community: difference and sameness

diversity/inclusivity

diversity is objective reality,

a word to describe the flurry of the unique

within which each of us moves—

at best knowing who we are,

and then, maybe, knowing how we differ from the other,

maybe Venn diagramming ourselves and others into groups,

inclusivity is subjective reality:

a word to describe how to embrace the other

while being true to both our smaller and our larger self,

knowing who we are now

and embracing who we can be in a pluralistic world,

a world within which we somehow find

how we can be both different and the same,

how we can build community,

a community dynamic and wondrous

in how much it can include.

by Henry H. Walker

September 19, ‘16