Over the past few months, I have found myself regularly reminded that we all see the world differently – very differently.

It is clear that we see and understand – or don’t understand – the world around us with a unique vision rooted in a one-of-a-kind mind that is developed in each of us. That perspective is determined by where we are (the society and culture into which we are born and through which we travel – nation to nation, region to region, city to city, neighborhood to neighborhood, and even house to house); when we are (the differences in our history, our era and our engagement with it, and how the generations are empowered); our education (formal and informal, and our inclination to learn over time – to be open, curious, endowed with wonder, full of questions or disinclined to question set answers); who we are (our unique pattern of life experiences and our response to them); what we know and don’t know; what we believe and assume; our physical being (gender, ethnicity, abilities and limitations, health, size and match to the operative standards of beauty); our resources and their limitations; our changing place in the structure of power and freedom; and more.

Given the uniqueness of each individual, I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising that we can look at the same thing (an event, a place, a work of art, a ceremony or celebration, an action taken, a group, an individual) and yet see it so very differently – and hear such different things. As individuals, we often see the world as we expect to see it – as we have seen it – as we assume it to be – as we have been taught to see it. It is not easy to really see and understand the world as the other sees it, unless we make a purposeful effort to do so.

There is no doubt a danger in those vast differences between us. We see that danger manifest every day, both close to home and far away when the focus is only on our differences and, in turn, on our lack of shared understanding. Too often, we let our differences breed ever greater levels of fear and distrust. We allow the gap between self and other to widen until it is not hard to believe our world would be a better place if we could just keep all those very different “others” out of our context – keep them at the margins or push them out entirely (or not let them in at all).

At the same time – though perhaps we recognize it and celebrate it less often – there is great strength in our differences.

If we are indeed open to asking and listening, we can (with imagination and empathy) reach beyond our own worldview. If we are open to asking others why they see things as they do and act as they do – if we are open to listening to the full and rich story of the other (a story of experience, knowledge, capability, aspirations, values, insights, ideas, imagination and more), we are likely to find a remarkable array of shared (different but somehow familiar) links to life and to the human experience.

Indeed, our differences are the foundation of learning. Personally, I find that what I don’t know is far greater than what I do know as one distinctive individual. The vastness of my ignorance means that there is much to learn every day (and that makes each day an adventure as I see it). And, I always learn from others – as do we all – who speak to us today or across time and place. We learn from what others share with us, by what we choose to ask them, what they tell us, what they ask us, what they show us, what they do, what they create (encountered in the concert hall, the museum, the theater, books, and in informal and personal contexts).

Over the past few months, I have found myself regularly reminded that we all see the world differently – very differently.

It is clear that we see and understand – or don’t understand – the world around us with a unique vision rooted in a one-of-a-kind mind that is developed in each of us. That perspective is determined by where we are (the society and culture into which we are born and through which we travel – nation to nation, region to region, city to city, neighborhood to neighborhood, and even house to house); when we are (the differences in our history, our era and our engagement with it, and how the generations are empowered); our education (formal and informal, and our inclination to learn over time – to be open, curious, endowed with wonder, full of questions or disinclined to question set answers); who we are (our unique pattern of life experiences and our response to them); what we know and don’t know; what we believe and assume; our physical being (gender, ethnicity, abilities and limitations, health, size and match to the operative standards of beauty); our resources and their limitations; our changing place in the structure of power and freedom; and more.

Given the uniqueness of each individual, I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising that we can look at the same thing (an event, a place, a work of art, a ceremony or celebration, an action taken, a group, an individual) and yet see it so very differently – and hear such different things. As individuals, we often see the world as we expect to see it – as we have seen it – as we assume it to be – as we have been taught to see it. It is not easy to really see and understand the world as the other sees it, unless we make a purposeful effort to do so.

There is no doubt a danger in those vast differences between us. We see that danger manifest every day, both close to home and far away when the focus is only on our differences and, in turn, on our lack of shared understanding. Too often, we let our differences breed ever greater levels of fear and distrust. We allow the gap between self and other to widen until it is not hard to believe our world would be a better place if we could just keep all those very different “others” out of our context – keep them at the margins or push them out entirely (or not let them in at all).

At the same time – though perhaps we recognize it and celebrate it less often – there is great strength in our differences.

If we are indeed open to asking and listening, we can (with imagination and empathy) reach beyond our own worldview. If we are open to asking others why they see things as they do and act as they do – if we are open to listening to the full and rich story of the other (a story of experience, knowledge, capability, aspirations, values, insights, ideas, imagination and more), we are likely to find a remarkable array of shared (different but somehow familiar) links to life and to the human experience.

