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  • Recognize the Strengths of Others
    Awake!—2020 | No. 3
    • Real-Life Example: Nelson (United States)

      “I spent most of my younger years in an area where the population was predominantly of one race and background. But when I moved to a large city at the age of 19 to work in a factory, I found myself working with and living near people of many different races, backgrounds, and cultures.

      “As I got to know my workmates and made friends, I saw firsthand that people’s skin color, mother tongue, and nationality told me absolutely nothing about how hard they worked, how trustworthy they were, or what their innermost feelings were.

      “I later married a woman whose home country and race were different from mine, and I have found much joy in learning about different kinds of foods and forms of music that were new to me. Life has taught me that all of us have faults and virtues. To be honest, I have become a better person as a result of admiring and imitating the virtues of people who are very different from me racially and culturally.”

  • Expand Your Circle of Friends
    Awake!—2020 | No. 3
    • Consider the example of Nazaré. She once felt prejudice toward immigrants. She explains what helped her: “I spent time with them and worked with them. I met people who were the complete opposite of what the rest of the community was saying they were. Once you befriend people from a different culture, you learn not to stereotype them, and you grow to love them and value them as individuals.”

  • Expand Your Circle of Friends
    Awake!—2020 | No. 3
    • Real-Life Example: Kandasamy and Sookammah (Canada)

      “We grew up in South Africa during apartheid. People of different races were forced to live in separate communities, which fostered feelings of prejudice among the various racial groups. We were not white, and we particularly disliked white people because some had treated us as inferiors. At the time, we did not think that we were prejudiced. Rather, we felt that we were victims.

      “To change our attitude, we took the initiative to widen out and have friends from different backgrounds. As we began to associate with white people, we realized that very little set us and them apart. We all experience similar circumstances and challenges.

      “We even took the opportunity to host a white couple as guests in our home for a long period of time. We got to know them well. Soon we began to see each other as friends and equals. As a result, we started to view white people in general more positively.”

      Genuine brothers

      Johny and Gideon greeting children outside a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

      Although they were of different races and political views, Johny and Gideon developed a close friendship.

      Watch the video Johny and Gideon: Once Enemies, Now Brothers. Search for the video title on jw.org.

English Publications (1950-2026)
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