Different Does Not Mean Defective.

I had an Aha! moment today when a friend called me a witch. You see, I was on the phone with her and at the beginning of the conversation, I thought I heard the unmistakable whisking of eggs in a bowl. A few minutes into the conversation, I causally and randomly asked her if she was making eggs and she, in awe at my accuracy, called me a witch. (Now this person is a bestie of mine so I know she was joking, calm down first.😀) I promptly told her that there’s a fine line between being a perceptive person or dare I day, a genius and being a witch in Africa. I asked her to cast her mind back on the thousands of people who have been beaten up badly or even killed by the mere thoughts of them being labelled witches or wizards when their only crimes were possibly their ingenuity and outspokenness. She completely agreed with me, dare I say in startled realisation and possibly awe. 

People fear what they don’t know or understand. So to shield their frail egos from shame, they, rather than learn, resort to destroy that which they cannot comprehend. I wish I could tell you why this is so but I can’t. I shudder to think of the many lives that have been lost in the past due to the ignorance and sheer cruelty and weakened egos of a few. Recall that once upon a time, having twins was forbidden in some parts of Nigeria. They took the poor babies from their mothers beats and left them to die in evil forests. Thanks to the doggedness of Scottish missionary Mary Slessor, who helped change such cruel mental thought processes thus saving twins from further death. I wonder who in their right minds conceived the thought of twins being evil and unwanted. Till date, left-handed people are targeted, chastised and even often ostracised thoroughly in certain places and amongst certain tribes. I could go on and on with similar examples. People need to know that that being different does not mean being defective.

There's a saying that what you don't know can't hurt you; while this might be true, it is definitely true that what you don't know would most likely hurt others if not you. Rather than hurt others, why not open your mind to the endless possibilities which life has to offer through others? No one has a monopoly of knowledge, no matter  how much of a genius they are. Be slow to condemn the things or people you do not understand.

The fact remains that some people will always be more perceptive than others, some would always be more talented in certain areas than most but this does not make them freaks or weirdos. It makes them unique in their one ways, so how about you keep an open mind with every thing or person you encounter and watch yourself grow in knowledge and hopefully wisdom too?

Live and let live.