Some folks hate the Whites who hate the Blacks who hate the Klan
Most of us hate anything that we don’t understand
– Kris Kristofferson

This is a huge reality today in a time of great division and people gathering in factions or “silos” on the internet. It’s now possible for every ethnic, social or religious group to have its own online identity which supports their biases, beliefs and prejudices. In this type of social environment, it’s very easy to stay in your own silo and disregard everybody else in their silos. What develops, then, are isolated groups who have their own take on reality and the news, and suddenly the picture Kristofferson paints in the two lines above becomes a reality. And how true it is that most of us hate anything (outside of our own group) that we don’t understand.

What we don’t understand is anyone who is different than us. The only way around this is, instead of hating that which is different, we cultivate an attitude of discovery for that which is different and a curiosity towards the unknown. Instead of being threatened by diversity, we welcome it, and look forward to what we can learn about the incredible variety of people that God has created in His image.

It won’t be easy. We have algorithms that push us toward our likes and away from our dislikes. Our whole culture us bent this way. We have to choose against the grain. We need to seek out those who are different. We need to read outside our comfort zone. We need to seek out relationships across generations. When everything pushes us toward the comfortable and the familiar, we need to intentionally enrich our lives with that which is different.

Red and Yellow, Black and White,
All are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
        – C. Herbert Woolston