INTOLERANCE - Hot Topic of late

It makes me wonder if it is possible to be tolerant of everything.

Is there anyone who is only tolerant, or only intolerant?

                                                                        

Why do we forget that we have choices?

When we choose something different, we can be perceived as intolerant. What matters is when making a choice, how do we express ourselves? Are we rejecting the other/s in the process? Are we going into a judgment?

When something bothers us, do we react or respond, do we express or go into a blame game.

Are you being intolerant or are you making a choice?

At times we do have apprehensions, and we express them. Can others just listen, and not start hitting, judging, labelling….

What is wrong per se with intolerance?

Someone is getting raped, abused, can I be tolerant then?

My wallet is being snatched by someone, will I be tolerant then?

Obviously my intolerance will come to the fore, be it for protection, self-preservation, or whatever other reason.

So how and when does intolerance start becoming bad / wrong?

Well, I avoid watching horror movies, or violent movies as I don’t enjoy them. I avoid watching them as I don’t have the tolerance to watch them, but I am not making any judgment why such movies are made. Nor do I have a conversation why others are watching them, and enjoying them. So I think maybe what matters is how you express your intolerance? Do you use it to hit back? Do you use it to vent out your own anger, or inability?

Intolerance is not the opposite of tolerance, in fact it's the essential counterpart. When we understand that, we can stop being intolerant of the word ‘Intolerance’.

Where there is tolerance, its counterpart intolerance has to be there. Whether it is being expressed overtly or covertly, it is there. One doesn't have a presence without the other.

Everything has its other polarity too. A magnet cannot have only South Pole, or only North Pole. It always has both the polarities at its two ends. Likewise, no emotion can have a stand-alone presence in us. It always must have its polarity as well. This is the Law of Polarity, which states that what we call opposites are simply different manifestations of the same thing. There are no absolutes in life. Everything is in continuum and has within itself its opposite as well. We just need to learn to strike a balance between the extremes.

As a tolerant person, I find it difficult to accept that there is intolerance in me too. I may not choose to be a victim of it, but it is there inside me. When I deny the presence of intolerance inside me, it tends to pop up unexpectedly and disturbs my calm, my balance, and obviously disturbs others as well. So can I be wise, and accept and embrace it also as part of me. That would allow me to address it as it comes up.

Rising intolerance also indicates a rise in the freedom of expression.

When someone expresses their views which are different from ours, we tend to go into a judgment zone. Listening has already been compromised. Where is the scope for any tolerance then?

Can we learn to simply listen to it as a statement? Listening doesn't mean we are in agreement with the person's viewpoint, nor do we need to be against it. Everyone has a right to express themselves.  

We are conveniently and selectively tolerant, or intolerant. 

May I remind all that we are a country with extreme financial disparity, multiple religions, castes, languages, cultures that have been co-existing fairly well? Of course there is a huge scope to take that co-existence a few notches up. Can we focus on doing that then?

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