Unity in Diversity: Acceptance and Integration in an Era of Intolerance and Fragmentation [extract]
Exported from Holy-Writings.com on 2026-06-19 - 1 clipping

Edited extract from M.A. thesis published April 1994
Department of Geography, Carleton UniversityOttawa, Ontario, Canada. 
Created for World-Wide Web, 1997 by Roxanne Lalonde

The political and social climate that prevails in the world today
emphasizes difference, disunity, and destruction rather than the qualities
of unity and productive and constructive energy that are required to
sustain human societies.  These negative processes and forces have
perpetuated our alienation from the basic material roots of our existence,
the natural world of which we are a part.  This paper presents a way of
looking at the world that enables us to foster the diversity inherent in
the human species as it exists today without perpetuating our alienation
from nature and from each other.  By exploring the concept of unity in
diversity as an expression of unity without uniformity and diversity
without fragmentation, this paper offers a resolution to many of the
concerns felt by those who are resistant to the spread of one particular
cultural hegemony and those who fear that awareness of differences can lead
to greater intolerance.  It is one of the basic premises of this paper that
fostering the ecological factors that are inherent in the human condition
at the same time as we maintain a vision of humanity's unique place in
creation will help to resolve not only our ongoing problems in living
harmoniously with our natural environment but our ongoing difficulties with
each other as well.

. . . the best hope of humankind is to maintain as rich a
diversity of social types as possible, with the expectation that each of
these experiments in the human future will cross-fertilise with others, and
thus maintain the vital diversity essential for indefinite survival. . . .
Competition for ascendancy in world trade, power, or military might are
simply empty, meaningless concepts for the future.  By encouraging
diversity elsewhere, each society ensures a rich source of ideas and
techniques for its own future.  --Mary Clark

The remarkable compatability between all fields of science,
whether they deal with inanimate objects or with living things has
implications that affect deeply the culture of our times.  The validity of
these implications is supported by the fact that the various scientific
disciplines strengthen each other when, perchance, they can establish
contact.  Despite the immense diversity of creation, we all accept that
there exists in nature a profound underlying unity.  The search for this
unity provides the motivation for the lives of many different men--some
who, like Einstein, search for it in general natural laws and others who,
like Teilhard de Chardin, would trace cosmic evolution to a divine origin.
--René Dubos

The use of the phrase unity in diversity and similar concepts is
not a new phenomenon.  Its roots reach back hundreds of years in
non-Western cultures such as indigenous peoples in North America and Taoist
societies in 400-500 B.C.  In premodern Western culture it has been
implicit in the organic conceptions of the universe that have been manifest
since the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations through medieval Europe and
into the Romantic era.  In contemporary times, the phrase has been used in
a variety of areas including a bibliography of libertarian publications and
an interdisciplinary academic symposium, in which the following
articulations of the concept appeared:

Unity in diversity is the highest possible attainment of a
civilization, a testimony to the most noble possibilities of the human
race.  This attainment is made possible through passionate concern for
choice, in an atmosphere of social trust.  (Michael Novak, epigraph opening
Unity in Diversity: An Index to the Publications of Conservative and
Libertarian Institutions [1983])

. . . the disparate experiences of practitioners of various
disciplines studying man as a social being, even when they do not have a
common measure or a commonly stated objective, nevertheless share a unity
of intent in understanding man in his social context--a unity that over
time will lead to greater integrative approaches.  Indeed, the
technological imperatives of the end of the twentieth century demand an
integrative approach to man's myriad undertakings, demand a Renaissance
approach, one whereby the human mind can transcend the fragmented
understanding of the parts that the explosion of knowledge and its
collection has fostered.  Whether this will be a systems approach, such as
General System Theory, or an integration of different modes of
consciousness, or something else, or a convergence and integration of some
or all of these, we do not know.  What we do know is that the search must
go on.  (Introduction to Unity in Diversity: The Proceedings of the
Interdisciplinary Research Seminar at Wilfrid Laurier University
[1980])

