Tolerance-- or not

The evils of government are directly proportional to the tolerance of the people.

Anonymous

When a friend, who I care for a lot, told me recently that my previous post on religion sounded intolerant to her, I didn't disagree. Fine with me, I said while thinking that even though I tend toward what many consider the liberal side of the political spectrum, I don't see tolerance as being always a virtue. I do understand though the evils of intolerance, that it can be what starts wars or allows others to be manipulated into starting them and leads to witch burnings, lynchings and so forth.

The conversation, as so many passionate discourses do, led me to thinking more. Exactly what is meant by the word tolerance and why is it promoted as such a positive thing?

First Unabridged Dictionary definition for tolerance: a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.

My husband had a different definition for tolerance. To him, from a science perspective, tolerance is what is allowed until something reaches the breaking point. This would be true for metal or even prescription drug tolerances. What you can tolerate is what you can use until something breaks.

His definition is useful as it explains intolerance. People are intolerant culturally when they fear a breaking point is near. We all might, and will, disagree about what that point will be. One culture has one where a woman goes out without a mask over her face. Another might say when gay couples are permitted to marry.

For me to not care if gays marry, not mind what someone does in their private sexual life (that doesn't harm children or physically hurt someone else), not have ever been concerned about interracial marriage, which can still be a hot spot for a few, and so many other things has not seemed like tolerance. It's easy as it doesn't threaten my concept of the culture in which I live or my own life at all. But to some, it does.

This is where I think the scientific look at tolerance helps a person to understand better than the more proper first dictionary definition. Anything can appear to be a breaking point where some erupt with upset or promote laws to protect themselves.

My main areas of intolerance, those places I see as threats, start with purposeful ignorance. I am also intolerant of others who claim to be informed when they are not... well that goes back to the purposeful ignorance. And hypocrisy-- don't get me started on hypocrisy!

I wonder if true tolerance can ever be found with passion. Doesn't tolerance have to be somewhat placid, not caring if things change, not feeling upset at what goes on around oneself, live and let live? Tolerance probably leads to less high blood pressure and ulcers.

Before we get intolerant of something, perhaps we need to ask ourselves, what actually does break a society? If we are tolerant of the wrong things, to what does that lead?

An intolerant link: Equal time for the willfully ignorant.