Why is there less tolerance among people?
Question by:Sanvika Siddhi,Student, Coimbatore
Sanvika, the word tolerance has been politically overused in India and now everybody is misusing it. In fact, the word itself means “enduring and permissive mindset towards those who hold opposite views” and it doesn’t in anyway mean co-hesion which we want to synonymise it with.
We, actually, are asking why is there less cohesion among people? Cohesion is a natural harmony of living together. But tolerance means you are just allowing somebody the freedom to express opposite views till you can endure that—-it is conditional. After that, you are not going to tolerate the views, you are as good as saying this. However, in cohesion, there is no such identification of opposite views and stands. It is the natural state of co-existence and feeling of sameness. Imagine, how everybody reacts in the same voice when there is an attack from an enemy neighbour! This is called cohesiveness—the natural state of togetherness which responds the same way when opposed!
As long as there is consciousness, “I must endure this viewpoint as everybody has the right to express themselves,” you, in fact, are forcing something upon yourself. This forced equality is not equality but a compulsion, a pressure and every pressure follows the dynamics of the spring—-it springs against the pressure after some time. This is the reason why there is less ‘tolerance’ (cohesion) today. Unless different people feel oneness, they cannot have cohesion. Therefore, the need of the hour is to absorb the law of cohesion deeper into the system through right examples and education.
Just imagine a family, where everybody lives cohesively—there are frictions, but they are overpowered by the dominating bond of coexistence. However, there are some families where the head of the family imposes himself on everybody equally. In such a family, the pressure will force splits and trigger rebellion after sometime. Because, the head of the family failed to recognise the right and the wrong and reward the right and discourage the wrong.
We need to understand one thing clearly. We have to know the right and the wrong as the causes which lead to some effects. But, the effect which does good for the family should be right and the other wrong. There are good bacteria and bad bacteria in your body. If you promote the good, you gain health and if you remain ‘tolerant’ with the bad, you are going to have the end of tolerance one day and fall sick. You can’t treat good and bad bacteria the same way! Can you?
Remember one Gita principle, which is the definition of cohesion. ‘Feel others as your very self—feel all in you and you in all.’ If this spirit, this feel comes in then all the seemingly opposing groups will co-exist in the same body as the left and the right parts of our own body—mutually helping one other! Look at the height of cohesion—the right brain works for the left and the left for the right parts of the body. This natural cohesion is achievable, because our brain system exhibits it fully. Remember! If you allow anti-national expression in your country, you will see the end of the country. And if you allow, pro-national expression in the your country, then you will have a prospering country. Therefore, always support what is good for all and condemn what is bad for all. This is upholding the equality—because it will trigger growth pattern which will help all equally!--VS
Note: (This picture is only for representation purposes. The Questioner does not want to disclose her identity details)