"Diversity" Paradox

(I think I wrote the same kind of article before but I forgot which one...haha)

It seems like the word "Diversity" is in the mode all around the world since a while ago.

Corporations say "we respect diversity among employees," schools and universities try to attract diverse body of students from around the world and politicians pledge to achieve a diverse society.

What does this word "Diversity" mean?

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I used to stay in Toronto, Canada for a while, which is considered to be one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world.

(http://www.blogto.com/city/2016/05/toronto_named_most_diverse_city_in_the_world/)

I loved it. I loved how tolerant the city was and I felt home there. It is one of my favorite cities around the world so far and I can definitely live there. (The only thing that I don't like about Toronto is that it gets really cold in winter....hahaha I like hot....)

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But I realized one interesting phenomenon there.

People respect diversity so much that they are not tolerant against those who do not accept diversity.

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Here is the definition of the word diversity: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diversity

The first definition says that diversity means "the quality or state of having many different forms, types, ideas, etc."

According to this definition, people who respect diversity should embrace "many different forms of ideas."

The question is whether not accepting diversity is one of those ideas or not.

If not accepting diversity is also one of the ideas, then, people who respect diversity should accept people who do not appreciate diversity too.

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This may sound like a word play that does not benefit our ordinary lives. This may sound too theoretical and people may think that this is only a concern of philosophers.

But for me, this is a real world issue.

Why?

Because I have met a lot of people in my career who says they are "open minded" and "open to discussions" but becomes really angry once I pose fundamental questions such as "why I have to work" or "what the meaning of this work is."

I always get scolded.

They say they are "open minded", which, for me, more or less means "they respect diversity," but once they confront questions that fundamentally challenge their ideas and beliefs, they become upset.

Whenever I come across these situations, I mutter in my mind "there you go...you respect diversity only to the extent that you can accept it. And that's what you call OPEN MINDEDNESS."

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However, let me be introspective a bit more.

Am I open to ANY kind of ideas? Or should I?

Does diversity mean being open to ANY kind of ideas? Should it?

Surely, I have something that I cannot accept. Then, this means that I don't respect diversity either, right?

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Let's go back to the definition of the word diversity.

It says diversity is "the quality or state of having many different forms, types, ideas, etc."

It does NOT say diversity is "the quality or state of having ANY forms, types, ideas, etc."

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Who decides what diverse society is?

What does truly diverse society look like?