Reflective Essay: Values In Harmony

Life is full of puzzles! It is amazing how wonderful a family can be, with the tender-loving care experienced by all members-father, mother and children. But we should be quick to remember that even the happiest family on earth was founded by two complete strangers, who decided to live together as one, forgetting all their differences and diversity in orientation, culture and beliefs to become husband and wife in other to raise a family. Why family? They have realized that living together requires a lot of tolerance and acceptance of the uniqueness of each individual; that though we might diver in opinion and origin; we can live together by accepting each other as “family”. The story is same in other parts of Africa and the world at large. There are incessant terrorist attacks, wars and man-made disasters. It’s almost becoming the order of the day to see people die- both young and old. No one seems to ask the question! Why? Perhaps somewhere and somehow we are still ignorant of

As such ‘Values in Harmony’ provides an unique insight into values ordinary individuals draw from their religion or belief. It can be all too easy for communities to feel isolated from main stream society, particularly during times of economic strife, and I am delighted that the Equality and Human Rights Commission were able to fund the ‘Values in Harmony’ initiative as one of the many ways to help bring our diverse communities together. I believe that this document will be a valuable tool for the promotion of good relations between different communities in Scotland and commend it to anyone who is involved in developing constructive community dialogue. By working together we can make a safer and stronger place for all of our people and embrace the diversity which makes us all