In case you didn’t know, May 16th (a few days ago) was the International Day of Living Together In Peace. Sounds pretty long, but it’s a good reminder that we still need to lock down world peace! Who's with me? 🙋🏻
This got me thinking about conflict: how it starts, and what we can do to help eliminate conflict and discrimination in favor of peace and inclusivity.
Being a mom to my kids and to over 200 personnel at Ellana has me constantly practicing how to listen and recognize everyone’s differences. We all come from different backgrounds, with various social experiences forming the backbone for how we do things and how we view the world. Of course, when these don’t align for different people, conflict can ensue.
However, this doesn’t mean that for peace to be a reality, we should all be the same; on the contrary, diversity is IMPORTANT.
“In diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” — Maya Angelou
Exposure to diversity allows us to learn more about others as well as ourselves, helping us bridge the gap between merely “knowing” and actually “understanding”. Conflict and discrimination ends when we approach others with empathy, participate in positive dialogue, and acknowledge our shared humanity.
We won’t always connect with others perfectly, and we won’t always have the answers to make things right. But it’s important to keep an open mind, a compassionate heart, and a listening ear; these are the things that will help communities thrive and make the world whole.
Happy Monday, and stay radiant!
Love,
Theresa Carbonel-Buenaflor Founder, Ellana Mineral Cosmetics
