Embrace Our Differences
同志社国際高等学校

１年

ナミカス

キャロラインI look around me and see the same styles, same music tastes, samehobbies. This sounds familiar to many high school students, yet it’s not who
we really are. Everyone is different. Everyone is unique. We all have different
perspectives, shaped by different personality traits, experiences, cultures andbeliefs. We all have different body types, skin colors and fashion choices.
There isn’t a wrong way to think. There isn’t a wrong way to look. Yet oftentimes, people try to blend in and suppress their real thoughts and interests,
all for the sake of being accepted. But if we are too afraid to express ourdifferences, and remain unwilling to embrace others’ differences, we will nevergrow as a society. Without individuality life is predictable, non-innovative andmeaningless.
In high school and many other social environments, there is a pressure toconform. Depending on the person they are talking to, many people alter theirfall victim to this, altering how I act at school compared to at home. For
example, at school I’m much calmer and quieter, whereas at home I feel moremyself, unrestrained by prying eyes. This shouldn’t be necessary to be
accepted. I’m not saying we all need to be completely different; similarinterests allow us to bond. But the reality is that many people have different
interests that are washed away by the overpowering wave of what is popular.
Take Doshisha for example. Even though our school has no uniform, theperfect chance to show our individuality through clothing styles, I notice mostpeople wearing similar, predictable types of clothes. By forcing ourselves intoa standard mold, we are depriving society of potential diversity. If we bringnew ideas into the school environment, it will be richer, more diverse, andmore interesting.
Look at society at large and all the people who have made a big impact
on this world. These people didn’t make change by copying what everyone

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tone of voice and speech patterns, some even change their personality. I also

else was doing. All the wonderful inventions that make our world soconvenient today like cars, trains, and phones are due to individualists. IfSteve Jobs, whose slogan for Apple was “Think Different,” had decided thatcomputers and cell phones were fine the way they were, smartphones might
not even exist! If more people are willing to stand out, then others will soon
follow, enriching society.
So how can we get people to be more open about their real thoughts andpersonalities? What if we start at school by talking about how we feel aboutmajor issues? I think if we take some time to get into groups in the classroomand speak truthfully about what we genuinely think, we will all be able toconnect on a deeper level with one another. Especially when people who havevery different views have a conversation, we can learn so much from eachother and see the world from a much broader perspective. It’s important toexpress our own perspectives, because that makes each and every one of us a
more valuable contributor to society.
We shouldn’t be afraid to be ourselves. Whether that means pursuing ourpassions or looking at art or science in a new way that revolutionizes theworld, we shouldn’t let fear of being rejected hold us back. It’s ok to blend
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into the background from time to time, but life is far more interesting if westep onto the stage and dare to stand out. By embracing our differences andaccepting who we truly are, we can achieve a more meaningful, diverse
society.

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