I Would be Lost Without Friends Essay

It has become a daily conflict for most people in the world to experience or witness discrimination of another race, gender, identity, or appearance of someone else. What people don’t realize is that just because someone may appear or identify different, doesn’t mean they are at a lower or higher status than you. I grew up in a very diverse area. My elementary school had a program for students learning English who came from outside of the United States. There were hundreds of students from other countries at my school, which helped me build up a confidence that I should be proud to be different, because nobody at my school was the exact same. Diversity is something that every person should be proud

Everyone has a place in the world, to think otherwise is naïve; this world is not owned by a specific race, class or gender. And yet, in a time where the world is seemingly at our fingertips we are still finding prejudices at every corner. Often, the differences of others are perceived negatively and this causes misconceptions and assumptions. If we could strip ourselves of this negativity and lose the impulsive perceptions, then we should be able to put forth greater efforts to understanding the lives of those from backgrounds which are different than our own, in doing so acceptance towards others would likely follow.

Together we will make up a melting pot of all sorts of diversity, which will set us a part in a unique way. Unfortunately, for some reason some people despise different. Which explains why they feel the need to outcast others. Whether it is based on the socioeconomic status, their race or gender, or even their definition of beauty. I have always wondered why we as people care so much about these categories, most importantly why we let them define us. It is truly heartbreaking to me when I see people putting others down because of their differences. If there is one thing that I could teach people including students it would be to think about what they say to others, especially if it could hurt them. About two years ago I heard about Unity Day, which is a day that stands against bullying and unites kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. I would love to have the opportunity to tell others about this day in hopes that they will join in the

I grew up in a time of great social strife. My wife and I were born before World War II, long before the civil rights movement, yet I was raised in a household where racism did not exist. My mother, an activist far ahead of her time, stressed upon me the importance of diversity and equality. She often welcomed into our home people from all different walks of life. As a child, I experienced and learned diversity from my own dinner table. This way of thinking carried with me throughout my life, from my travels in Africa and Southeast Asia, my career as an officer in the United States military, and my experience as a university

I have always surrounded myself with different types of people. Whether you’re black, white, Asian, or Indian… a jock, prepster, nerd, band geek, or normal…. Republican, democrat, tea party, or green party… I do not attack these differences like some might, but I embrace them. If I had gone through life choosing to only associate myself with people of my race, socioeconomic status, religion, party affiliation and so forth I would not be as open-minded and as accepting as I am today. Whitley, Ryan, Lauren, Maura, Cullen, and countless others: we would not be friends if I judged them based on our differences. The only way we can begin to understand one another is if we embrace diversity and ignore the false ideas of how different people are supposed to

Imagine being rejected for who you are. Imagine working harder than most for a dream position, because you are both a woman and African American, and finding out you have to take classes to be eligible. So, you go to court because the segregated school denies access to day-time classes, making you resort to night time classes, called for by the judge. You were separated from your peers and put into an unpleasant situation just because you had a different skin color. Or, in a different scenario, you are a brilliant scientist that found a way to win the war for the Allies, but your accomplishment is not recognized for decades because your sexual orientation was viewed as a disease. Unfortunately, these are not fabricated scenarios, but real examples of struggles that people have faced in the past. These two people, Mary Jackson and Alan Turing, respectfully, fought their own battle in order to gain acceptance within society. Although these were two specific situations in which there was resentment and unjust treatment, there have been many more circumstances like these in the past and present. The harsh reality is that if we, as a society, do not take the necessary measures to address people with diverse backgrounds, this is what our future will look like as well. Diversity has always been important, but it is evident that it has been met with push back. While the country has boasted about the ability for any person to have the freedom to prosper and be happy, it seems as if those ideals were reserved only for the straight White people. Over time, society has evolved so that people of different races and sexual orientations outside the standard mold have become increasingly more accepted and viewed equally. We must continue on this path to acceptance and understanding in order to rectify for what has been wronged in the past.

Why is that, you may ask. As human beings, we seem to keep our differences against us. By not allowing ourselves to meet other people because of one or more diversity(s). Not just the adults, but kids too. In school cafeterias, students sit with the people are similar to them. They don’t go out of their way to meet different people. Folks stay with the people that they are comfortable with. But that’s because we were taught to be that way. As years go on, the students grow into adults with the same perspective of life. As a consequence, the cycle repeat itself. That is very

I attend a fairly large public school and have attended public schools since kindergarten. While going through years of schooling, I had become friends with students of different ethnicities. I genuinely enjoyed learning about other cultures and how their families carried their customs and traditions from all over the world. Growing up, I was limited to what I could learn, seeing as I was brought up to be accepting of others, and ended up immersing myself into multi-cultural appreciation through my friends. I was blinded by the nature of those that discriminate against others due to race. Never had I considered judging someone for the way they looked. I quickly learned that not everyone thinks the same way.

In the united states, diversity is a big issue as people from different parts of the world reside here. A few years back, I was used to being in a classroom with people that have a common race, age group, and for most cases a common language as myself. However, when I moved to the United States, I attended classes that had only myself with a different race. This wasn’t a challenge at the beginning because I was trained with the ideology that people are equal. As time passed by, I realized that even though I had that mentality, not everyone around me agreed with me. Like they say, “Everyone is entitled to their own opinions,” which is why some people can be biased about racial diversity. While at Wayne County Community College District, in a Microbiology class in which I was the only colored person, a guy refused to let me sit next to him for a lecture and when asked what his reasons were said he can’t sit next to me because I’m black. I was hurt, but I decided that I won’t get trampled on just because I’m not white. I refused to be discouraged by a biased person and fudged ahead. He was condemned for saying such, but at the end of the day, he only spoke his mind. I’m very positive that so many colored people go through that every single day of their lives, in school, at work, church, trains amongst others.

I come from a place where diversity is common, but not widespread. In my immediate group of in-state, in-city friends, I have not one who is a person of color. Before I ever even began to so much as think about race, I began my first relationship. At age sixteen, I was exposed to interracial dating. My girlfriend was online, so once again my in group stayed 100% white without a second thought. My best friend today is someone who I met online. She is an immigrant from Mexico, and it was my friendship with her that opened my eyes to an entire world of ethnicity, diversity, and equality (or lack thereof). An underlying, unconscious sense of fear, or a set of stereotypes perhaps led me to be friends with only people who were “like me” until I was older. Wanting to belong to a group of people that I share traits with, as a white person, is marginally easier. With white being the majority, it was no struggle to find people with my skin color.

Friendship is not simply a "relationship", knowing someone, conversing with that person, or dealing with that person in business, school, or in casual acquaintance. True friendship is not just a "relationship", but self-sacrificing love. A friend is also one who supports, sympathizes, and is a person in whom you can confide. There are unique qualities that a person must have to be considered a friend.

In the past, I was known as a social outcast. I was the person who only had two friends and never spoke a word to others. Essentially, I was a human turtle. But in the summer of 2013, I met someone who was rather interesting: a young girl with a bubbly personality.

I can bring a lot of laughter, some advice that I think it’s good for you, and I can accompany my friend if the friend need me to confort.

A friend is someone who you trust and enjoy spending time with. Everyone needs a friend because without friends life would be boring. Friends are important because they boost your happiness and cut your stress. Friends are easy to find, but a best friend is very hard to find. Best Friends are very important because they increase your self-confidence, you can share secrets, unlimited laughter, and adventures. To have a best friend you do not have to know them for a long time you just have to feel comfortable around them and trust them.

We all have someone or something that we love more than anything. For me, it was my dog, Madix. Madix was my best friend, he was the ray of sunshine in my life.