Tolerance: between Forbearance and Acceptance - Research Paper Example

Tolerance is perceived to be a virtue of a progressive or civilized age. The virtue is intended to prepare people to put up with those who have opposing opinions in life matters. Tolerance enables people to view matters through the other’s perspective. Through the virtual, temper is controlled while dealing with fanatics. In the early days, differences in politics, religion and opinions led to persecution. Many were burned to death with communities being annihilated in the name of God. Self-conceit, narrowness and bigotry led to intolerance. Intolerance is a result of a belief that only one attitude is right. According to the Webster dictionary, tolerance is the act of enduring the actions of objecting persons or offensive opinions. It also defines tolerance as the capacity to respect or recognize opposing beliefs. The meaning is used to cause people to accept other people’s opinions despite their religious beliefs, race and creed (Miller, 2006). The meaning of tolerance has both positive and negative connotations. The positive connotation means unprejudiced and equitable. The negative connotation means putting up with others even when it is disadvantageous. Therefore, tolerance is the prerogative of humanity. This is built of the premise that all human beings are weak and erroneous. As a result, there is need to put up with contrasting opinions. This is a first law of nature. According to philosopher Voltaire, leans on the positive meaning of tolerance. The sentiments hail from the civil rights movement in the United States and the annihilation of the Jewish people (Miller, 2006). This definition of tolerance suggests that children should be taught to reject intolerance from an early age. A telling example is the stance taken by the preacher and campaigner Martin Luther K. Jr during the social human rights lobby group. The renowned activist advocated for fairness and taught that love and acceptance makes the society strong and progressive. According to Dr. Martin Luther, embracing differences brings a sense of unity (Raatma, 2005). According to Mondras Gandhi, intolerance is an enemy to understanding. There is a belief that mere tolerance is not enough. Tolerance is not necessarily accepting other people’s opinions. It is been argued that tolerance should be a temporally attitude. According to the Indian pacifists, intolerance is the refusal to accept truths about others. Tolerance is a result of intention and conviction. Tolerance moves beyond merely putting up with different opinions. People have the potential to live together, while disliking each other secretly. In this context, tolerance is seen to be a mask or disguise. Tolerance is also seen as a form of offense (Mars, 2008). To tolerate is to offend. Johann Von, a German poet stated that tolerance has more negative than positive connotation. This could mean that to tolerate others is to show a disapproval of their position of fundamental issues or ethnicity. The synonym of tolerance is toleration, exemption, permission and acceptance. However, the term is increasingly being viewed as interchangeable with non-prejudice and open mindedness. Therefore, tolerance is viewed to be a vital aspect in the society. Hate, dissention and resentment can easily result to intolerance. Intolerance can lead to alienation and prejudice. Mere tolerance falls short of acceptance (Oberdiek, 2001). A good example is speech competition where contestants are forced by the environment to interact with opponents and were disguised civility. False faces tend to conceal false hearts according Shakespeare. This seems to emphasize the fact that merely tolerating other opinions means finding the persons unacceptable. Studies show that ignorance is the root of intolerance. Therefore, exposure and studying of different cultures is crucial in enhancing tolerance (Raatma, 2005). Research shows that people tend to hate what they fail to understand. Therefore, it is important to place emphasis of the shared values as a way of enhancing tolerance. Man is a social being and must live in harmony with others. This can only happen in an environment of mutual exchange. Tolerance is supposed to develop a capacity to compromise of contentious issues. Tolerance means to persuade others while being ready to be persuaded. Tolerance is opposed to dictatorship and dogmatism. This means that it’s not possible to be tolerant and rigid. Tolerance becomes a social crime when the reasonable limits are exceeded. It’s been argued that tolerance is a virtue in the minute things of life (Mars, 2008). However, when tolerance negates the basic principles of life, it should not be accepted. This is because it can encourage arnarchy. When the society tolerates evil, the best self is suppressed which makes the society retrogressive. This demands courage and fortitude in matters that pertain to principles of life. Another compelling example is the tolerating moral corruption, political dishonesty and social wrongs. This means putting up with the vices and being sluggish in offering a solution (Raatma, 2005). This negates the essence of tolerance in a civilized society. In extreme cases, naïve tolerance can result to loss of life. Complacency about national integrity and fundamental rights leads to deeper trouble in the society (Miller, 2006). The above example shows that tolerance must be intentional. Tolerance should not be viewed as a mere positive emotion. The example shows that tolerance is aimed at bring stability and progress in the modern society. The explanation indicates that there is a thin line between tolerance and intolerance. For example, Dr. Martin Luther was not patient with the racial culture while promoting the culture of justice and fairness. Education has played a crucial role in decreasing the levels of intolerance. Heredity plays a crucial role in understanding tolerance since a cultured person makes concessions with ease. Historical dynamics led to diverse outlooks. Broadmindedness minimizes unnecessary arguments. In a globalised society, tolerance is vital for productivity and peaceful coexistence in the modern world. Correct understanding demands that simple differences do not necessarily mean confrontation. Tolerance is a form of acceptance. This kind of acceptance runs deeper than superficial acceptance. Tolerance tends to mean that humans are inherently the same. Since tolerance should not be dissent masked in civility, the best definition of tolerance is acceptance. However, this definition is exempted from an onslaught on basic life ethics and principles. By and large, demystifying tolerance is vital in the progressive and increasingly globalised modern society. I can define tolerance using my words as a virtue of listening to different opinions and acting accordingly without being driven by anger. A tolerant person is able to have a permissive attitude towards different opinions, race, nationality and religion of the people. As a result of tolerance one can be able to endure pain or even hardship infringed by another person’s opinions. A tolerant man is able to act with integrity as he/she takes time to come up with the best answer to tackle a certain opinion. References Mars, C. (2008). Tolerance (1st ed.). Last Gasp. Miller, C. C. (2006). Tolerance (1st ed.). Capstone. Oberdiek, H. (2001). Tolerance: Between Forbearance and Acceptance (1st ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. Raatma, L. (2005). Tolerance (1st ed.). Capstone. Read More