A story on the topic
A young student asked his master, “Master, what does it mean that everything is one, even though we are all so different?”
The master smiled, led the student out into the woods, and asked him to close his eyes. “What do you hear?” he asked.
“I hear the rustling of the leaves, the chirping of the birds, the babbling of the stream, the buzzing of the bees, and the cracking of the branches,” replied the student.
“Do you hear these sounds as separate, jarring noises?” asked the master.
“No,” said the student, “together they sound like a single, harmonious melody.”
“That is exactly the answer,” said the master. “The diversity of voices is not the enemy of unity. On the contrary: if only the bird were to chirp, it would be monotonous. If only the stream were to murmur, it would be monotonous. It is only through the different sounds that the perfect sound of the forest is created.”
The Master continued, “People are like these different voices. Their uniqueness is their richness. Unity does not lie in everyone being the same, but in everyone together forming a harmonious part of the whole.”
Every human being is both an expression of the world’s diversity and a fundamental element of global unity. Being unique while at the same time forming part of an interconnected whole is not a contradiction. We are connected, diverse, and unique all at once.
The awareness that each individual is part of and an expression of a global whole neither makes us equal nor seeks to make us equal. Rather, it creates the framework within which the natural diversity of individuals, peoples, cultures, religions, beliefs, and ways of life can complement one another, flourish, and interact.
Cultural diversity must be preserved. It must not disappear or be absorbed into a single global culture. The UPO’s democratic ethos and the strength of its cohesion are rooted in the principle of diversity. They grow stronger to the extent that the UPO fosters diversity and places its trust in it.
Beyond this, the UPO can help us become more aware not only of the rich diversity of peoples and cultures, but also of the many cultural values and characteristics we share, and encourage us to give greater prominence to these commonalities in the way we live together.
The appreciation of uniqueness, diversity, and interconnectedness is one of the UPO’s core values and characterizes the mindset of a world citizen.
A special mission of the UPO is to stand for unity in diversity and diversity in unity.