We’re All Different

In a “This I Believe” article found on NPR’s website entitled “We’re All Different In Our Own Ways,” fourteen-year-old Joshua Yuchasz tells about his struggle to fit in as a young boy.  In his essay, Joshua has only one main point: “I believe it’s important to accept people the way they are.”  He questioned what our world would be like today if we all listened to the same music, watched the same televsion shows and shopped at the same clothing stores.  The answer is pretty obvious; there would be no diversity, no fun, and definitely no mystery.  Joshua realized that he wasn’t like other kids at a young age.  He had obsessions over small things, and his teacher even threatened to punish him if he ever talked about snakes and lizards again.  Thats when the teasing began.  Joshua was diagnosed with Aspergers Disease-when you can only focus on one thing and it’s hard to think about anything else.  He ends with saying sometimes he wishes he were like everyone else, but not really.  Everyone should be respected for who they are.

This article was really interesting to read.  This topic is something that all kids know about and i’m sure that parents teach their children not to judge other kids and to accept them for who they are, but it always happens; theres always a kid who gets mocked.  I definitely think that differences are a good thing, and we would be nowhere without the occasional person who was willing to “reach out of the box.”  People just need to learn to respect, they don’t need to love everyones differences, just respect everyone for who they are. 

Yuchasz, Joshua. “We’re All Different In Our Own Ways.” This I Believe 16/10/06 15/2/07 <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6254308&gt;.