All humans are born equal. It is the human society that has divided mankind on the basis of colour, caste, creed, language, gender or religion. These discrimination are uncalled for and are totally unjust. Every discrimination, that exists in the world, has only been made in order to exploit a section of the society. It is wrong to discriminate a person on the basis of any existing norm in the society. With the advancement of mankind we must gain the wisdom to delve into the reason behind such discriminatory norms and overcome the tendency to discriminate.

Religion is man-made and so is the language and culture of a region. All human beings irrespective of their country of origin have been made equally by the creator. Their feelings, needs and thinking are all alike.

The colour of skin, hair and sometimes features- vary not due to a person’s own credit or discredit but because of the climatic conditions of a place. Therefore it is unwise to feel proud or dejected due to ones physical appearance or discriminate on its basis.

Religion is the outcome of mankind’s desire to live a higher spiritual life. In the ages, when education was scarce and life was difficult, religion provided guidance for the common man to live a life that would benefit the entire society. The fear of God restrained people from doing wrong things. It provided security for the society at large. A few men also wanted to create an everlasting imprint on mankind, and portrayed themselves as men chosen by God to preach on Earth. This is true for every religion on Earth. Surprisingly, religion – which is supposed to spread love and peace on Earth, has been the cause of much bloodshed and hatred throughout history.

It has been observed through history, that religion has been the favourite subject of conflict and discrimination among people. People love to fight for their religion- so much so, that in absence of a different religion, they would split up their own religion and put up a fight regarding the differences. It is high time that people learn to respect diversity and live united.

Discriminations regarding gender has continued for ages and is still going strong. In the under developed countries the status of women remain abysmally low due to absence of education and financial independence. However, in spite of equal opportunities; gender discrimination still exists in every sector in the developed countries. Unequal pay and division of labour is taking the toll on the physical and mental health of women. This is also paving a way for a society where isolation will be the norm.

Variety is indeed the spice of life. Humans are creators of different cultures, customs, beliefs, food, languages, dialects, art, dance, music, sculpture, architecture and a host of other things that add charm to our lives. Is it then not our duty to enjoy these colours of life? Whatever we have learnt and experienced since are childhood are indeed close to our heart and precious. We must then develop the understanding that other’s culture, religion and tradition is precious to them too; and it is our duty to respect them.

We as mankind have had a spectacular journey from being cavemen- to men living in space shuttles. This travel will be made even smoother and enjoyable if we learn to respect diversity and live in peace united. Unity in diversity is what gives life the colours of the rainbow.

Its time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.

Maya Angelou