What conversations about diversity are missing?

Company websites will tout race and gender diversity information to recruit employees and win customers. The TV news reflects the continuing American struggle for racial equality and diversity.

Students do not equally pursue computer sciences across racial and gender lines. Since 2014, Gallup and Google have teamed up to understand the contributing factors that continue to drive this trend. I attended a Mastermind group that was best described as, "stale, pale and male." It was a pleasure to see someone other than an older, white guy engaged in conversation.

These are the most common diversity discussions. What are the other conversations that need to be brought out into the open for a broader discussion?

What is the impact of diversity on science? Ph.D. candidate, Kellie Owens questioned, "do diversity program directors seek to increase diversity in science because of political motives, [...] or because they believe that racially diverse workforces will produce better science?"

Ms. Owens found the diversity program directors were split between whether a diverse community made the science better. All directors fought for diversity; the question was about the impact on the scientific results. The argument against the impact of diversity was to say that science is "blind" and the skin color of the person running the experiment would not change the outcome.

How does your local club, church, or synagogue resemble your community? Often the group we surround ourselves with, look and sound much like the one we greet each morning in the mirror. If we are outwardly focused and seeking to impact society, then drawing from society must be on the to-do list.

A friend mentioned businesses often overlook the benefits of diversity of thought. He has found new ideas and innovation emerge from a mix of experiences, backgrounds, and education.

We have an opportunity to reflect and consider what ways our lives are homogeneous. Keeping the status quo will at best, maintain the current state of affairs. Change and a pinch of pain are part of the process of radical growth.

Going Further: What other pockets of diversity need to emerge from the shadows? What is one step you can take to broaden the diversity discussion? Who can you tag team with to bring about change? What question was missed?

How do friends inspire your personal growth?

Masters exist for every discipline and knife sharpening is no exception. The master knife sharpener carefully chooses the right stone for each knife. A stone with course grit is selected when the blade has extensive damage and requires removal of a lot of material. When the blade is in good condition, and the edge just needs to be refined a fine grit stone is selected. 

Knowing how to sharpen a knife, takes deliberate practice. The task is intentional and repetitive. It isn't glamorous and sexy, but it is critical to the success of a butcher, chef or knight in shining armor.

Preparing the tools of the trade is integral, and the time invested pays great dividends during the chef's mealtime rush. Before the next shift, another round of sharpening occurs because knives don't stay sharp with use. 

The friends we have chosen, or that magically show up in our lives, can help to refine our dull edges and make us useful.

As a young man, I had a lot of rough edges and required friends with course grit to remove the major dings. I would like to think I have arrived at the day when only a polishing stone is needed to sharpen additional elements of my character to a useful edge. However, dings still exist, just in different categories.

Our friends are incredible examples of imperfect people that achieve amazing results. Resist the temptation for jealous comparison and rejoice that such talent surrounds us. After all, you are on their list for incredible talent.

I am inspired to grow as a follower of Christ, husband, father, son, businessman, athlete, employee, artist, writer, and inspiration because of my friends. Their examples of love, compassion, generosity, hospitality, kindness, diligence, intellectual prowess, grit, courage, forgiveness, and many other traits, remind me that my edge is not perfectly sharp. 

The process of becoming and staying sharp requires intentional time on the stone.

Going Further: What are three friends have inspired you to grow in a particular area of your life? How were these friends helpful? Were these areas that required a course or fine grit stone to get you sharp? What areas do you currently need help from a friend? What prevents you from embracing this help? Are you surrounded by friends that will inspire you to grow?

How have books enhanced your imagination?

Careful, one of your greatest assets may have atrophied; hopefully it is not dead.

Every free moment is consumed with scrolling through the social media feed filled with images and videos. A downside of this imagery influx, is now we see an actress as Little Red Riding Hood and her face becomes defined. If read, our imagination builds the image of the young heroine, and my image may be far different than yours.

Alfred Hitchcock said, "I can't read fiction without visualizing every scene. The result is it becomes a series of pictures rather than a book." Movie producers try hard to match or surpass our imagination and with computer-generated imagery, and they continue to gain ground. However, until they can read every mind and tailor the film to match; there will be a gap.

Most of my reading has been non-fiction. I have recently enjoyed several fiction books and appreciate how my imagination was used to sweep me away to another time and place. The description of the turtle crossing the road in the opening pages of The Grapes of Wrath prepared me for an enduring story of heartbreak, as I walked with the Joad family through the Depression.

Hearing Neil Gaiman narrate The Graveyard Book and tell the story of Nobody "Bod" Owens was incredible. I listened to the audiobook while stripping and painting the trim on my house. Often, during my approach to the front door, I will experience flashbacks of Bod's encounters with the living, dead, and those somewhere in between. The story quenched my parched imagination.

I do not enjoy math. I have heard that those who love the subject, are entranced by the symmetry, the beauty, and the eternal presence of the discipline. I am grateful many fall into this category. I read The Housekeeper and the Professor as a way to encounter and appreciate math's virtue, wrapped in a compelling story. Yoko Ogawa's descriptions engaged my imagination and began to bend my will favorably toward the discipline.

No doubt, you have favorite books that set your imagination ablaze. Embrace the gift that is not constrained by natural limits. Engaging this precious resource delivers solutions. Stoke the fire to see the impossible, then return and make it possible

Going Further: What books sparked your imagination? How do you consistently challenge your imagination? How have you used your imagination to solve real- world problems? What other imagination question comes to mind?