It’s an issue that has spanned generations and affects the human race all over the world. It’s one that can bring out the worst in people without provocation or reason. Yet, it is something that makes this wondrous world richer, fuller and oh, so fascinating!
I’m speaking about diversity. Nic Nelson and the Diamonds of Denmark is full of great examples of the diversity in our lives, albeit all of us aren’t fighting bullies and looking for lost treasures on a routine basis.
With Nic Nelson and his friends, superficial diversity seems to have the same impact on them as it does on a room full of toddlers … none. There is plenty of diversity on the surface simply within their ranks. Dante is African American; Cindy is, obviously, the female in the group. Herbert is a little heavy and non-athletic, while Philip is tall and thin. Nic’s a “lanky” brunette, and his best bud, Kevin, is a “freckle-faced blonde.” There’s even Carlos Hernandez rooting Nic on at the dodgeball competition! No two alike, yet they see one another simply as friends, not worrying about how each of them is packaged.
But the diversity doesn’t stop with the school friends. There is also Jason, who is in an older age group and in college. Of course, Captain Spencer adds his bit of diversity with his English accent and military background, contrasted with Mr. Chen and his shop sharing his insightful, Oriental philosophies.
That’s not to say that diversity should be ignored while searching for inner virtues, because diversity is also what makes us all so very special, as well, and accounts for what each of us brings “to the table.” As we grow up, our families, cultures and religions have contributed to our diversity in ways that aren’t always as evident as the color of our skin or the shape of our eyes.
It’s safe to say that the common thread for this group of friends – and the adults who they turn to for help and support – has nothing to do with what is strictly skin deep. On the outside, all of them appear vastly different. But when you look further – inside – at the shared morals and values that course within them all, it eventually becomes apparent what it is that has created friendships for them that are strong and resilient.
Integrity, compassion, kindness, and loyalty are a few of the traits that make all these characters, who are distinctive in their own right, very much the same … cut from the same cloth.
Nic Nelson and the Diamonds of Denmark is a perfect example to everyone of how diversity on the outside can be looked at in a very positive way, while also looking in-depth at the treasure to be found inside each person.