Thoughts, opinions, and values are all ideals special to every individual, and every individual is unique – unlike the next. With so many different cultures, heritages, religions, and beliefs, humanity is made up of excitingly diverse individuals. May 3rd is National Two Different Colored Shoes Day, and, according to their website, National Two Different Colored Shoes Day is, “a day set aside to recognize and celebrate the uniqueness and diversity of humanity. Where the simple and lighthearted act of purposely wearing two different colored shoes demonstrates the courage to “take a risk” and step outside of one’s daily routine.”
As a whole, we form humanity, and humanity is currently experiencing and seeing strong division amongst itself. And that division seems to be intensifying with the upcoming elections and climate of the world. And as groups, we form communities, however, our community right here in Enid is no stranger to division either. Whether at the store or in the comments of a Facebook post, you’re likely to encounter passionate disagreements where, often times, parties involved leave feeling frustrated, misunderstood, unheard, or disrespected.
In honor of National Two Different Colored Shoes Day, we chose to have a conversation with members of our community who tend to find themselves on opposite sides of the discussion. As the interviewees embraced their uniqueness, they sat down with an individual who, in many situations, would be the party on the other side of the debate. We sat down with Democrat, Nancy Presnall, and Republican, Lorie Legere, and we also sat down with Hannah Williams, who identifies as queer, and Trinity Currier, who identifies as heterosexual.
In the political world, Nancy Presnall and Lorie Legere encounter all different types of uniqueness. Lorie is a past president of the Garfield County Republican Women’s Club and the Oklahoma Federation of Republican Women, and she’s currently a Member at Large of the Executive Board of the National Federation of Republican Women and a current Vice Chair of the Garfield County Republican Party. And professionally, she humbly serves as the Garfield County Clerk. Nancy is President of the Garfield County Democratic Women’s Club and Chair of the Garfield County Democratic Party. When it comes to debates and hot topics, it’s no secret that these two parties are most often on opposite ends of the discussion. So, we convened with them to discuss embracing their uniqueness, dealing with difficult situations, differences in opinions, and unifying the community.
The world of politics is full of different viewpoints and beliefs, and, more often than not, the political representatives in that realm stand firmly on what they believe in. Nancy references former United States Representative John Lewis when mentioning standing up for what she believes in. She states, “Going back to Representative John Lewis’s statement, ‘Get in good trouble, necessary trouble,’ because every area needs angelic troublemakers.” The term “angelic troublemaker” is a term Nancy’s friends have used when describing her. And in response, Lorie states, “some of my friends say that I’m a velvet covered steamroller.” Both phrases are similar in intent and meaning; don’t allow people to walk over you, but don’t be unkind either. Lorie continues with, “You need to stick to your beliefs and stay true to what you think is right. But, at the same time, you can do that in a respectful manner.” Clinging to your beliefs and backing your opinions doesn’t have to be a vigorous task – it can be as simple as respectfully disagreeing with someone.
When it comes to living in your uniqueness, Nancy states, “We all need to broaden our horizons and just accept people for who they are. We all are unique in one way or another – no two people are exactly the same.” And Lorie continues with, “God made each of us different, and whatever God creates is always good.” The differences between you and the people surrounding you are individual characteristics that should be embraced and celebrated, not shunned, discouraged, or belittled. In reference to those differences, Nancy states, “There’s a battle between freedom and equality because people use their freedom to make other people unequal, and it’s sad.” If you have the freedom to make your own choices and live your own life, why shouldn’t everybody else get that same freedom? However, having that freedom to make your own choices and live the life you want, how you want, is unfortunately a luxury not afforded to everyone.
With so many differing thoughts and feelings, it’s no wonder debates and difficult situations are so common. However, having a different set of beliefs than the person next to you doesn’t separate you as much as you may think. You both may believe in different things, but you’re both still human, and, as humans, you share more in common with the person of opposition than you even realize. So, when it comes to interacting with people who do have differing opinions, Nancy states, “I think the main thing to remember is there’s a difference between fact and opinion.” And when it comes to dealing with difficult situations, Lorie says, “I pause for a second, and I take a very deep breath to try and center myself. And then I think about ‘why is this person acting this way?’ and I try to put myself in their shoes to understand why they’re acting that way.” Allowing yourself to look at situations from a different perspective can be the key to understanding where someone else is coming from. And regardless of whether or not you agree with them, understanding where someone is coming from can make a night and day difference in difficult situations, and it goes hand in hand with listening to understand, not to respond.
When listening to someone to understand, the chances of finding common goals/ground increases drastically because you’re taking yourself out of the mindset of listening to respond, which allows for relatability, comprehension, and, ultimately, deeper conversations. By the end of their discussion, Lorie and Nancy had more in common than they probably even realized. They represent two different parties, but who they stand for and speak up for aligns more than they even knew. Nancy states, “I will probably always go with the side of people who have less money and are less privileged… More often than not, I’ll come down on the side of the underdog.” And Lorie continues with, “I myself, personally, always want to look out for those who are less fortunate.” Beyond their parties are two women who choose to fight for the underdogs and less fortunate, and that’s common ground that can be worked on, together.
