Conversations for an All-Inclusive Society

Photo by Random Institute on Unsplash

 By Victor Jacob 

The word ‘Society’, coined from the Latin word ‘societas’, means a friendly association, fellowship, or alliance. However, one may question whether we truly live according to this meaning in the society we experience today.

Being a young and vibrant person who grew up in the not-too-rough environment of Satellite Town in Lagos, I had opportunities to work different jobs that exposed me to people from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. During those experiences, I witnessed situations where arguments would suddenly break out in the streets and sometimes escalate into violence.

When I later discovered the causes behind some of these conflicts, I often found them difficult to justify. At times, the reason would simply be a lack of trust because of someone’s tribe, background, or assumptions formed because of where they came from. Looking back, I realised that I too had once fallen into making similar judgments.

Nowadays, we often find ourselves bound by religion, background, and cultural differences, causing our collective vision to become blurred. Rather than recognising our shared humanity, the varying shades of us, we sometimes focus too much on the boundaries that separate us rather than the values that connect us.

From my own observations,  the world today can sometimes feel as though it exists in a state of pandemonium. Religious, tribal, cultural, and even racial stereotypes continue to influence how we see and treat one another.

History and present realities continue to show that periods of unrest and violence often grow from the inability to accept differences. Communities become divided, conflicts emerge, and countless lives are affected when identity is chosen over understanding and exclusion over coexistence.

This is where conversations become important. Conversations create room for understanding, challenge assumptions, and allow people to see one another beyond labels and stereotypes. Through meaningful dialogue, communities become stronger and more inclusive.

So…

• Should religion, culture, and background define us?

• And is creating a society where everyone, regardless of religion, culture, or social background, can thrive impossible, or is it a challenge worth embracing because of the kind of society it can create?

Well, sometimes we often allow our personal assumptions and preconceived ideas to shape how we see others and the world around us. Rather than focusing on how things should be, we become attached to how we believe things are.

In doing so, we risk limiting understanding, creating division, and overlooking the possibility of building communities rooted in inclusion and mutual respect. Perhaps the challenge is not whether an all-inclusive society can exist, but whether we are willing to question our assumptions and make room for conversations that bring us closer together.

Building stronger communities does not begin with grand actions alone. Sometimes, it begins with simple conversations, open minds, and the willingness to see beyond differences. If society is truly to reflect its meaning of fellowship and alliance, then creating spaces where everyone feels heard, valued, and included should not be an option—it should become a shared responsibility.

Because building an inclusive society is for all of us, and a community without unity stands for none of us. Let us strive to build a better society together.

In the end, the world we hope to see will not come from silence or division, but from the courage to understand one another.