for!
The word diversity was actually created in the halls of business and organizations, giving a label to efforts to be more inclusive of everybody, improving organizational performance (making money!) and to comply with government requirements, and public pressure.
We like the word synergy better. Synergy comes from the Greek word synergia, meaning joint work and cooperative action. Synergy is created when things work in concert together to create an outcome that is in some way more value than the total of the input of each individual participant. We know that a concert of all tubas would be terrible, but the tuba is critical to the success of the whole orchestra. Tossing out an oboe because you don't like it's color or shape would simply ruin any orchestral performance!
An organization, or for that matter an individual, that genuinely strives to create synergy would never discriminate based on race, gender, disability or anything else, because it would be focused on the bigger picture, the beautiful sound, the complete whole.
More artlicles:
A World of Immigrants
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