Fighting for Unity in a Divided WorldSýnishorn

Necessary Differences

Did you know that every nation/business/team/organization needs people who think differently to be the best they can be? This is the power of diversity—people with diverse thoughts, opinions, and perspectives coming together to build something better.

Jim Collins, in his book, Built to Last, says this about necessary differences:

Enduring great organizations exhibit a dynamic duality. On the one hand, they have a set of timeless core values and purpose that remain constant over time. On the other hand, they have a relentless drive for progress—change, improvement, innovation, and renewal. Great organizations keep clear the difference between their core values (which never change), and operating strategies and cultural practices (which endlessly adapt to a changing world).

He calls this dynamic duality the way to both “preserve the core” and “stimulate progress.” Using this terminology can help us better understand and appreciate the different dynamics at play in politics.

Depending on the context, one side may place a higher value on “preserving the core,” while the other side may place a higher value on “stimulating progress.” These differences can be challenging because they will create disagreement, but these differences can also make us better. 

Without people fighting to stimulate progress, no group would ever make the changes needed to respond to a changing world. Without people fighting to preserve the core, groups would lose the core values and purpose that hold them together.

These disagreements can make it easy to become so divided that it is hard to value the necessary differences the other side brings to the table. We’ve moved so far away from each other that we’ve stopped talking to each other and mostly just yell at each other.

Guess what? The people we disagree with are human beings trying to do the best they can with what they know. Are they right about everything? Nope. And neither are we. And that’s okay. In fact, it’s necessary.

Diversity will create disagreement, but it doesn’t have to create division. Unity requires diversity. Without diversity, we’re stuck with uniformity.

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Church in Corinth beautifully illustrated the power of necessary differences. He used the image of a human body to describe the way the Church is intended to function. A foot is different from a shoulder, and an ear is different from a knee. The different body parts are what allow a body to function. If every part were an ear, you wouldn’t be able to walk, talk, eat, smell, or see. The different body parts are needed for the body to function properly.

Differences are necessary. Differences make us better. Differences make us stronger.

Understanding the necessary differences that we bring to the table is an important step toward unity and away from division.

Pray: God, help me to see the necessary differences we all bring to the table. Help me to be open to the perspectives and ideas of others. Help me to move toward unity and away from division.