Should we tolerate intolerance?

Why do We have to tolerate Anything?

if one doesn't "tolerate" isn't one then becoming "intolerant"? I think that's a "circle" question.

Yep I meant it to be a circular question about tolerance.

What does it mean to you?

What I mean to say is I think we should live and let live, but in our personal reality I don't think we should be forced to tolerate someone who is actually in our face and trying to tell us how to live our lives.

But I do believe we can allow people to be who they are and believe what they believe and worship the way they want to as long as they are not harming us or harming innocents.

It depends on the actions of the intolerant. We can only regulate actions, not beliefs. So, if the intolerant DO things to others to force their belief system, than we can't tolerate that. However, if they only personally practice what they believe, then we have to tolerate that.

I agree with you. It is not my place to tell anyone what to believe or not to believe or force what I feel or think onto anyone. I will, however, set boundaries when someone attempts to FORCE ME to do or think anything! I welcome learning about other's beliefs and if they teach me something, I may or may not incorporate that concept. It's about choices!

I understand what you are saying Ruth, but why would you use the term "tolerance" when all you are doing is allowing people to practice and believe what they choose?

The term "tolerance" (in that example) means that you are apparently "bothered" by allowing other people to believe differently from you.

"However, if they only personally practice what they believe, then we have to tolerate that. "

(We don't HAVE to tolerate anything actually, it is just being preached at everyone that we do.)

To "tolerate" something actually means to endure something that is bothering you or being inflicted upon you directly.

If a church is "bothered" because of a gay couple or because of a tarot card reader practicing in their neighborhood who are not doing anything to interfere with them, and they are bothered by it this anyway they call their inaction to run them out of town "tolerance" and give themselves a pat on the back.

When in truth, they are only tolerating their own discomfort that they are inflicting upon themselves by not just allowing people to be and practice what they choose.

Good point. I actually don't care what anyone else does or believes as long as they don't take action to force me to believe or act as they do.

For my own life, I choose to ignore, if that's tolerance, then that's what I do. But I "tolerate" it in a manner in which it causes me no concern about those people. The only time I won't ignore them is when they infringe on MY life. Does that make sense?

Yes that makes perfect sense. I call this the "law of allowance"

"The law of allowance" is what religions might want to start preaching instead of "tolerance." because "tolerance" implies that they are in the process of "enduring" their own discomfort with what other people are doing which is none of their business anyway.

Now I think if someone walked into their church and insisted on sacrificing a goat or wanted to be allowed to do tarot card readings in their church I doubt they would "tolerate" that one second.

If someone were to go to a church and demand to have their say and then preach to them that they were all on the wrong spiritual path and that they were all wasting their time, I don't thing they would or should tolerate that for one second.

No body should be told that they must tolerate that kind of intrusion into their personal lives if they are not interfering with anyone.

Everyone has tolerance but that has nothing to do with regard to changing laws that make negative behaviors as if they are normal.

Again...it's a bout protecting the most innocent in our society...not some fad of the day.

The question needs to be asked...how much is too much & what do you do when govt. condones someone else's actions in spite of the negative affect it has on you & yours?

Quickstepper, will you be more specific please if you don't mind? I don't really know what your are referring to. You are being very vague.

What "negative" behaviors are you talking about? What negative effects are you talking about specifically?

JB

We just cant allow intolerance into our lives and effect us and make them out to be exactly what they are. REALLY REALLY STUPID PEOPLE, (I just point and laugh, nature will take its course)

Intolerance......Is it ok to tolerate someone who is violently cruel to a child?

Is it ok to look the other way when someone is being beaten?

Someone is causing great harm to a society, a village, a neighbourhood? Is it ok to look the other way?

Intolerance... I have no tolerance for abusers...
of any description from bullies to murderers.

Tolerance.... allowing another to grow through their misconceptions, their 'mistakes' ....having patience with another for their differences?

Definitely.

that's why people take meds

No two people are the same so it is impossible to agree on everything so we all tolerate or intolerate to a certain degree.

What does it mean to you?

What I mean to say is I think we should live and let live, but in our personal reality I don't think we should be forced to tolerate someone who is actually in our face and trying to tell us how to live our lives.

But I do believe we can allow people to be who they are and believe what they believe and worship the way they want to as long as they are not harming us or harming innocents.






What does that mean to me.

What I mean to say is I think we should live and let live, but in our personal reality I don't think we should be forced to tolerate someone who is actually in our face and trying to tell us how to live our lives.

I have mixed feelings on this because of my personal nonconformist beliefs. Altruistically it makes sense. But if another is right and I am wrong even though it might take me longer to figure out that they are right and I am wrong then I should mull what they said over until I come to the same conclusion that they did. I do better with suggestions than ultimatums. Let us reason together if we have that option otherwise it might be detrimental to my education. Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought him back.

But I do believe we can allow people to be who they are and believe what they believe and worship the way they want to as long as they are not harming us or harming innocents.

I especially liked what you said here. If a doctor determines a certain thing and the state backs him up then it behooves me to follow his/her ruling. It really doesn't matter what I believe because it is liability versus belief. I personally believe in licensed doctors rather witch doctors but that is because I have had more experience with licensed doctors than witch doctors. I am not trying to dis any witch doctors. To harm another would be the last thing I would want to do because it goes against my core principles especially innocents who under my care.

When I say that we should not be expected to "tolerate" someone who is actually in our face trying to tell us how (or how not) to live our lives, I am talking about strangers who are judging us by how we live, what we believe, how we worship, etc. simply because we don't live as they do.

If I am not bothering them or harming them or breaking any law,and they have no vested interest in me, (as my family or friends might,) and they come to my house and try to tell me to change, or have me arrested, or run me out of town, then I don't have to tolerate that.

Neither should they pat themselves on their backs for being "tolerant" of me by leaving me alone, or just because they did not run me out of town. I was not bothering them, so they had no need to think that they are being "tolerant" of me.

Their tolerance is only tolerance of their own prejudice. Its a personal problem and it is usually fear based.

It does not matter who thinks who is right or wrong. That is just an opinion.



There would be no reason for me to sit down and try to reason with someone who is just getting into my business and has no business being there unless we are closely involved in some sort of on going relationship.

I have been told to mind my own business before. I have grew to tolerate that. It wasn't always tolerable but getting confused about what is my business and what is someone's business made me think that what they told made sense. I mean if I didn't mind my own business I could lose it. By the same token though the less I meddled in their business and paid more attention to my own business the better my business was. I wonder if any of that made sense.