The most profound use of the concept has developed over the last 150
years as an integral aspect of an ecological understanding of the world
and, to that end, it appears most frequently now in literature promoting
that vision.  Outside the natural and social sciences and humanities
literature that draws from ecology, the concept appears in a
well-articulated form in only one other place that I was able to discover
in the research for this thesis, the Bahá'í writings.  It is interesting to
note that the origins of the Bahá'í Faith coincide almost to the year with
the roots of ecology although none of the original members of either
"movement" had any earthly connection with each other.*  The parallels in
the development of both movements are also interesting to note in that they
both continue to emerge from obscurity in their respective domains, gaining
recognition and respect as they effectively and constructively respond to
the challenges that face them.
The ecological context of the concept is based on the scientifically
derived knowledge that biological diversity is necessary to sustain the
healthy existence of ecosystems and that the healthy progress of the planet
is dependent on a diversity of such ecosystems.  Natural scientists and
environmentalists lament the loss of species that will never be discovered
because the environments in which they live are being destroyed by massive
transformations such as deliberate burning of rainforests to release more
arable land.  In other cases, the environments are so sensitive that even
minor changes result in unforeseen consequences such as the extinction of
some species.  The long-term consequences of the escalating loss of species
diversity is unknown at this time.  Efforts are underway at all scales of
human endeavour to deal with the problem, the most recent global event
being the drafting of the Biodiversity Convention at the Earth
Summit.
This ecological foundation for the concept of unity in diversity has
given rise to its use by movements such as social ecology, ecofeminism, and
organizations based on Native principles.  It has also been used as a moral
foundation for harmony between some of these movements.  In summing up the
historical conflict between social and deep ecologists, Steve Chase writes,
"Unity-in-diversity is a basic attribute of healthy eco-communities.  Why
shouldn't it be a healthy characteristic for the radical ecology movement?"
(in Bookchin and Foreman, 1991, p. 10).  As will become more evident
shortly, the concept finds its most profound application in human
relationships.  For feminism in general and ecofeminism in particular, the
concept represents a means to unite the diversity of women's voices around
the world, drawing on their cultural and geographical distinctions, and
finding common ground in their experience as women.  The concept could also
find expression in current attempts by Natives in North America to acquire
self-governance, drawing on their common experience since European
settlement and the diverse expressions of their cultural traditions to
provide richness in a new social environment.  Murray Bookchin has
articulated one of the central aims of radical ecology as a social force in
contemporary society:

. . . one of the tasks of the radical ecology movement is to
articulate a general human interest that transcends the real but
particularistic interests of class, nationality, ethnicity, and gender in
order to build alliances to reconstruct our communities along more humane
and ecological lines.  Yet we need to be wary of talking too glibly about
the general human interest.  Multiculturalism must mean more than mistaking
the currently dominant culture as the universal and expecting other people
to adopt the perspective of this dominant culture.  (Bookchin and Foreman,
1991, pp. 102-3)

Bookchin makes a crucial point here, that is, the fear that many
"minority" groups have of becoming subsumed within a dominant culture
characterized by white, male values.  It is this fear also within
contemporary Western society that has given rise to the notion of
"political correctness," a phenomenon that threatens to increase the
fragmentation in society despite its attempts to foster awareness of and
sensitivity to difference.  A healthy and constructive articulation of the
concept of unity is needed to erase those fears and mend the rifts that
have developed.  The concept must incorporate a set of principles that is
universally applicable to all human beings simply because they are human at
the same time that it provides protection for the diversity of
characteristics that maintains the vibrancy of the human species.

Unity without Uniformity
To establish a universally recognized concept of unity, there is need
for an acceptance that universal principles exist.  These principles are
reflected in values that apply to each and every human being.  These
principles

lie at the core of all the major religions and our most noble
cultural traditions.  The values of universal brotherhood, love for one's
neighbour, and the golden rule of treating others as we ourselves would
wish to be treated are just some of the ideals that are common to all
cultures.  They have fostered social union and amity between people for
countless generations, inspired great works of art, and continue to
underscore our highest aspirations.  Today's world would indeed benefit
from a profound affirmation of these essential spiritual truths.  (Laszlo,
1989, pp. 104-5)
To Laszlo, the application of these values requires
rising above the religious dogmas, political ideologies and
national allegiances which bitterly divide the world.  It entails restating
the fundamental truths that lie behind all religions, philosophies and
traditions.  Consideration of these values . . . leads us to recognize the
oneness of the entire human species, an ideal that extends former loyalties
and does not abrogate them.  (p. 105)
If we accept this philosophical foundation for the application of unity,
traditional rivalries and vendettas must be forgotten, divisive theories
and ideologies submerged, and national borders transcended.  The
interdependence implied by the notion of the oneness of humanity requires a
relinquishing of any idea or activity that allows for the suffering of even
one person.  If we are interdependent, then the suffering of one affects us
all.  When a person receives an injury to one part of the body, the entire
system of that person is affected as the body attempts to heal itself.  If
the injury is severe, the whole body, not just the affected part, becomes
debilitated.  The treatment in that situation is multifaceted.  Not only is
the injured area treated with specific remedies but the whole body also
receives the benefit of nutrients that are provided to assist in the
healing.  Human beings have not yet learned how to apply this concept of
healing to the planet or to the human species itself.
To carry the organic analogy one step further, each component of the
body performs an essential and specific function, without which the entire
body is handicapped.  Each human being possesses talents and the capacity,
when given the opportunity, to acquire skills that contribute to the
ongoing progress and development of the species.  Those talents and
capacities ideally contribute to the richness of the human community as
each individual expresses herself or himself freely and harmoniously with
others.  However, humanity has developed institutions and systems that
inhibit the optimal function of each individual in the collectivity.
Because we possess ingenuity and creativity, humans have developed coping
mechanisms that have obscured not only the hidden damage caused by ignoring
certain fundamental characteristics of the human species but also the
direct causal connections between our efforts to "improve" human existence
and the devastation wreaked by such "improvements."
As long as human beings in any part of the planet are inhibited from
developing their individual potential the entire species will remain
handicapped.  True unity will be achieved when each individual becomes an
active and functioning participant in the whole, performing the skills they
possess as constructive and productive contributors to their local,
regional, and global community.  This goal can be accomplished if a balance
between the physical and spiritual dimensions of human existence is
achieved, enabling productive contributions to human society to be offered
as service to the ongoing progress and development of the world without
fear of exploitation and oppression.
The Bahá'í writings include many evocative analogies to express a vision
of unity that is characterized by diversity rather than uniformity.
'Abdu'l-Bahá offers this description of a flower garden to illustrate the
concept:
As difference in degree of capacity exists among human souls,
as difference in capability is found, therefore, individualities will
differ one from another.  But in reality this is a reason for unity and not
for discord and enmity.  If the flowers of a garden were all of one color,
the effect would be monotonous to the eye; but if the colors are
variegated, it is most pleasing and wonderful.  The difference in adornment
of color and capacity of reflection among the flowers gives the garden its
beauty and charm.  Therefore, although we are of different individualities,
. . . let us strive like flowers of the same divine garden to live together
in harmony.  Even though each soul has its own individual perfume and
color, all are reflecting the same light, all contributing fragrance to the
same breeze which blows through the garden, all continuing to grow in
complete harmony and accord.  (1982, p. 24)

