Diversity & Creativity

Diversity is not always perceptible to those who observe the “diverse.”

Many Westerners look at Asians and feel that they all look alike. The difference is actually so great that the differences within that difference become invisible.

Recognizing singularities requires a form of cultural and aesthetic education.

Fish probably look at us as if we were all identical.

Perceiving singularities is an essential part of intelligence.

I can only recognize the other as my equal when I distinguish them enough to understand that they are a rare and irreplaceable being — just as I am.

This is where the possibility of creativity between us begins.

Creativity belongs to the family of movement, fluidity, nuance, and singularity — the opposite of homogenization.

In my body-oriented therapeutic work, recognizing singularity operates at several simple levels:

• Perceptual: learning to see differences rather than reducing people to categories, relaxing the gaze and restoring movement to the eyes.

• Cultural: understanding that ways of being, speaking, and thinking are shaped by different contexts, which helps relieve the weight carried on the shoulders.

• Creative: when two singularities truly meet, something new can emerge — the path is created by walking.

This is often where a more authentic relationship begins — with oneself and with others.

Written by Juliana Camargo