Tolerance?

[hammer]

Woah....Good call Brian!!!

[jaxree]

I guess I'll be the ass here and say that I don't need to respect or like someone or something to tolerate them. For instance, I don't like the wait in a doctor's office, and I don't respect the inefficiency of most medical facilities, but I'll tolerate it. I don't like chatty taxi drivers or babies who cry on the plane, but I'll tolerate them.

Perhaps tolerance is a more generalized respect for other people. We understand that they have to get through life as best they can, just like we do, so we tolerate the things we don't like about them, just as we hope they tolerate our imperfections.

But while I respect in a general way anyone's right to think and live as they want, as long as it does no harm to others, there are specific things that I respect less. For instance, I don't respect the decision the Kansas state school board made that demands creation be taught as a science. I don't really respect the circular logic with which many fundamentalists use in their interpretation of the Bible or the Koran. But I will tolerate them. That's part of living in a free society.

In the end I think I can be tolerant without being deferential. I'll tolerate an evangelical trying to create laws based on his faith, but I will also fiercely fight it with argument, persuasion and any other means available to me.

While I know I don't have all the answers to the universe's mysteries, and I never will, that doesn't mean I think everyone's answers are equal. I believe there are those that are better than others, and I use my judgment to decide which make the most sense. I'll tolerate someone's bad ideas, but I won't say they are as good as anyone's.

Perhaps that is a harsh definition of tolerance.

[TrueBeliever]

To me tolerance is not judging others for their beliefs just because you believe differently. We are all on the same journey, we each need to find our
own path. Tolerance is accepting that your path may be different than mine
but it's getting us both where we need to be.

[michaellangelo]

its suprising how deep tolerance can go ..from a larger political/religious world view to tolerating the guy who jumps the queue. its really interesting to see everyones different angles and interpretations of it.

people seem to mention tolerance and respect together. i'm thinking maybe tollerance and respect go hand in hand, tolerating something should perhaps be more than just biting my tongue at something that fustrates me.

for me tolerance usually means trying to stay calm and reasonable by respecting something which i could dissagree with.

6.6billion people means 6.6billion individual ways of life. it kind of seems silly that we can disturb ourselves by not accepting this basic human fact.


just some quick thoughts

peace

[Quahom1]

How tolerance is applied depends on the perspective of the individual who is being tolerant. In this particular case, I think the two concepts below apply:

It can mean the acceptance of the differing views of others, and fairness toward people who hold these different views, or

It can mean the act of putting up with somebody or something irritating or otherwise unpleasant.

In the first sense, the individual being "tolerant" does not neccessarily accept the differing views themselves, only that the individual accepts that others have differing views, and treats those others with fairhandedness regardless.

In the second sense, the individual being "tolerant" is actually not accepting of others or things, but is suffering to remain neutral, for a miriad of possible reasons (e.g. not wanting to cause a scene, out of politeness, out of fear, etc.).

I suspect that many people talk of the first sense of tolerance, but in reality, tend to function in the second sense of tolerance.

Subsequently, though the first sense of tolerance takes time and experience, once achieved, it can be maintained indefinitely with no effort, and is sincere, wherein the second sense of tolerance can be generated instantly, but requires a great deal of energy, and can not be sustained for long. It is also hypocritical.

my thoughts

v/r

Q

[17th Angel]

I can't tolerate tolerance.... :|

[wil]

I can't tolerate intolerance.

And am quite judgemental about judgemental people.

An aquaintance of mine replys he isn't predjudice, he's postjudice.

[BeckyThatch]

I agree intolerance shouldn't be tolerated.

That's why it's so hard for me to tolerate this Islamic Wahhabism I here so much about.