Essay, Research Paper: Being Different Is What Makes Us The Same

Our differences are what makes us the same. We all try hard to be different but in the end we do have a lot of similarities amongst us. As we all strive to be individuals, we also strive to 'fit in' these are just a few of the many things in which we all have in common. We must not close doors of opportunity. We don't want to limit ourselves to having a small amount of choices in our lives just because something so little as the color of someone's skin, Our similarities come from our differences.
People can come from two totally different environments and have two different outlooks on life, yet still have the same basic wants and needs. The poem "Two Prisoners Divided By a Gulf", will explain that. The poem was about two men, one was a miserable man, he had no joys to look forward to, and no esteem. The other man was a clean man, one who looked down upon the miserable man and did not let the reality of human misery penetrate his cell. Both the men were isolated, imprisoned and both wanted freedom. Despite their obvious differences their main objective was the same. They wanted freedom and independence.
The short story "Sunday in the Park" was about the differences shared between different parents when raising their children. The two fathers were so different in the way they chose to raise their children and it is hard to believe that people so different can have similarities between them as well. The fathers in the story were both similar in the way that they both love their children, although both men do it differently their goal is the same. Both fathers end up getting very annoyed with each. The fathers seem so different but in reality they both obviously care about their children. It may be hard to believe that people who seem to not have anything in common are really alike. No matter how badly we try to be different we will find ourselves with more similarities then we'd think. We can do many things different but we are still the same.
The short story "My Furthest Back Person: The African" was about a man who through many encounters, found himself listening to the story of his ancestors, narrated by his grandmother. His cultural background was of African American however his ancestors were simply Africans. During his studies, the man found the location of his origin. When he arrived there he noticed the environment was different and he felt like an outsider, not being as dark as them. His people looked down upon him, for it was the first time they had seen an African American. Although this man was of mixed background and lived in a totally different environment, he and his ancestors shared together centuries of their history and coming into being. This too, was their main objective, to find out where they come from. Both people from each culture thought they were nothing alike and neither of them could get past the darkness of their skin. They shared so many things in common but they didn't realize it at first!
Our basic human needs are all the same. We all need food shelter and clothing. We all laugh, cry and feel pain. Just because of a few differences for example our race, does not mean that we should be treated unequal. Does the color of our skin really make us different? Do we not bleed the same blood, or cry the same tears? These are question that come up quite often and a lot of people either choose to ignore them or, leave them unanswered.
A perfect example of this exists in the movie the Power of One. This was set in the times of World War 2 when race discrimination was like a way of life. The Africans were treated like unequal slaves and expected to look up to everyone around them, even though they were looked down upon themselves. The main character PK was the only white person who knew that racism was wrong and tried to prevent the spreading of it. In the end he made friends with a black boxer and together they started the long journey of creating equality between the races.
Even though there were so many differences between the outer appearance of the two, they had a lot in common. The boys both wanted to succeed at boxing it was something which they enjoyed and different skin colors are only on the outside all it is a color. In the movie the color of someone's skin determined their self worth. But really when it all came down to it, they were all the same. Both PK and his Boxing friend had many things in common they were willing to stand up and fight for themselves. Neither race wanted to be hurt, nor feel pain. They both craved independence and freedom. This is what made them the same. They were different in many ways but as well those differences brought them together to fight for independence in which we all crave. The viewer can see both perspectives on life from the two boys and also the similarities hidden beneath the skin.
In the short story, "Walk Well my Brother", racism was also a factor in the story. This was about a man and a women who were forced to survive in the wilderness, after the mans plane crashed in the middle of the Yukon. The woman was of native origin and knew the land well the man on the other hand was white and had very little knowledge of how to survive on his own. He decided to leave the woman to fend for herself. He felt that because she was Native she could survive on her own and he didn't want her to be a burden on his shoulders. In the end he turned out to be the burden on herwhen 10 days later the woman came to rescue him. The man then realized that the woman was equal and not just or only good for hunting and fishing. He realized that they were both after the same things. And if they put their heads together they could come to the same conclusion, despite their racial differences.
With many differences, rather than accepting them we still continue to reject them. We need to take things for what their worth.We all work so hard striving for the same things, yet we work against each other in trying to make our dreams come true.Our differences are being brought out in many different ways the most common of which is discrimination. We tend not to accept other's differences yet we either fear them or we don't accept them. There is no need to do this discriminating because it gets no where. The movie "Twelve Angry Men" was about twelve totally different men who came from many different cultural backgrounds and grew up in different types of environments. They all had their own beliefs and opinions. Their challenge was to decide on the innocence of a young boy accused of committing murder. In the beginning only one man thought that the boy was not guilty and felt that he should at least be given a fair trial. However the other 11 men of the jury quickly judged the boy to be guilty. After many hours of being locked in a room together the men started to bond. They each shared a little about their own life and how they grew up. Because there were so many different cultures and backgrounds, there was a lot of conflict. They related the trial to their own life and through much discussion and conflict, they arrived at the same conclusion. The boy was innocent. This just goes to show that no matter how hard people try to be different we are all the same.
In reality we are all striving for the same things. We want to be happy, successful, we want to be loved, treated equal, and to have the same rights. We want the freedom to speak our minds and the right to be heard. Each persons strategy for achieving this goal is different. That is what people seem to dwell on. These differences that we have are what make us who we are and who we hope to be is what really make us the same. We are all trying to achieve the same goal, but why are we ridiculed when we go about it in different ways? We are all striving for the same things in life and it's about time we realize that!

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