The United Nations has designated today as the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.
God created human beings, a diverse family, to live together and to love one another as God loves us. This day, and every day, provides an opportunity to celebrate our God-given diversity.
Here are 10 simple ideas from the United Nations:
- Visit an art exhibit or a museum dedicated to other cultures.
- Invite a family or people in the neighborhood from another culture or religion to share a meal with you and exchange views on life.
- Rent a movie or read a book from another country or religion than your own.
- Invite people from a different culture to share your customs.
- Read about the great thinkers of other cultures than yours (e.g. Confucius, Socrates, Avicenna, Ibn Khaldun, Aristotle, Ganesh, Rumi).
- Go next week-end to visit a place of worship different than yours and participate in the celebration.
- Play the “stereotypes game.” Stick a post-it on your forehead with the name of a country. Ask people to tell you stereotypes associated with people from that country. You win if you find out where you are from.
- Learn about traditional celebrations from other cultures; learn more about Hanukkah or Ramadan or about amazing celebrations of New Year’s Eve in Spain or Qingming festival in China.
- Spread your own culture around the world through our Facebook page and learn about other cultures.
- Explore music of a different culture.
What would you add?
What will you do today?
What will you do tomorrow and the days after that?
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. (John 13:34)