Hello and welcome.
And today's word is tolerance.
And I'm going to include with tolerance the word acceptance as well.
So we have tolerance and acceptance in a nice bubble for this one.
So have you ever been quick to judge someone different from yourself?
In a world of diversity,
Embracing tolerance and acceptance is crucial for fostering peace and understanding.
Imagine how much better our relationships,
Communities and societies could be if we approach differences with openness instead of resistance.
And with what we see going on in the world at the moment,
Perhaps we could even extend that to different religious beliefs as well.
Tolerance and acceptance allow us to coexist harmoniously despite differences in culture,
Belief system and backgrounds.
And it doesn't mean we always agree with one another,
But rather that we respect the right of others to have perspectives different from our own.
By practicing these virtues,
We create space for empathy,
Collaboration and meaningful relationships.
And sometimes we may even learn something new.
We've got some wonderful examples in history of tolerance.
And the first one I'd mention is Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi's philosophy of Ahimsa,
Which was non-violence and tolerance,
Helped lead India to independence from British rule.
He believed that all religions and people deserved respect,
And he worked tirelessly to unite Hindus and Muslims.
Despite facing imprisonment,
Hunger strikes and immense resistance,
Gandhi refused to retaliate with violence,
Instead advocating for peaceful protest.
His tolerance and insistence on non-violence made a lasting impact on civil rights movements worldwide.
We have another example,
Martin Luther King Jr.
Inspired by Gandhi,
In fact,
He led the American civil rights movement with a message of non-violence and acceptance.
He believed that racial differences should not define people's worth and worked tirelessly to promote equality in the face of deep-rooted discrimination.
His I Have a Dream speech remains one of the most powerful messages of unity and tolerance in history.
And then,
Of course,
We have the Dalai Lama.
As a spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism,
The Dalai Lama preaches global peace and acceptance.
Forced into exile due to Chinese occupation,
He continues to advocate for tolerance between different cultures,
Promoting compassion and harmony in the face of oppression.
And if you're somebody who follows different spiritual mentors like Eckhart Tolle,
There we also see,
When we go to the spiritual perspective of life,
We see a huge amount of tolerance being encouraged there,
That true spirituality,
Regardless of your religious beliefs or non-religious beliefs,
In fact,
True spirituality looks at embracing differences and living as one in peace and love with one another.
A Harvard University study found that diverse communities with high levels of acceptance report far lower crime rates and stronger economic growth.
And there we can see that a lack of tolerance can often be used almost as an excuse for violence and separation.
And that's where things can go dangerously wrong.
Research published in the Journal of Social Psychology suggests that exposure to different cultures increases cognitive flexibility and empathy.
And we see it often in children who've lived in different countries from an early age.
They find it much easier to make connection with others,
And they're much more open to differences culturally,
Background-wise,
Language-wise,
Religion-wise,
All of those different elements,
Because they were immersed in it at an early age.
And studies from the American Psychological Association indicate that practicing tolerance reduces stress and increases emotional well-being.
And on that note,
I'd like to just share that we're not just talking here about tolerating others,
But sometimes we need to become a lot more tolerant of ourselves.
And that's a really wonderful place,
I think,
For us to move into now,
Our action steps.
So action step number one,
Please start to engage in conversations with people of different backgrounds,
Different ideologies,
Different thought processes,
And just as a curious observer,
Have those conversations to try and understand where those people are coming from.
Because at the end of the day,
Whatever our differences,
We all think we're kind of right based on what we've experienced in our lifetime.
Number two,
Challenge your own biases and question preconceptions you have,
But also please question judgments that you have about yourself.
Now in general,
When we judge others,
We only judge others based on what we believe are important judgments towards ourself.
And so if we want to stop judging others and become more tolerant,
The first place to start really is by going within.
Am I overly harsh on myself?
Do I judge myself very harshly around manners,
Religious doctrines,
Value systems,
And where could I be more tolerant?
And number three,
Read some literature or watch documentaries on cultures different from your own,
And watch with a mindset of fascination of what you can learn and what you could potentially add to your own being.
And today we're going to end by a quote from Timothy Keller.
Tolerance isn't about not having beliefs,
It's about how your beliefs lead you to treat people who disagree with you.
