Professor David Small says, “The presence of others will accord us validity, identity, and reality. You cannot be anything if you’re not recognized as something. ” This appreciates the value of interaction and being part of a group. We are recognized and accepted as part of the different groups we belong to.
But an issue emerges when we become exclusive and fail to show the same recognition and hospitality to those outside of our circle, status, age, or calibre.
In the Bible, the book of Mark 9:38-41, an exorcist working separately in the community and outside the remit of Jesus and his disciples was doing good work and bringing healing to the lives of people. The disciples who at that time couldn’t do much of what the exorcist was doing approached Jesus to reject the ‘outsider’ because they saw him as a rival and threat to their role. Jesus saw him differently, embraced his good work, and said, ” Anyone who is not against us is for us.”
In that passage, Jesus encouraged us to be tolerant of those who exist outside our group, our community, our church, or any circle where we belong.
In truth, no individual or group can be tolerant of everything. Some intolerances are considered healthy, like practices that are harmful to human existence. Having said that, tolerating each other’s ideological, cultural, religious, and personality differences can create a more civil and harmonious society.
We are expected to tolerate people even when we don’t agree with them. Tolerance is different from likeness. It entails acceptance, understanding, and respect. There is no absolute standard of living. Our perception and judgment of people are valid based on our understanding, without introspective thinking.
But we are all different, all mixed up, all of us. Tolerating these differences is simply a measure of how we can live with ourselves, for our peace and sanity.
Intolerance exists both within and outside the circle we occupy. In our different WhatsApp, Facebook, and Telegram groups where some opinions count more than others, some people are respected more than others, some mistakes are more easily overlooked than others, we make excuses for some people more than others, and we easily attack or correct some people more than others and so on. Generally, some are respected more than others, maybe because of the strength of their personality or their affluence. These conditions of tolerance can cause psychological discomfort and hurt feelings in people.
From the background, parents, teachers, and caregivers should model tolerance to children. It should start with accepting the differing interests, styles, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses in children. At home and in schools, diversity with a sense of inclusivity and respect for everyone should be embraced and celebrated, irrespective of class, gender, race, age, culture, tradition, or background.
In the Christian faith, Scripture Scholar Denis McBride states that such tolerance “is a reverence for the truth that is always larger than ourselves, it is a profound respect for the freedom of God to move in his chosen ways”.
We inhabit a big world, and the beauty of it lies in tolerance, which is a huge contributor to a peaceful and harmonious living.
✍️ Amara Ann Unachukwu
