Undergraduate / There are still rights and wrongs and self-evident truths; CU boulder/ Diversity [4]

Much talk of diversity is about race, ethnicity, nationality, gender or sexual orientation, but what about diversity of perspectives? Every town has Democrats and Republicans, environmentalists and developers, liberals and conservatives, fans of Fox News, and fans of MSNBC. Diversity is not just about what is on the surface, it is a matter of listening to all sides with deference and a mind that is open to new ideas.

Don't misunderstand me. There are still rights and wrongs and self-evident truths: Hate speech is evil, global warming is real, the earth is round, and the Giants are the best team in baseball. Apart from those absolutes, isn't being a sanctuary for unfettered dialogue the essence of a college education?

When I was growing up, my family perpetually argued. Both of my parents believed that Clinton was a covert communist. Their Disneyworld was small government and low taxes. My father, my brother, and I moved from a middle class suburb in a red state to a suburb in a blue one. And to say it was a culture shock for me would be an understatement.

I come from the San Francisco Bay Area. There are rich people in my town, and there are poor people. There are gay people and there are straight people. The multiple perspectives that I experienced through conversations on an abundance of topics thoroughly broadened my vision of humanity and the world. For me, one of the most alluring features of attending a large university is the ample opportunities it brings to meet numerous people who each have unique perspectives on issues that affect us all.

During the summer of my sophomore year, my family and I made a trip to Ireland to visit extended family. I tried new food, learned new idioms, learned about a new culture and met new people. When I returned home, I decided that was time to know my diverse community. I started as a volunteer at a nonprofit organization, and I learned so much from it. One of the most rewarding experiences was being able to interact with people whose life experiences differ sharply from mine; it challenged me to see from a different point of view, and, by that, evolve personally.

Two goals of mine are to exchange knowledge and experiences with people other people. I hope that, once I'm in college, I can meet many new friends who will share with me different stories of lives and opinions, and I can share mine. I hope to deepen my understanding of the world around me through both my academic studies and in my everyday interactions with other people.

It is a community's responsibility to secure the rights of others to be different. Conformity imprisons learning. I refuse to be a hostage to prejudice or a bystander to intolerance. Remember what Voltaire said about opposition: "I do not agree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."