"Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others." - John F. Kennedy
Merriam-Webster defines tolerance as, "sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own." More simply put, tolerance is partially defined, by Dictionary.com as, "freedom from bigotry."
Tolerance is not static, however. It is, of course, not humanly possible to be tolerant of every situation. The amount of beliefs and ideologies that exist in this world are endless. In certain situations, where violence, hate, or otherwise harmful behavior is involved, tolerance is, of course, not possible. A good moral conscience goes hand in hand with tolerance.
Religious and cultural tolerance are both incredibly important. Our planet is enormous, and we are all raised with different religious and cultural backgrounds. No matter where you work, go to school, or go out to dinner, you will always encounter individuals who have different beliefs and values than yourself.
It is absolutely understandable to be passionate about our spiritual beliefs, but we must remember that others might feel just as strongly about their own. Respect is an essential part of tolerance. We are all equal in this world, regardless of what our egos might make us think.
Tolerance is a value that has been misconstrued in America, within the past decade. Tolerance is not a value that is exclusive to people of certain religious or political backgrounds. However, the word now has connotations that suggest otherwise.
Take the zero-tolerance immigration policy, for example, which the Trump administration recently introduced, regarding the detainment of illegal immigrants and their children. Regardless of the intentions of the policy, the title itself names the value of tolerance, painting it as a weak and ignorant practice that will have no place in this country. The utilization of this value is incredibly rhetorical, as it assists to further polarize the Republican and Democratic parties. Because of rhetorical choices like this, moral values are considered partisan by many people in America.
Political tolerance is at an all-time low in America, as our two-party system continues to divide us as a nation. Regardless of the political labels we apply to ourselves and to each other, we all have much more in common than most of us would like to believe. We must remember that an individual's political affiliation is not their entire life story. The polarization of values, like tolerance, will only break us down and carry us further apart.
Tolerance is a value that we all ought to treasure. Children who practice tolerance of others, usually grow to be more accepting of themselves as well. The home is a great place to begin learning. Before they are able to speak, children observe and mimic the behaviors of their parents, or other close family members.
Tolerance fosters positivity in the mind and into the community. There are incredible resources online for teaching tolerance to children, including an insightful website entitled, tolerance.org. "Educating for a Diverse Community," is stated in bold text on the homepage.
Sources:
https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/tolerance
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/tolerance
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/tolerance.html
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tolerance
