Cycling4Diversity, May 20 - 23

Given the choice of drinking polluted water or filtered water, who wouldn’t choose the latter? Unfortunately, there are those sharing this earth (“neighbours”) with us who don’t have a choice because of circumstances beyond their control.  Would we not share our filter with our neighbour, should the opportunity present itself? I think so.

This is the simple analogy I will share with school-age children next week, in 22 schools, as part of Ken Herar’s 2014 Cycling4Diversity trip. Our four-day cycling journey will start in Mission and make its way west towards North and West Vancouver, Vancouver, Richmond, and returning through Surrey, Langley, and Abbotsford, back to Mission.

Our purpose is to challenge young people to embrace diversity in their lives as something that will enrich them; to tolerate those among us who are different; to speak out against discrimination whenever they encounter it; and to be advocates for those who are weak and oppressed.

Applying my analogy, my point is that each one of us is a product of our environment and the input of significant adults in our lives. We develop “filters” from an early age, and depending on their strength, we are able to filter what we see, hear, and experience, to prevent us from succumbing to any negative effects.

Not all of us have had the opportunities that others may have had, to develop a sound filtration system.  We may be disadvantaged due to circumstances beyond our control. It falls on those among us who have a well-developed system of values to help our friends and our classmates to make good decisions as they relate to those around us. When some would make fun of others or ridicule them because they are different, it falls on those of us who know better, whose filters are telling us that a particular action or attitude is incorrect, to gently urge and encourage more appropriate social behaviour. It is those of us with well-developed filters to model inclusion and acceptance; to be intolerant of discrimination in whatever form it takes.

Similar to my opening analogy of offering a water filter to someone in need of one, why would we not offer our “thought” filters to our friends and classmates? When we are all conscious of this and become engaged in accepting everyone, regardless of our diverse backgrounds, we will begin to experience real community and see the emergence of a healthier and stronger society.

You can follow our progress at the following site: http://cycling4diversity.ca/

You can also follow my tweets: @DaveFLoewen