At what point does racism end? At what point is a man just a man, and a woman just a woman? The more I think about it, the more I realize – to end racism, we must discontinue our present day thinking. No, I am not a minority, but I have been discriminated against; discrimination is not only a matter of race.

Today we have our minds set on our differences. We, as humans, treat everyone differently. If someone is not the “typical” person – physically attractive, the ideal weight, the same color, the same religion, or of the same financial class – the list could go on forever – chances are they will be discriminated against.

Ultimately, we allow ourselves to be discriminated against. Have you ever noticed how some overweight people tend to joke about their weight, some religious denominations argue about what is right, and some people argue about ethnic differences?

By doing these things we segregate ourselves, and we further the stereotypes. As long as our minds are thinking about our differences, there will always be racism and discrimination.

I understand that there will always be differences, however, I believe we should look at them in another way. We should see people for who they are, as unique individuals.

Uniqueness is an absolute necessity to the world as we know it. Imagine a world where everyone looked the same and acted the same. It would be a terrible place to live.

My greatest wish is that people could be accepted based on their individual uniqueness, not their race, not a stereotype, not their religious beliefs . . . People could be people.

The whole of the matter boils down to acceptance. We must accept the fact that we are different. If we accept our differences, and cease to constantly talk about them, they will eventually be out of mind. Like the old saying goes – out of sight, out of mind.

The mind is a powerful thing. Our thoughts create our reality. That being said, the more we linger on our differences, the more they will be an issue. I encourage everyone who reads this to think about their mindset. It is time we stop thinking like our 16th century ancestors. We are an intelligent, civilized people, and we should be better than this. We all have been hurt at one time or another by discrimination, but we should not let it control our thoughts.

We must build bridges over our past thorns, and move on. The day we move on, will be the day when humans can coexist as one race – the human race, and despite our differences, people could just be people. A man could be a man, and a woman could be a woman.

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