The light that we all reflect is the spiritual foundation for the
concept of unity that is expressed in this paper.  It manifests the source
of all creation, the qualities latent within each creature, including
humans, that reflect those of the Creator.  This aspect of creation is
beginning to be perceived and expressed by participants in the deep
ecology, ecofeminist, and bioregional movements.  This passage from the
Bahá'í writings also alludes to the differences within the human community,
emphasizing that this diversity should be a reason for unity rather than
discord, a vision that in the contemporary post-modern ideological
environment requires further elaboration.

Diversity without Fragmentation
The growing interdependence of the communities of the world over the
last century or two has resulted in an increasingly interwoven and complex
system of relations.  The growth of the Western hegemony that has coincided
with the development of that interdependence threatens to impose a uniform
set of ideals and values directly and indirectly on all the peoples of the
world.  Notions of "the good life" are increasingly viewed as synonymous
with the possession of consumer "goods" from the West rather than the
Judeo-Christian and Enlightenment morals and values that in varying degrees
shape Western society.
As a result of the increasing dominance of the trappings of Western
civilization throughout the world, endeavours to promote cultural diversity
have become more vociferous in the last half of this century.  As the
traditional lifestyles of indigenous communities across the globe become
disrupted, efforts have been made to preserve those cultures in various
ways.  In contrast to the "melting pot" approach of the United States, some
Western countries like Canada express their committment to the preservation
of multiculturalism through open immigration policies and the fostering of
community-based events and organizations that enable participants to
continue many of the practices that are unique to their culture.  One
scholar has expressed the ethic in this way:

the presence of cultural diversity, with the constant
exchanging, through travel, trade, intermarriage and so on, of cultural
traits, offers humankind a rich source of new adaptive possibilities for
cultural evolution to meet changing conditions in the future. . . .
. . . Preservation of cultural diversity, far from being perceived as a
threat to human survival owing to rivalries and differences, needs rather
to be respected and fostered by all cultures.  Our global goal must not be
simply tolerance of diversity, but its positive nurturing.  Each culture
represents an important, perhaps crucial, experiment in the unfolding drama
of human life on Earth.  (Clark, 1989, p. 477)

