Describe a setting in which you have collaborated or interacted with people whose experiences and/or beliefs differ from yours. Address your initial feelings, and how those feelings were or were not changed by this experience.
ESSAY:
Our beliefs define us, but they don't have to divide us. Becoming acquainted with people who have different opinions than you can better shape you as a human being.
From the ripe age of four, I have been home schooled. My family is aggressively conservative and church was the closest I ever came to a social event for the first fifteen years of my life. You can imagine my excitement when I finally received my driver's license which was accompanied by the wondrous possibility of a job. As soon as I could, I snagged an interview and got a job.
I have encountered many interesting people while working but one coworker impacted my life more significantly than the rest. That person was my first supervisor. Upon our first meeting, something disconcerting immediately stuck out to me about him; he would constantly mock anything related to religion. I don't mean every other Tuesday he would offer up a quick jab; all allusions to God were mercilessly ridiculed by him. He would exaggeratedly bend down on his knees and deride prayer, laughing all the while. It was with no provocation that he would do these things. My wariness of him grew with every offense, and a toddler could have guessed he was an atheist.
Growing up, I had always gone to church. Every Sunday come hell or high water, I could be found on a pew. Throughout all those years, I had never met anyone with a drastic contrasting viewpoint of the world. Avoiding him as much as possible was my route for coping. Assuming that our conflicting beliefs would prevent us from getting along, I kept our conversations short and our interactions scarce. We went on like this for a long time, and although it wasn't the most comfortable way to work with someone, I wasn't sure what else to do.
As time drew on, I noticed that his unsettling religious comments became less frequent, and then they disappeared altogether. I can't say I've completely forgotten the way he shamed religion with such enthusiasm, but when I realized that he respected me and my beliefs enough to censor himself, I thought a lot more of him. Maybe our beliefs are exactly opposite but our current respect for one another is quite similar. It's easy to ignore someone because of your differences, but the best alternative is to honor the fact that each person is entitled to his or her own opinion and you should treat others as you would have them treat you.
Gradually, I am getting to know more about him, and have discovered we have a lot more in common than I previously thought. If both parties are willing to accept their differences and respect one another, working together is a breeze. There is no doubt in my mind that I will meet a multitude of people whom I disagree with throughout my life, and I think this experience will help me to better navigate those relationships in the future.
ESSAY:
Our beliefs define us, but they don't have to divide us. Becoming acquainted with people who have different opinions than you can better shape you as a human being.
From the ripe age of four, I have been home schooled. My family is aggressively conservative and church was the closest I ever came to a social event for the first fifteen years of my life. You can imagine my excitement when I finally received my driver's license which was accompanied by the wondrous possibility of a job. As soon as I could, I snagged an interview and got a job.
I have encountered many interesting people while working but one coworker impacted my life more significantly than the rest. That person was my first supervisor. Upon our first meeting, something disconcerting immediately stuck out to me about him; he would constantly mock anything related to religion. I don't mean every other Tuesday he would offer up a quick jab; all allusions to God were mercilessly ridiculed by him. He would exaggeratedly bend down on his knees and deride prayer, laughing all the while. It was with no provocation that he would do these things. My wariness of him grew with every offense, and a toddler could have guessed he was an atheist.
Growing up, I had always gone to church. Every Sunday come hell or high water, I could be found on a pew. Throughout all those years, I had never met anyone with a drastic contrasting viewpoint of the world. Avoiding him as much as possible was my route for coping. Assuming that our conflicting beliefs would prevent us from getting along, I kept our conversations short and our interactions scarce. We went on like this for a long time, and although it wasn't the most comfortable way to work with someone, I wasn't sure what else to do.
As time drew on, I noticed that his unsettling religious comments became less frequent, and then they disappeared altogether. I can't say I've completely forgotten the way he shamed religion with such enthusiasm, but when I realized that he respected me and my beliefs enough to censor himself, I thought a lot more of him. Maybe our beliefs are exactly opposite but our current respect for one another is quite similar. It's easy to ignore someone because of your differences, but the best alternative is to honor the fact that each person is entitled to his or her own opinion and you should treat others as you would have them treat you.
Gradually, I am getting to know more about him, and have discovered we have a lot more in common than I previously thought. If both parties are willing to accept their differences and respect one another, working together is a breeze. There is no doubt in my mind that I will meet a multitude of people whom I disagree with throughout my life, and I think this experience will help me to better navigate those relationships in the future.