When it comes to embracing uniqueness, it comes in all forms and variations, including sexuality. Hannah Williams is disabled and queer, and they use they/them pronouns. Trinity Currier identifies as heterosexual, and she uses she/her pronouns. For National Two Different Colored Shoes Day, Hannah and Trinity sat down to discuss embracing their uniqueness.
As a queer disabled individual who uses they/them pronouns, Hannah is unfortunately no stranger to those with different opinions. And as a heterosexual individual whose grown up in modern times, Trinity is very aware of the climate of the world as well. When asked what embracing their uniqueness meant to them, Hannah stated, “I try to embrace my uniqueness at every turn. I’ve always been a weird person, and I look physically different. So, I try to be myself whenever I can.” Trinity describes embracing her uniqueness as “Being confident and proud of who you are and the things that make you unique.” However, with the division of the world, embracing the things that make them different isn’t always as easy as it seems. Trinity goes on to say, “We as people, in one way or another, are never going to be the same. It’s impossible, so I feel like we should be proud of the things that set us apart rather than the things that make us the same.” Moving forward, Hannah thinks it’s important to have “respect and empathy.” They continue with, “Self-reflection is so important. With how chaotic and scary the world is right now, focus on being comfortable with yourself before worrying about what other people are doing.” Trinity continues with, “Right now, the world is having a hard time with respect. And with all of the chaos, it’s important to work on respecting other peoples’ opinions and viewpoints.” Celebrating someone else’s individuality does not come at the cost of your individuality, nor does it mean you have to agree with them. Embracing someone else’s uniqueness simply means respecting their right to the way they choose to live their life.
With so many different beliefs and viewpoints, it’s hard for many to feel as if they’re understood or even heard. So, when it comes to passionate debates and opinions, Hannah says, “Take a breath and take a step back if you’re getting heated because a fight is not a productive conversation.” And Trinity says, “Acknowledge that there is a time and a place. There is no point in debating with the cashier at Jumbos.” She continues with, “I feel like the most important part is making each other feel heard. While we may not agree, we should both be able to express our standpoints whilst feeling respected.” And when it comes to feeling heard, they both stated that the best practice is active listening. Hannah states, “Don’t wait for your turn to say something – listen to what the other person is saying.” Trinity continues with, “To me, a debate is not an argument. It’s a mutual understanding that we’re both going to express our points.” Now, when it comes to respecting everyone’s uniqueness and individuality, Hannah states, “Your self-presentation literally has nothing to do with anyone else – mind your own business. So, if it’s not hurting you, leave people alone. Let people enjoy themselves and be happy.” They continue with, “If you love the way someone presents and think they have the coolest jacket on, then yes, say something and be complimentary. If you absolutely hate the illustration on somebody’s shirt, turn around and walk away.” Trinity goes on to say “Uniqueness is something we all have in common, and we should treat it like we all have it in common. It should be something we celebrate and encourage.” Different perspectives and stances are what allows us to grow as people. If you shared the same opinions with everyone you knew, how would you grow? Hannah states, “If you’re constantly in an echo chamber just hearing the same things over and over again, it’s not healthy for you, and you’re not going to know what’s actually going on in the real world.” Those perspectives different than your own are what offer a new understanding or a different point of view, and those shifts are how people grow as individuals. After all, a rainbow with only one color isn’t even a rainbow, let alone unique – it’s a color. Uniqueness and individuality are what makes humans beautiful and special, like a rainbow.
When it comes to strengthening the unity in Enid’s community, Trinity says, “Be respectful – that’s the bottom line.” And Hannah says, “I think we need to be pushing for more safe spaces and third locations so we’re not just at work, school, or home, and we have somewhere to go and engage with the community. It’s so important to have somewhere to be, especially when we’re so isolated by technology.” Trinity followed up with, “It’s important to have an availability of places people can go to get different sources of information and different opinions to help them build their own opinions.” To put it simply, Hannah states, “Building communities is going to strengthen the community.” So, it’s important to get out and interact with people, and it’s just as important to engage with people different than you because we can all learn something from one another, but if you’re against learning from others, we can all at least still enjoy something from the individuality of other individuals.
Regardless of their views and perceptions, each party involved with these discussions was able to listen and respect the opinions and views of the party opposite to them. No matter what, we’re all different from the next person, and with the ever-changing times of the world, those differences will only continue to grow. With that being said, it’s okay not to understand someone, and it’s okay to even be confused by someone. However, it is not okay to belittle or disrespect anyone, regardless of whether or not their views differ from yours. You’re a human, and that person you disagree with is a human. No one is going to tell you to believe in something different than you do or to be someone different than you are, so don’t tell anyone else to believe in something different or to be someone different than they are. Celebrate your differences, embrace your uniqueness, and learn from each other’s experiences. Treat others how you want to be treated, and if that isn’t enough of an eye-opener, then treat others how you want your loved ones to be treated. At the end of the day, we’re all somebody’s loved one, and it’s up to us to put “The Unity in Community.”
