Tolerance by Shauna Stauffer

To select just one idea or object that I believe in is a difficult task to do. So many views exist today that I truly believe in: honesty, loyalty, kindness, laughter; the list could continue for quite a while. Out of all the beliefs floating through my mind, my feelings about tolerance stand out the most. Though all the other ideas are certainly important to possess, being tolerant is prominent because I view it as a path that not only I, but everyone, can take to have a positive effect on the senseless world we live in today.

Human beings tend to not agree on every aspect of life, which is quite an understatement. I feel that people must learn to agree to disagree. This is a very difficult concept to carry out, and I definitely struggle with the idea. I am extremely stubborn and lodged in my ways, so my mind automatically slams shut when I hear about beliefs that differ from my own. Now I surely do not believe in abandoning my opinions every time a new philosophy is heard, but I do think that being open minded and willing to listen to others is quite important. I do not agree with the choice of being gay or lesbian, but one action I will not do is ostracize these types of people from my life because they say comments I do not want to hear. Just because someone is Muslim and I am a Christian does not mean that I cannot be his or her friend. This type of attitude does not just stop with these intangible qualities, but continue with peoples appearances.

In today's society we cast immediate judgements on people the second we see them, and these critiques are usually not kind and consist of stereotypical images that plague our minds. In order for me and everyone to tolerate others, we need to throw aside these instantaneous conclusions based on appearances. For instance, when I see an Arabic looking man, the first thoughts that enter my head are those of a possible terrorist and even images of Osama bin Laden. Do I really believe this man is a terrorist? No, I do not, but the fact is that the thought still hits me every single time, and that is not acceptable. We must truly think that tolerance of others really will produce positive effects on the world.

I believe that through tolerance, we can become a little more understanding of one another. When we are tolerant of each other, our minds and hearts open and are ready to listen. Through listening, we can learn about the disparities of the views in the world, which ultimately leads to knowledge, and knowledge is unquestionably a very powerful tool. Through wisdom we can finally learn how to understand and accept each other for who we are. By displaying this tolerance toward others, I think it will definitely be seen in return. Just imagine if everyone could grasp how to accept everyone, no matter their race, religion, or sexual preference. Most likely, wars would not exist because of our ignorance shown to each other, crime rates would decrease, and eventually the world would be a better place. Who knows, maybe if I am able to exemplify tolerance, other people will listen to my ideas and beliefs too.

In a world that is in a constant struggle because of our immense dissimilarities, I believe in a simple word called tolerance. Though this may not solve global warming, it could still change the world. Constant disapproval of people different from us does not create a better place for everyone to live, because they are people, just like you and me. I believe tolerance is the key to make the world a better place to live not just in the future, but for today as well.