Multicultural events provide opportunities for members of different
communities to learn more about each other, thus fostering increased
awareness and understanding of the diversity within the human community.
The increased visibility and promotion of cultural diversity has been
accompanied by stronger feelings of attachment to ethnic roots, often
causing conflicts among and within different groups.  When the open
acceptance of diversity is perceived as a threat to the preservation of
one's own traditions, tension can develop and conflicts arise.  When
disharmony among individuals arises as a result of adherence to traditional
expressions of culture (including religion), perhaps it is time to examine
those traditions in light of a changing world.  Perhaps a re-examination of
a certain cultural practice will reveal the reason it was developed in the
first place many decades if not centuries ago and offer a resolution to
contemporary conflicts.  Such an analysis will reveal why cultural traits
are so important to the members of that group and what makes culture such a
powerful aspect of human existence:
Each person, in order to retain those attributes we recognise
as human, must live in relation to others, within a social context, a
culture which gives meaning to individual existence.  This need for
cultural meaning is at once the sine qua non of human existence and the
source of our greatest danger. . . .
It is apparent that people everywhere, as they struggle to adjust their
traditional worldviews to meet changing circumstances, must take care that
they do not throw out the "baby" of cultural meaning and bondedness with
the "bath water" of maladaptive institutions, lest they end up with new
institutions that are destructive of the human psyche itself.  (Clark,
1989, pp. 474-75)
Religion, as the most powerful of cultural expressions, is also the
greatest source of conflict.  If it continues to be a source of disharmony
among human beings, the planet would certainly be better off without it.
However, religion continues to be a powerful force in human existence; it
is destined to endure in one form or another.  Therefore, an even more
intensive examination of religion might be necessary to reveal the sources
of the tensions between different religious groups.  It is just possible
that the evidence will offer not only a resolution to the problems that
continue to perpetuate the fragmentation within and between national
communities but also a source of inspiration to unite the global family thro
ugh guidance for each individual at the interpersonal and community levels.
This release of guidance and inspiration has the potential to have a
massive impact on every aspect of human activity, a possibility that brings
the discussion back to the basic focus of this thesis, the environmental
crisis.

Unity in Diversity:  Environmental and Human Applications
The message is clear when we examine the geographic scale of human
awareness of and action to deal with the environmental crisis.  Not only
must we learn how to think globally and act locally (the ubiquitous slogan
coined by René Dubos) but we must also learn how to think globally
and locally and act globally and locally.
This ethic of thinking and acting has profound geographical, ecological,
social, philosophical, and spiritual implications.  During most of recent
human history, the primary way in which regions have been perceived has
been derived from the political boundaries that have been established.
However, as ecological awareness has developed, there is an increasing
perception of the difficulties posed by such often arbitrary determinations
of territory.  Research in both the action-oriented and philosophical
streams of environmental studies is resulting in increased knowledge
relating to the physical foundations of human existence and the impacts of
human attitudes and activities on the planet.  The heightened awareness of
and sensitivity to the ecological factors of the human-environment
relationship reveal the need to broaden our concept of territory beyond the
politically created boundaries that currently denote the international
social and economic climate.  By adopting scales of attention that reflect
the bio- and geophysical factors that shape the earth, human beings will
recapture their connection with their natural roots.  By learning more
about their local environment and how it connects with the biosphere, human
beings will not only increase their sensitivity to and understanding of the
immediate factors that influence their lives but also heighten their sense
of interdependence with the global community of which we are all an
integral part.  The diversity of ecosystems across the planet is the
physical foundation for the diversity of cultural groups that have evolved
in those regions throughout human history.  Increased knowledge of those
groups will also heighten our awareness of the interconnections between
human and nonhuman nature.
However, focussing on the natural environment as the source of unity for
the human family is not sufficient.  There are many other factors that need
to be considered.  Human beings are complex creatures whose psyche is
profoundly affected by more than just our connections with nature.
Attention must be paid to how the knowledge gained from studying human
interactions with nature affects human interactions with each other.  If
humanity is ever to find peace with itself, it will come from a massive
transformation in the way humans relate to one another both individually at
the family and local community level and in terms of the national and
international institutions that are developed to organize broader scales of
human interaction.  The moral foundations for such relations are deeply
rooted in human history in the inspirations for the religious and cultural
traditions that provide meaning for the billions of people who share the
planet.  Unity will be found in the development of broader understanding
and acceptance of the diversity in the human family and in the fostering of
the basic principles that sustain healthy interpersonal relations.

*The term "ecology" was coined in 1858 as Okologie by German biologist
Ernst Heinrich Haeckel.  Thoreau used the term in English in his later
writings.  The Bahá'í Faith was officially established in 1863 when, in a
garden outside Baghdad, confirmed to his followers that he was "the
Promised One" foretold in the previous religious dispensations.

References

Abdu'l-Bahá.  1982.  The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks
Delivered by Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada
in 1912.  Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois.
Bookchin, Murray, and Dave Foreman.  1991.  Defending the Earth: A
Dialogue between Murray Bookchin and Dave Foreman.  South End Press,
Boston.
Bronowski, Jacob.  1965.  Science and Human Values.  Harper and Row, New
York.
Clark, Mary.  1989.  Ariadne's Thread: The Search for New Modes of
Thinking.  Macmillan Press, London.
Dubos, René.  1990.  The World of René Dubos: A Collection
of His Writings.  Gerard Piel and Osborn Segerberg, Jr., eds.  Henry Holt
and Co., New York.
Laszlo, Ervin.  1989.  The Inner Limits of Mankind: Heretical
Reflections on Today's Values, Culture and Politics.  Oneworld
Publications, London.
-- Unity in Diversity: Acceptance and Integration in an Era of Intolerance and Fragmentation [extract] (Used by permission of the curator)