Indeed, our differences are the foundation of learning. Personally, I find that what I don’t know is far greater than what I do know as one distinctive individual. The vastness of my ignorance means that there is much to learn every day (and that makes each day an adventure as I see it). And, I always learn from others – as do we all – who speak to us today or across time and place. We learn from what others share with us, by what we choose to ask them, what they tell us, what they ask us, what they show us, what they do, what they create (encountered in the concert hall, the museum, the theater, books, and in informal and personal contexts).

Over the past few months, I have found myself regularly reminded that we all see the world differently – very differently.

It is clear that we see and understand – or don’t understand – the world around us with a unique vision rooted in a one-of-a-kind mind that is developed in each of us. That perspective is determined by where we are (the society and culture into which we are born and through which we travel – nation to nation, region to region, city to city, neighborhood to neighborhood, and even house to house); when we are (the differences in our history, our era and our engagement with it, and how the generations are empowered); our education (formal and informal, and our inclination to learn over time – to be open, curious, endowed with wonder, full of questions or disinclined to question set answers); who we are (our unique pattern of life experiences and our response to them); what we know and don’t know; what we believe and assume; our physical being (gender, ethnicity, abilities and limitations, health, size and match to the operative standards of beauty); our resources and their limitations; our changing place in the structure of power and freedom; and more.

Given the uniqueness of each individual, I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising that we can look at the same thing (an event, a place, a work of art, a ceremony or celebration, an action taken, a group, an individual) and yet see it so very differently – and hear such different things. As individuals, we often see the world as we expect to see it – as we have seen it – as we assume it to be – as we have been taught to see it. It is not easy to really see and understand the world as the other sees it, unless we make a purposeful effort to do so.

There is no doubt a danger in those vast differences between us. We see that danger manifest every day, both close to home and far away when the focus is only on our differences and, in turn, on our lack of shared understanding. Too often, we let our differences breed ever greater levels of fear and distrust. We allow the gap between self and other to widen until it is not hard to believe our world would be a better place if we could just keep all those very different “others” out of our context – keep them at the margins or push them out entirely (or not let them in at all).

At the same time – though perhaps we recognize it and celebrate it less often – there is great strength in our differences.

If we are indeed open to asking and listening, we can (with imagination and empathy) reach beyond our own worldview. If we are open to asking others why they see things as they do and act as they do – if we are open to listening to the full and rich story of the other (a story of experience, knowledge, capability, aspirations, values, insights, ideas, imagination and more), we are likely to find a remarkable array of shared (different but somehow familiar) links to life and to the human experience.

Indeed, our differences are the foundation of learning. Personally, I find that what I don’t know is far greater than what I do know as one distinctive individual. The vastness of my ignorance means that there is much to learn every day (and that makes each day an adventure as I see it). And, I always learn from others – as do we all – who speak to us today or across time and place. We learn from what others share with us, by what we choose to ask them, what they tell us, what they ask us, what they show us, what they do, what they create (encountered in the concert hall, the museum, the theater, books, and in informal and personal contexts).

If we are able to learn from one another and to bring our differences together, we can see more than we did alone – see things in more than one way – see more possibilities. We can develop our ability to perceive and understand the world around us more fully.

By exploring our differences and learning from one another, we soon discover that there are many interesting and thought-provoking answers to “What else could this mean?”

Our differences brought together in open and co-creative exchanges can give us essential insights into how we might differently understand the challenges we face and, in turn, how we might together craft a new path to a promising future that none of us would have seen on our own.

Indeed, our differences collaboratively and respectfully engaged are our most powerful capability in our shared attempt to save ourselves from the dangers inherent in our differences. The differences inherent in our diversity are the key to finding a successful way forward for our working worlds (where creativity, innovation and solution design are key to success in so many fields and industries); for our communities and diverse urban regions/cities worldwide; for our aspirations for social and economic justice; for caring and open political/governmental structures and practices within and across national lines; for shared and successful opposition to those who would exploit the dangers of our differences with fear leading to anger and hatred; and for our ability to create, express and delight in a life shared with very different others.

We at the University and in the Tseng College have a bounty of one-of-a-kind minds, hearts and spirits – a truly rich array of talent and possibilities. Our differences and our ability to learn from others are indeed the most powerful capacities we have. In the year ahead, we intend to bring together our differences and our openness to learn in many new ways to innovate, craft positive change, create new educational opportunities, and support a transformative difference in the lives of the distinctive individuals and communities we serve – close to home and far away.

We invite you to join us in the effort to link the power of difference to an openness that enables continuous learning, enhances essential understanding, fosters collaborative design solutions for the challenging problems facing us, and creates a positive way forward for all on this small and interconnected planet that we share.