In today's day and age, it seems that the concept of diversity is everywhere. College campuses are looking to diversify their student bodies. Large businesses hope to employ a diverse group of individuals. And people, in general, look for different, or diverse, options in almost every facet of their daily lives from the clothes they wear to what they eat.

Diversity, fundamentally, is a collection of differences. While some individuals feel that there are no negative aspects to diversifying a group; like most things in life, there are positive and negative aspects of diversity.

Diversity within a group of people can be extremely beneficial. Colleges and businesses, for example, want to diversify their student bodies in order to ensure that students are exposed to a wide variety of individuals from different backgrounds. Individuals of different ethnicities, races, and socio-economic backgrounds all have differing experiences in life, allowing them to generate different points of view. When holding discussions in class, or even outside of class in social arenas, individuals from diverse backgrounds will form a more dynamic group, bringing up points of view and opinions that people form the same background may have never even thought of.

While these differences might (at times) allow certain individuals to gain a different perspective and appreciate the disparities among their peers, differences among group members also frequently lead to conflict. Many individuals have difficulty in accepting other points of view, opinions, or perspectives.

Similarly, when a group of options or opinions is extremely diverse, some people may feel that there are simply too many alternatives. When making a decision, such as what to eat or how to solve a problem, too many options from differing points of view can also result in conflict. This situation may leave some individuals wondering, "What is the right answer?"

Overall, diversifying groups undeniably provides individuals with the opportunity to view the world from different perspectives. In the same way, diversifying options allow for a greater amount of possibilities and results from these possibilities. While some individuals feel that this larger number of perspectives and possibilities are beneficial, others feel that there should only be one right' answer.

Learn more about this author, Krystle Hernandez.
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