Unity in diversity, just like a bowl of gumbo

We can have different ideologies, different political views, and different opinions. That’s palatable and that’s what makes the ideological “gumbo” so great, bringing together different ideas, allowing you to bring to the pot what satisfies your taste, as I bring my own,  and we blend them together to come to a common ground, a peaceful recipe for us all to enjoy. 

In a good pot of gumbo, no one ingredient overtakes another, not one spice dominates another, but there’s just enough of each individual offering so that we all may sup peacefully,  even though some of the ingredients are not what we brought to the table. You don’t have to agree with what others may have brought and that’s fine. The goal is that you are in agreement with the concept that we all have different tastes but yet when blended together it’s not as bad as you envisioned. That brings me to this thought that I know weighs paramount on a lot of minds.

I had an interesting conversation with my 10-year-old granddaughter the other day. She was commenting on her history class that discussed the election process during a presidential election year. Then she looked at me with a perplexed look and said, “Grandpa, will they be fighting again like last time?” I didn’t catch on at first, and then it dawned on me that she was referring to the Jan. 6 incident. I said “I hope not, sweetie.” Then she said, “People shouldn’t fight, Grandpa.” It goes to show that sometimes our grandchildren and our children are more morally grounded than we as adults are.

Soon the nation will be on edge as we await the results of the 2024 presidential election. Will there be violence, unrest, or civil disobedience due to the results not favoring a particular candidate? The $64,000 question is how did we get to this point? How did we the “so-called” greatest democratic nation in the world get to a point in history that divides us so viciously — to the point where lives are being threatened on both sides? This climate is so divisive that embedded riffs are pitting family members against one another, dividing communities so much that we have to ask ourselves, will we ever share a sense of commonality, will we ever employ the true sense of the word community?

You don’t transform into a ball of rage and turn the ideological “gumbo” into a food fight, physically attacking your neighbor, your schoolmate, your family member, or your co-worker just because what they bring to the table is different from what you bring. This current era in history has produced an “us-versus-them” atmosphere. So much so, that innocent gestures of political choices such as bumper stickers have become a “Scarlet Letter” or a target for some — producing sneers, jeers, evil looks, damage to property and at times an inappropriate finger. This is being practiced by both sides.

There is unity in diversity. Diversity is a beautiful thing. Looking at the human body there are many different (diverse) organs and parts of the body that  work in unison to allow us to experience the gift of living.

What we don’t understand is the beauty and the power of unity. Unity in diversity is found before creation even came into existence, that God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit dwelled in perfect unity. Which goes to show that there’s unity in diversity.

So let’s enjoy the taste of unity in diversity. Just like a good bowl of gumbo, it’s good for the soul.

Carnal Hobson Jr. is a Riverhead native living in Portsmouth, Virginia.

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