Perspectives on Divsersity and Culture

I asked a colleague, a friend, and a family member the definition of diversity and culture. They each did not respond right away. They were trying to think about how they would answer my question.

My friend answered with culture and diversity are defined by a person’s religion, ethnicity, lifestyle, and values. People are influenced by the details of their life – the past and present.

My colleague responded with culture is defined by how a person behaves and their beliefs based on where a person lives. Diversity is the differences in people. People are different based on economic status, race, gender, and religion.

My family member said that culture and diversity defines oneself. We are all diverse and from different cultures. Culture is defined as one’s religion, beliefs, race, and gender. Culture is the things that influence a person such as traditions and where they live. Diversity is simply what makes people different from each other.  A variety of things determine how we are diverse from each other.

I think all these definitions are accurate on some level, but culture and diversity are a combination of these definitions. I have learned that culture and diversity is more than what we can see about a person. Culture is a person’s traditions, beliefs, religion, gender, race, values, and their lifestyle. Diversity is how we are different defined by one’s culture and the many things that define our culture. Two people from the same family are diverse based on their personal experiences, values, and gender. One example is a friend and her siblings are from the same family, but they moved to different states. They each make different salaries and live different lifestyles.

Listening to others define and reflect on culture and diversity really supports how everyone is different and how we are defined by these differences. We all value our culture and how it impacts our lives.