Background
| Classroom applications | Internet
resources | Bibliography | Appendix
Chapter
7
Cornerstones of Peace: Valuing Diversity and Practicing Tolerance
By Carolyn Duffy
Valuing diversity and practicing tolerance are central to the goal of achieving peace and good will in our lives and the world. In this chapter students will learn about diversity through readings and discussions. Tolerance, the appropriate response to diversity in a peaceful world, will be illustrated through problem solving situations and through group discussions of these situations. Language skills are developed through new vocabulary from readings and discussions, reading critically and writing responsively, and practicing the skill of oral presentation. Teachers can use this unit by itself or design a series of connected lessons that explore the themes in more detail. Internet resources presented later in the chapter give ideas for extending the lesson. The ideas presented here are meant to serve as a starting point for teachers interested in exploring the themes of diversity, tolerance, and empathy in their classes.
Background InformationIn Peace Education, one goal is to develop students’ awareness of the elements that promote peaceful living and harmonious relations among families and friends; neighborhoods and social groups, school, and professional communities; and states and nation-states at the national and global level (see Chapter 1 of this volume). Two important elements that contribute to peaceful living in a multicultural society are valuing diversity among the cultures and the nations of the world and tolerance of differences between ourselves and others. Helping our students to understand these important concepts will enhance their understanding and develop their skills as our future peacemakers and peacekeepers.
Diversity is a positive aspect of human society. Diversity opens up possibilities, challenges us to consider alternatives, and keeps us from stagnating - getting in a rut. Within our diversity as humans there are differences in perceptions, needs, values, beliefs, desires, power, goals, opinions, and other components of human interaction. These differences often lead to conflict and disagreement between individuals, between groups, and between nations. However, we can make use of human and cultural differences. First, we can learn more about the differences and understand why the differences exist. This knowledge provides us with new ways of looking at things, and gives us new ideas and possibilities that we may never have considered. Perhaps we may change our feelings or our behaviors as a result of understanding more about those who are different from us, or we may respectfully disagree on the points of difference.
Examples of positive contributions of diversity exist around us in our daily lives. Different jobs in the workplace allow the overall effort of the business or organization to be more effective and efficient. Different ideas contribute to improving the workplace, the schools, and the government. Diversity of ideas and opinions about movies, books, dress, or politics makes our lives richer and more interesting. Families and friendships are strengthened when diverse perspectives and interests and new and different ideas are valued and encouraged within these relationships. Diversity is something to celebrate and to learn from, not something to change.
Cultural diversity, the differences between the behaviors, values, beliefs, and attitudes of different cultural groups, is becoming more apparent throughout the world because of the increased frequency of contact of people from different cultures. This contact occurs when refugee populations are forced into other countries or people immigrate to different countries in search of better lives and economic security. Today, with the support of technology for rapid communication and inexpensive and accessible travel for business and pleasure, we are seeing the appearance of multicultural societies at the community, the national, and the international levels. Cultural diversity is apparent in our lives, and cultural understanding has become a necessary part of our educational experience (see Chapter 6 of this volume).
Sometimes, however, multicultural societies experience intolerance of the differences of others, and conflicts arise between individuals and groups. This occurs when people do not accept the differences of others, even though they may understand why people from other cultures exhibit certain behaviors that are different from those they know and approve of. Instances of intolerance happen in our communities, our schools, and the workplaces when cultural differences are not anticipated and dealt with in a tolerant and understanding manner.
