Sunday, September 9, 2007

There's Lots of Hidden Diversity Out There


This afternoon I watched a portion of comedian Steve Harvey’s family friendly stand-up performance in his concert film “Don’t trip: He aint through with me yet,” performed before an audience of 16, 0000 churchgoers at an Atlanta-based gospel gathering.

During this performance he confesses to a laundry list of imperfections and life experiences that evolved from his past. Harvey amusingly utters, “There are things that you know about me from just looking at me!” He later added that as a comedian “he sees stuff that others don’t see” and that his uses this observant eye to find the humor that he uses in his unique style of comedy. All joking aside, I suspect that this list of “lived experiences” have informed his life and moved him to where he is today.

Whether you agree or disagree with his typical brand of blue material humor, it occurred to me these descriptions were a reflection of his own brand of “hidden diversity.” If you are aware of his hidden diversities that he shared during this act, it might be easier to surface why he is dedicated to surface why is passionately committed to providing equipment to lower income schools though his foundation and to participating speaking engagements where he stresses the importance of goals and the warns of the dangers of drugs to young audiences.

As acknowledged by Steve Harvey, that if you stop at the observable aspects of an individual’s personhood, you run the risk of missing out on all that exists at the deeper level of their identity, and that offers the potential of bringing forth gifts that can be used for the benefit others who may cross their path.

Are their parts of your identity that if surfaced may reveal all that you have to offer in the way of your own brand of gifting?

Paulette

No comments: