THE PRINCIPLE OF DIVERSITY
In the second lesson we looked at the Harmony principle of ONENESS and saw clearly that we are part of Nature and not outside of Nature. We already understand that our body itself is a perfect union of trillions of cells that work together all the time to enable us to live. This union of cells is made up of a great diversity. Any union comprises of different elements.
In this lesson we will look at the importance of the principle of DIVIERSITY to restore its validity and see diversity as a very sacred gift that enables Nature to work. Nature includes humans. Our bodies are made up of the same living cells that make up other organisms in Nature (ie the living world). Without great ecological diversity (biodiversity), the survival of species becomes endangered. The truth is that great DIVERSITY is a sacred gift for all creatures because the intake of food varies according to the systems of organisms. Diversity is therefore very important because it ensures all species thrive and that there is enough energy for every organism. Consider this; Even mosquitoes are gifts to the main ecosystem because their larvae are used as food for other creatures. These same mosquito larvae consume a lot of organic matter in wet areas, helping to restore nutrients to the ecosystem. Every creature returns what it takes from Nature. We all take and give back. There are many examples, I will leave it to you to investigate, you will be surprised by the miracles of this living web of life.
This living web of life is like a BIG FEAST full of different foods. Every creature serves itself according to its needs. All creatures are built with the ability to distinguish what is food, and what is not food or potentially harmful and what is a cure for any ailment. Even our ancestors used Nature as their pharmacy, they also had a moderated approach for enjoying this great buffet without disrupting the abundance or the cycles. The ancients understood the importance of diversity within Nature and that is why their folklore of joyful cooperation with Nature showed the limits that we were not supposed to cross in our daily economic and recreation activities. There was a humility that saw the GREATNESS of all beings and their purpose, because every living and non-living entity in Nature is important and has a right to exist on this planet.
In human societies, the diversity of gender, shapes, height, talents etc. was celebrated as a natural wealth that enabled the society to live and flourish. Just as diversity is needed to sustain life on earth, so too, societies need diversity to be able to operate their systems of mutual service. There are many examples, I will let you reflect on the diversity you have encountered since you woke up today, on a bed made by others, you are also reading this message on a device made by others.
Diversity is an important principle of Nature that enables the resilience and sustainability of the WHOLE, and even human societies depend on the diversity of people’s talents within the society to be able to provide adequate goods and services to everyone. In the past, the times of our ancestors, societies respected and protected the different abilities of people to ensure that all basic services are available. The gift of the healer, the prowess of the farmer, builders, storytellers, midwives, comedians, spiritual messengers and so on. All these disciplines were taught as living oral knowledge and passed on in practice by those who had mastery. Here we see that DIVERSITY was like a NATURAL GIFT, because peoples’ talents differed.
Indigenous Knowledge is rapidly disappearing from the world after science and technology created faster means for connecting our world and standardising concepts that encourage everyone to seek uniformity. The traditional view of reverence for Nature’s diversity and abundance was ignored and societies in the so called “developing world” went on a copy and paste spree “modernity” in order not to seem “uncivilised.” This dangerous path overlooks the fact that progress is time and environmental specific. In 1998, the late Benjamin Mkapa gave an important message about the importance of Indigenous Knowledge through the famous publications of the World Bank:
I QUOTE HIM: “Early humans tried and tested best practices for ensuring their survival, which they passed on to the next generation. Every geographical area had specific knowledge systems that protected diversity of life on earth. The problem started when standardising education systems enforced monoculture and relegated the role of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in the background despite it being far superior in addressing local problems.
Scientific approaches to knowledge generation, as we know them today are, historically speaking, a very recent phenomenon. These modern approaches have brought about tremendous results: we have the capacity to feed more than six billion people satisfactorily; vaccinations protect our children from once deadly diseases, we communicate with the help of satellites around the globe and we compete on global market places with our products.
Yet, despite these achievements, we still have crises of hunger, HIV/AIDS, illiteracy, isolation, and conflicts and abject poverty. As scientists struggle to respond to global challenges, they have increasingly distanced themselves from local ways of solving problems. Local solutions were even discriminated against as hindering progress, outdated, “old wives tales” or simply just unfashionable.
As we “modernised” our societies, a “degree” in traditional or indigenous knowledge was not planned for. Hence, we overlooked its potential as a resource and even further neglected the knowledge that women and men, families and communities had developed themselves for centuries.”
I FINISH THIS LESSON BY SAYING THAT: Let us enjoy learning from others whilst respecting OUR UNIQUE GIFTS because diversity should be celebrated and not abolished. We have to develop an understanding of what to take from other cultures, and what to leave behind. We must have faith in ourselves that we are OK as complete and responsible beings, participating within a specific culture and environment and use our unique abilities to be of service to others and enrich our world with our GIFTS.
VALUES TO ENABLE US TO RESPECT DIVERSITY are HUMANITY and ACCEPTANCE.
HUMANITY: Is the state of being guided by the knowledge given for the benefit of all. HUMANITY distinguishes you from other creatures.
ACCEPTANCE: Is understanding the uniqueness of others instead of ignoring them. It is of great important to live our motto #WE ARE A GIFT. We all entered this planet as gifts, and we have our gifts to be able to serve in THIS WEB OF LIFE.
COMPETENCY: Is INTERPERSONAL AWARENESS. As always, the GOLDEN RULE applies here. When you despise this person or that person; what if it was you? would you like to be despised? Attention to your words and actions will bring you back to HARMONY all the time so that you treat all other beings with HUMANITY and ACCEPT their presence.
For further explanation and understanding, please read our handbook from page 32 to 37 on www.tukosawa.com
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