I believe that diversity is important. Having a diverse friend group is especially valuable. There can be great benefits from sharing different perspectives with those of a different background and culture.

  I have a philosophy that diversity if generally good. I even heard about a related scientific study where animal breeding habits were investigated. Forgive me if my memory has played tricks on me. I remember being told that scientists took a sample of a particular animal species. Within this sample, there were several different breeds. They put the animals into several different groups and let them mate. Their data suggested that over an extended period of time, the group with the most diversity thrived the most.

  Recently, I went on several dates with a Muslim girl. I guess I didn't quite realize that this is a big no-no. Muslim's are not supposed to date, but more importantly, Muslim women are not supposed to date non-Muslim men. This resulted in a short emotional period of confusion. Also, everything was happening pretty fast and I would be leaving to go back to school soon. Although we still really like each other, taking everything into account, we decided to just be friends.

  All I really meant by sharing this is, I didn't realize that even in modern times religious rules limit who you can develop relationships with. I suggest that maybe such rules hinder opportunities for society to thrive.