Tolerance: Time For Change-A Critical Look At Moral Values

A society is made up of different people with different attitudes and ways of doing things. It is not surprising that our individual differences are the main causes of the major misunderstanding and sometimes chaos that occurs in our society. For this reason it is very important that we tolerate one another wherever we find ourselves. Tolerance is defined by the Wikipedia as the “ability to accept something while disapproving of it.” Thus since man cannot live alone but will have to associate with others, it is important that we hold this value in high esteem in order to avoid possible misunderstanding which might degenerate into war.

In our families and societies we find out that it is never possible to live cordially without petty quarrels here and there. I bet what makes us still exist as a family and society, is the tolerance that is inherent in most of us. However, there are a few people who find it difficult to tolerate others and therefore end up causing tension everywhere they are. It is in this regard that we need to preach the habit of being tolerant and inculcate it in those who are noted to be intolerant. In order to achieve this we need to know that we all have different ways of understanding things and that our views might not always be right. For that matter when we find ourselves arguing about certain things or when there is a misunderstanding, we have to take caution so that it does not result to a fight by always being mindful that our views might not always be right. Also even when our views are right and we are not able to convince the other parties involved in the misunderstanding; it is only prudent that we let sleeping dogs lie.

The act of showing tolerance can be exhibited in diverse ways. For instance when someone offends us in anyway, the best way to show tolerance is by avoiding any verbal exchange with the person. We can also move away from where the person is until tensions calm down. We can then settle the problem in a peaceful manner with the presence of an elderly person whom we trust will not take sides in the case. Another instance where we can exhibit tolerance is when people provoke us. There are indeed some people who only look out for ways of making us angry. We do not have to succumb to their ways but rather have to show maturity and avoid them. Our ability to demonstrate high sense of tolerance will make others also learn the habit of being tolerant.

In the world we find ourselves today, many feel that when someone slaps you, you need to slap back. This is rather a very shallow thinking on our part for our religious denominations do not preach this. Friends, it is a tough world we live in but retaliation to any slight provocation is not the way to go. Once we have realized that we all have different ways of perceiving things, the best we can do is to “accept something while disapproving of it.”

A very important value to also note in our quest to develop a sense of being tolerant is Patience. Our next article will be on PATIENCE.

Always remember, Leonado Davinci's words “Knowing alone is not enough, we must apply. Willing alone is not enough, we must do.”

Please send any comment, suggestion or question with regard to this article to ………………………[email protected]