Here’s to our differences

Apparently ‘birds of a feather flock together’ but what about the people you love?

It is not unusual to see our children make friends with people who are different from them. In most groups there is a daredevil, a creative person and the one who always has a snack in their bag to share with everybody.

At university, groups seem to become more homogeneous. We study the same things and to make faster progress we work with someone who does things the way we do. Then we go into a profession that already has its own rules and regulations and when these are multinational companies, we join an army of colleagues all performing the same tasks.

Living with another person is very different and something of a challenge. The other person does not think or act the same way we do. This is often exasperating but if we welcome their differences, they can help us see what is normally invisible to us.

If we have the humility to allow ourselves to be inspired by a different person, a new world will open up to us and enrich our lives.