Diversity IS our strength.
The value of multicultural thinking.
The other day, the Secretary of Defense stated that the Army slogan “diversity is our strength” is stupid. Let’s think about that.
Can you imagine the world in monochrome? With only one sound? Where all the animals were the same? Ugh. What makes our world so wonderful is the diversity within it. Diversity is what makes the world go round.
There are a number of things that concern me with Mr. Hegsith’s assertion. It reveals an utter lack of emotional intelligence. It is an assertion that I can imagine myself making when I was 20 years old and did not have the life experience and hard earned wisdom my gray hairs provide. It reveals his lack of qualifications for the position he has been placed. One of the problems with the current clown car administration, one of the MANY problems, is the lack of serious people who have been appointed. But I digress. I want to focus on diversity and Mr. Hegseth’s assertion for now.
It is hard to imagine the world without diversity and the strength diversity brings. When I was contemplating this, metal came to mind. The strongest metals are generally alloys. They are not one substance alone, but a combination. Diverse. I am not a metallurgist and I’ve never played one on TV, but I can tell you this. Yes, there are metals that are very strong in and of themselves. But the most common metals used for building are alloys - steel (iron alloyed with carbon), bronze ( copper alloyed with tin), brass (copper alloyed with zinc), stainless steel (iron alloyed with carbon and chromium), and so on. By alloying, or combining two different metals, these alloys become stronger, harder, more durable. Diversity makes us stronger.
This is true of people as well. The idea that Mr. Hegseth calls for is that people of color, people of different genders, religions, socioeconomic status’ should not be mixed. Let’s consider that for a moment. Let’s say for arguments sake that we need medical assistance. The hospital only hires people from one medical school, trained by one medical staff, and all are trained to use the same method of diagnosing and treating your symptoms. What could possibly go wrong?
Well, the medical team will only see the problem from one perspective and they will only have one way to resolve the problem. What if it doesn’t work? Well, that’s unfortunate, but c’est la vie.
Now imagine our military as one composed of white men, all from similar socioeconomic backgrounds, raised in similar schools, and trained by a legion of white men with the same backgrounds. What could possibly go wrong?
The problem with removing diversity from the elements of creating a team - whether it is a team of players on a sports team, medical team, or the military - is that we limit ourselves to very few options and reduce our problem solving skills to nil. In other words, it is a set up for disaster and failure. Diversity is our strength.
Diversity allows for a variety of individuals to bring their backgrounds, their strengths, their ideas, to the table and expands exponentially our problem solving abilities and generates profound new avenues to handle any problem. Diversity is not a stupid idea at all. It is the heart and soul of a strong nation.
You cannot talk about unity without talking about diversity. E pluribus unum. The motto Mr. Hegseth needed help saying…. Out of many, one.
Knowledge is Power. And Diversity is our Strength. Thanks for reading.
This reminded me that a key to the US success in World War II was the Native American "Code Talkers," primarily from the Navajo tribe, who played a crucial role by using their indigenous language to create an unbreakable code, transmitting critical military messages that the Japanese enemy could not decipher. Without diversity and inclusion, our forces would have suffered greatly.