Columbine. 9/11. The Arab Spring. Palestine vs. Israel. Malaysian Airlines Flight 77.
These are just a few of the thousands of blatant acts of violence that have occurred during my short lifetime. They happen every day, making it impossible to turn on the television or surf the Internet without coming across stories of yet another attack. Regardless of the offenders or the location of the tragedies, they all have one thing in common; they were caused by intolerance of the differences in society.
Intolerance of religion. Intolerance of sexual orientation. Intolerance of tradition. Intolerance of appearance. Intolerance of political views. Intolerance of sociocultural differences. Intolerance of any slight difference between oneself and another person. Out-group bias on a massive scale.
Why can't we tolerate each other? Why must we always resort to violence? If anyone knows the answer to this timeless question, please enlighten me. I honestly do not understand why having a different opinion or belief implies being ostracized and incurring possible punishment for "being wrong." Who decides what is "wrong?" And don't go straight to religious texts for the answers, because claiming that someone else's actions are against your religion is like being angry with someone for eating a doughnut because you're on a diet.
Tolerance does not mean being uninvolved and passively "accepting" another group. It means actively choosing to interact on a basis of mutual understanding and respect. Tolerance means acknowledging that fact that our diversity is a strength, not a weakness.
Though it might seem impossible to exercise tolerance in certain situations, tolerance is the key to easing hostile tensions and to helping communities, and our society as a whole, move past conflict. While it is possible to wake up tomorrow and decide to be tolerant of others, tolerance can-and must-be learned. We need to teach kids not just how to coexist, but how to act together as productive members of a global community. Cultural understanding and respect needs to be promoted throughout society, from the playground to political battlegrounds.
In the words of Robert Green Ingersoll, "Tolerance is giving every other human being every right that you claim for yourself."
Let's work on that.
- Sarah Sabatke is a 2014 Monroe High School graduate.
These are just a few of the thousands of blatant acts of violence that have occurred during my short lifetime. They happen every day, making it impossible to turn on the television or surf the Internet without coming across stories of yet another attack. Regardless of the offenders or the location of the tragedies, they all have one thing in common; they were caused by intolerance of the differences in society.
Intolerance of religion. Intolerance of sexual orientation. Intolerance of tradition. Intolerance of appearance. Intolerance of political views. Intolerance of sociocultural differences. Intolerance of any slight difference between oneself and another person. Out-group bias on a massive scale.
Why can't we tolerate each other? Why must we always resort to violence? If anyone knows the answer to this timeless question, please enlighten me. I honestly do not understand why having a different opinion or belief implies being ostracized and incurring possible punishment for "being wrong." Who decides what is "wrong?" And don't go straight to religious texts for the answers, because claiming that someone else's actions are against your religion is like being angry with someone for eating a doughnut because you're on a diet.
Tolerance does not mean being uninvolved and passively "accepting" another group. It means actively choosing to interact on a basis of mutual understanding and respect. Tolerance means acknowledging that fact that our diversity is a strength, not a weakness.
Though it might seem impossible to exercise tolerance in certain situations, tolerance is the key to easing hostile tensions and to helping communities, and our society as a whole, move past conflict. While it is possible to wake up tomorrow and decide to be tolerant of others, tolerance can-and must-be learned. We need to teach kids not just how to coexist, but how to act together as productive members of a global community. Cultural understanding and respect needs to be promoted throughout society, from the playground to political battlegrounds.
In the words of Robert Green Ingersoll, "Tolerance is giving every other human being every right that you claim for yourself."
Let's work on that.
- Sarah Sabatke is a 2014 Monroe High School graduate.