Are we all really so different?
Differences are often the first thing we notice about others, whether at first glance, preconceived notions, or even through general stereotypes. Granted, each of us as individuals do carry with us different religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, paired with a myriad of different experiences that have shaped each of us into who we are and who we are becoming. However, I think it’s a fair challenge to make the claim that we’re all really not that different when put into perspective.
The Dalai Lama wrote a book called The Art of Happiness where we discusses an idea that attempts to convey the importance of cultivating both compassion and happiness in a body he refers to as ‘the human family’. The Dalai Lama conveys a lot of truth through these ideals. In reality, each of us do desire to be happy. I find this as being one of the very few fundamental traits shared by the human race as an entity. He goes on to emphasize the cultivation of both our inner happiness and compassion for others as a means through which to fix our eyes to a greater perspective of life through the eyes of others and away from being so diligently focused on ourselves.
I think by shifting our perspectives to focus on what we can share with others, what we can learn from others, and how we can help others can serve to be one of the easiest ways to be a lead. Each of us desire friendship, companionship, compassion, and perhaps most of all, happiness. By focusing on cultivating the traits we share with others in our own hearts and minds, we can grow to be a more compassionate and happier culture and generation as a whole.