I love the variety of people in D&D. Elves, orcs, dragonborn, aarakocra, and more present an amazing variety of people with a wide range of appearances and abilities.
But while we may not have feathers or tails on people in the real world, we have no less variety.
Last week, my wife and I had a rare opportunity to get away together for two days, so we went to our favorite nearby vacation spot, Wisconsin Dells, and relaxed at a waterpark.
While swimming in the pool, I noticed the wide variety there—people with a vast array of ancestries, body shapes, and abilities—and it struck me that we don't have to live in a fantasy world to live in a fantastic world.
Our culture somehow perceives Barbie and Ken dolls as Platonic ideals, adding photo manipulation to create the illusion that such appearances are even possible.
But what if, instead of holding each other to an impossible and unhealthy ideal, we noticed the variety of shapes and abilities in our environments with the same appreciation as we would a world of gnomes, minotaurs, and tabaxi?
Next time you're out in public, enjoy the fantastic variety around you, and when you look in the mirror, appreciate the unique contribution that your appearance brings to the diversity of humanity.
Thanks for being part of our kaleidoscopic world. |