Guest Post- Why it is important to be inclusive in all aspects of society

 I have been blogging for a long time now (over ten years!) and I have not really touched on Inclusivity, which to me personally is important in everything that we do. We all come from all walks of life and society, including our personalities, as well as our shapes and sizes. Being inclusive to me means embracing everybody, regardless of shape and size or where they come from. 

This post is from a guest blogger, that wrote this amazing piece of why being inclusive is particularly important in the society we live in now, hope you enjoy it!

The tenet of an inclusive society is valuing and treating every human being with the dignity that they deserve. Every human right, home and abroad, is based on this principle. An inclusive environment is welcoming to all and sundry, and provides comfort—enough comfort to help individuals know their identity and voice their feelings. It is a place where everyone’s opinions are equally honored.

Your innocent mind may cause you to assume that the society is inclusive enough in that everybody has equal opportunities. You would be technically right, but in a few areas; disabled persons and their families up till the time of writing this article continue to face marginalization and isolation. While our society has made significant strides in recent years, it is only a tip of the iceberg. There are still people being driven to the furthest reaches of the society. We as a society must adopt a new mindset and even start to offset our worldview in order to get over this paradoxical circumstance.

For a better and inclusive society that will be beneficial to every member, we must prepare to unlearn, learn, and relearn new methods and approaches to life. The change begins with you! In this article, we will talk about why it is important to be inclusive in all aspects of the society.

Why it is Important to be Inclusive in All Aspects of the Society

If you had carefully read through the previous paragraphs, you should have already listed about two to three importance of being inclusive in all aspects of the society. Regardless, let us make it very clear and obvious to you now. The first thing you have to note is that it is all to your advantage. Social inclusion enables you to:

Feel a sense of belonging

“Belonging” is when a member of a group feels accepted, included, and has a sense of identity. A person experiences a sense of belonging when they are being true to themselves and meaningfully interacting with a group of individuals. The act of inclusion creates the secure and encouraging atmosphere required to foster a sense of belonging.

When you, as an individual, are intentional about being inclusive in your society, you will inadvertently build for yourself a solid and unshakable sense of belonging. To put it in a better perspective, you are more likely to engage yourself in meaningful societal activities if you feel a sense of belonging there. Apart from that, you will perform better, take on new challenges and not be highly sensitive to failure, as your group provides you a soft spot to land on.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Feel worthy of your roles in the community

When you immerse yourself in the society, you gain a better insight of the whole, and also create a deeper understanding of yourself as a befitting entity in the community. Shared identity, purpose, interests or passion as well as common behavior, objective and goal makes it rather easy for you as an individual to feel worthy of your roles in the community. One of the major objectives of an inclusive society is to purge a community of inferiority complex and every of its likeness and forms.

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To be an active participant of the community

There’s hardly a thing more motivating to an individual than acceptability. The feeling of acceptability often comes with the zeal and passion to fire on all cylinders in all spheres of life, not just in your immediate community. Many psychologists collectively agree that a person’s psychological state of mind is an excellent driver, strong enough to push them into taking actions that they would otherwise rule out. One of the ways to achieve that highly passionate and motivated psychological state is by being all-inclusive in your society.

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Have more access to information and resources

Indeed, you will have access to information and resources even in the confines of your room and smartphone. But that is miniature compared to the level of access to information and resources that you will automatically enjoy when you identify with your society, and be an actively contributing member. Hardly can information about recent job openings and scholarship elude you. In the four corners of our homes, we can NEVER know what we are missing out on. It is until we open our eyes before we can actually see the endless opportunities flying around us.  

To have companions and not feel left out

Just like your nuclear family members, members of your community can form a strong bond and connection with you while respecting your privacy and differences. Engaging yourself in the activities of your community will draw you to like minds who will ultimately become your companions as life goes on, and you will never feel left out. In simpler words, your community doubles as a family to you.

Photo by Zachary Kyra-Derksen on Unsplash

To build social relationships

Perhaps, this is one of the most apparent importance of being all-inclusive in your society. It goes without saying that actively participating in society-building activities will expose you to new people and give you the opportunities to build and establish strong and cordial relationships with them. Building social relationships is definitely one of the major reasons individuals consider identifying with a community or society.

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Attain Self-actualization

Much more than building social relationships and companions, and feeling a sense of belongingness, you will fully realize your personal potential when you include yourself in all aspects of your society. The fact that you are helping others means you are automatically helping yourself, too. It is a self-actualization loop.

Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

The advantages of an inclusive society are not enjoyable by the groups and participating members alone, but they also benefit every other person directly or indirectly. Just like drops of water make the Pacific Ocean, so do our little contributions build up the whole society, mostly to our benefits.