I remember an interesting discussion I had with a Cuban friend, when my son married his wife (from Africa). He asked me whether it bothered me that she was “black”. I was married to my current wife (Asian), but my son was the product of my first marriage and white. I thought about it for a second and said no, that I have found in my two marriages that skin color had little to do with a happy marriage, but shared values had a lot to do with a happy marriage.

It is hard to find a “soul mate” and even harder to find that right person once you start putting unimportant restrictions on who you date (like women that won’t date someone shorter than they are… I am 6'2" tall, but I still think it is a dumb restriction).

In the case of my friend, he was adamant his daughter should marry a Cuban (not even a Hispanic man, but a Cuban man). I am sure there are many great Cuban men, that will make some woman a great spouse, but it sure seems to me to be an unnecessary limiting criteria. I guess one could argue that if Cuban food, culture, and traditions are super important to oneself then maybe it makes sense…

For me the diversity of culture is what makes life interesting not its sameness… some would argue I am a cultural appropriator because I find myself attracted and adopting into my life various things from a wide array of world cultures… guilty… but it makes life interesting and fun… at least for me…