The Tolerance Policy

I have found that tolerance is taught alot in our society. We are to tolerate the other person because it is universally acceptable to do this. We are taught to tolerate someone despite the fact that we can't stand them. Has this brought out an open minded society? I don't think so. I find it has brought about a whole new group of people called the passive aggressive agitators. Who would you rather be around? A person who directly confronts you about how they feel about you or one who smiles at you and seemingly agrees with you then stabs you in the back when you aren't looking. Yep, these are the seemingly invincible and undetectable characters of today.

How do you confront a person who is underhanded and virtually untraceable in the things they do to you? They smile and flatter and convince you that they are on your side. They then blame you because you "made" them agree to do something that they didn't want to and arrange your ultimate demise in some scheme behind your back so you are embarrassed or shamed for "their so called hurt feelings." You should have been able to read their mind. I mean it was so obvious they didn't want to like you in the first place and you made them like you. Yes, it is a society of passive aggressive people who have honed their tolerance skills so well that they can instinctively catch you at just the right moment and make you feel like shit. Some passive aggressives think they are fooling you by their whole act but they aren't really very good at the whole act. You can see them mouth, "I think you are great" with their toothy grin and then a cartoon bubble appears above their head saying: "I hate your fuckin guts so get away from me." It kind of leaked out in the snarl that formed the smile and the glaring darts coming from their eyes and not to mention the half formed fist.

It makes me wonder if we are breeding a whole bunch of brilliant con men and women. Their lies are superb and they have actually believed their lies so much that they now don't know what is the truth. These would be the virtual stone hearted urchins who are affected by nothing or noone. Has tolerance taught us anything? It has taught us to hate even more. As kids when we were told to do something and we didn't want to do it, we fought tooth and nail not to do it. When our parents made us do it anyways, we hated them for it and especially if they told us it was for our own good. It is the same thing today. If I am told to like someone or to tolerate someone who is a complete ashole and whom I don't want to be around, I will rebel inside myself. That is why God gave me a free will. I can choose to do or not do something.

I think the whole point is that we shouldn't just be "tolerating" someone but learning to respect them instead. There is a difference. I can respect someone even if they disagree with me or I with them. I don't "have" to get along with them. We simply agree to disagree on a point and move on. I think tolerance equates that we MUST like everyone's viewpoint and not have one of our own. That is definately unfair and so wrong. It is also unfair that we tolerate some things in society and other things are not tolerated. This is especially true when it pertains to freedom to believe in God. Oh no, we can't tolerate this! There is no fairness in any of this. I really get worried of what our world is becoming. I do know that in some countries full tolerance exists but no freedom exists for anyone. Is that where we are headed here in North America?

The only way, I can get past the divisions and intolerances of the world is through a belief in Jesus. I am not saying if we believe in Him, there aren't going to be divisions. I am saying that Jesus takes those divisions and shows us how to love ourselves and then love each other. Isn't that better then just full tolerance? Love teaches us to see through just plain tolerance to acceptance and respect.