Yo Gabba Gabba has long been my four-year-old son’s favorite television show. One of its theme songs begins with the words, “All my friends are different but I love them all the same.” The song continues by describing unique aspects of all the singer’s friends.
Aside from its catchy beat, the song conveys an important message. We cherish our friends not because of who we want them to be. We love them because of who they are.
Put more broadly, people are not means to an end. They are ends in themselves.
The Bible’s Ancient Message
This message is an ancient one. It is introduced in Genesis 1:26, where we learn that every human being is different, yet each of us is made in the image of God. Indeed, God does not love us in spite of our differences. God loves us because of them.
We also see this truth in Jewish parable from 2000 years. When a coin-maker makes coins, the Jewish sages taught, they all look the same. When God makes human beings, they all look different.
Each of us is different. Hence, each of us is special. How can we discover what makes other special? We can ask the following questions:
1. What special skills do they have?
The Talmud tells us that a wise person learns from all people. In other words, every person has something to teach. A wise person searches for it. We search for what makes another person unique, and we learn from and cherish it.
2. What special experiences do they have?
Earlier today I rode in a funeral hearse with a cemetery worker. He told me of his hikes in the woods of Northern Wisconsin, and the beautiful streams and wildlife he has seen there. I taught him a few words of Hebrew. By sharing our gifts, we formed a relationship with one another.
3. What nuggets of wisdom do they have?
Socrates said that wisdom begins in wonder. When we approach others with a sense of wonder and of openness, we can discover and grow from their gifts.
The model for this truth in Yo Gabba Gabba is a baby monster named Brobee. According to the song, what his friends love about Brobee is that he “is so small and soft, [and] he has a great big heart.”
That great big heart makes all the difference.
