Tolerance can help you bring out the best in yourself

Tolerance is in great demand the world over today because of insensitive and barbarous acts of omission and commission against humanity. We need to be tolerant to live in a happy and pluralistic global village.

Tolerance is the most positive trait of an individual; one who has tolerance acquires automatically the rest of the qualities of head and heart that make one a true human being. It is an omnibus that gives you a big space to disagree with others and yet be at peace with yourself and the world. It gives you the lesson to live and let live by agreeing to disagree.

Recently I came across this quote in a friend’s Facebook post: “I don’t have the time to hate people who hate me because I am too busy loving people who love me.” How many of us are willing to take this stand and free ourselves from all ‘killer’ thoughts? The time has come we look within and try to listen to our inner voice and be true to our real selves. The sooner, the better it will be for all of us. A positive outlook towards the weak and the intolerant makes you exhibit your real human qualities of love and compassion towards all sentient beings. And that really differentiates a good world from a bad one.

This reminds me of Walter Scott’s famous column, Personality Parade, in which he once wrote: “Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and the wrong. Sometime in life you will have been all of these.” This says it all. We, born as human beings, must act as human beings, and should not waste away our precious lives.

(Inner Voice comprises contributions

from our readers The views expressed are personal)