We often work hard to figure out who people are. In high school there were the jocks, the nerds, the stoners, and the loners. As adults we find so many more categories of people. What’s the best way to know who’s who?
The Best Grouping
If you want to know the best way to interact with people, just try to use this simple exercise. It’s easy and it yields fantastic results.
Some might want to put people into groups that are more arbitrary than they think. For instance they might group people into natives and immigrants. But in America, aren’t we all immigrants except the Native Americans? And when we talk about immigrants, immigrants from where? There will be a huge amount of diversity in that group.
Sometimes they try to group people based on proficiency or race or gender or sexual orientation. But there can be a huge difference between people in any of these groups. David Duke and Mr. Rogers could be categorized on a few groups together but are light years apart.
Instead, there is a better way to categorize people. It’s really simple too. The best way to group people is just like that: as people. We are all people. We are all unique and yet connected by similar desires: to be loved. To be understood. To be valued.
The more we focus on seeing people as people, the more we focus on what unites us instead of what divides us. And that’s the best way to see the world.
