Civil conversations: Getting Along in our Diverse Community
Okay imagine this, you get in line at the ice cream shop, and while waiting for your frozen treat, you turn and take a good look at the people in line behind you notice how different they are from one another. As you happily receive your vanilla cone you start to think about people’s differences, how they get along with each other. You think about how easy it is to get in arguments with people, for the silliest of reasons. You think about what the world would be like if we all fought with each other all the time, and how miserable life would be. As you lie in bed that night you think about how lucky you are to live with people so diverse…
Bloomington is such a wonderful city. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. In our city there are people of different cultures, ages, and views. These people bring excitement and spice to our city, though with people so different, it’s often hard to get along. Sometimes when I’m in arguments I’m so angry and convinced I’m right, I don’t stop and listen to what others are trying to say.

In school sometimes we have to work in groups, I’m almost always the one who takes charge and that’s sometimes not such a good thing. A good leader must listen, that’s fact not opinion. Trust me l have made that mistake before, listening is essential to success. People probably say this a lot, but you never know what someone’s capable of until you let them try. I’ve been in groups with people who I thought were impossible to work with. But after making it through a project with them I find that everyone has their strengths. They may seem stubborn and disagreeable, but they might be able to draw the perfect brain for a human body diagram, who knows! I know I’m not the perfect project partner. But working with different people is good, someone you thought you would never get along with might turn out to be a better teammate then your best friend.
I have a younger sister named Isabelle (Izzy for short). We’re close to the same age so we get along pretty well. I like it that I have a sister, but sometimes we get into fights. Every relationship has its ups and downs and I know that, but it is never fun to fight with my sister. It usually starts with something silly, and then I say some things I don’t really mean, and then she does. It ends when we both stomp off to our rooms. I usually feel awful after we fight. I take time in my room to cool down and realize how silly our fight was and usually apologize right after. I can’t imagine life without my sister. You see in movies and on TV shows, characters that stop talking to their siblings because of a fight that happened years ago. The movie or shows usually ends with an emotional reunion and a promise never to fight again. Losing people you love is hard. it’s just awful to think that some people take their family for granted. We don’t have to separate ourselves from our families just because we are different!


The point is, people are different. If you fight with people who have different views than you, you’re wasting your time. You should celebrate diversity, and take on the challenges of living in a diverse community without fear!