November 16 is the International Day of Tolerance. Ironically, tolerance is in short supply these days. Lack of tolerance is the biggest reason for our cultural divide. How can we regain our tolerance and openness? Let’s examine the issue.
How Did We Become So Intolerant?
Here is some background on the International Day of Tolerance:
“It was started by the UN General Assembly with the goal of getting educational institutions and the general public to see tolerance as a staple of society. And it came after the United Nations declared a Year for Tolerance in 1995.”
While hindsight is 20/20, it is clear that our efforts have failed miserably. We are intolerant of each other, and this must change immediately. Authentic listening is becoming a lost art, as we seem to listen while formulating our response—that is, we are not listening. We talk over each other to get our point across, and little effort is made to understand another’s point of view. This lack of communication is a significant cause of our current cultural divide.
Social media is another major cause and contributor. The typical response on most platforms is a fragmented sentence, usually with sarcastic undertones or a direct attack against the individual for whom the message is targeted. Our generation has become intolerant, and we are teaching our children the same. This is a great time to examine the meaning behind the International Day of Tolerance and embrace it more fully.
Politics has escalated the situation to the point where people are becoming violent and attacking others not only for their views but for what they are wearing. A report came out yesterday of a high school teacher in Southern California who verbally attacked a student for wearing a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat— too many instances of violence because of people’s views.
Reversing Course
We must change course as the cultural divide gets larger, not smaller. The “International Day of Tolerance” website gives a couple of good options to start:
- Read About Different Cultures
- Actively Listen to Different Viewpoints
- Participate in Acts of Remembrance or Advocacy
- Remember that the person you are interacting with is also God’s child
- Accept the fact that you don’t always have to convince the other of your view
- Agree to disagree if a discussion is heating up or take a break from the discussion
- If on social media, log off for a while and let yourself calm down.
- If social media is too much for you, consider taking a more extended break and see how you feel
- NEVER allow a situation to get to the point where name-calling and/or violence is possible
- Remember that you can only control yourself. If your de-escalation isn’t helping, it’s time to leave the conversation.
God didn’t create us to be at odds with each other. God wants us to cooperate with Him, look out for each other, and build relationships, not destroy them. By learning to avoid confrontation, you will find God’s peace and enjoy the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us in Galatians 5:22-23:
‘In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such, there is no law.”
Have any of these options helped you to diffuse a situation? By avoiding confrontation, are you finding your life more peaceful? Is there an experience you would like to share? I want you to know that all comments are welcome and encouraged.
Peace
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In