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More Words of Wisdom

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The English word “tolerance” came into our language in the middle ages from the Latin word “tolerare” which meant to bear or endure. By the mid 1700s, the word evolved to further imply one who was free from bigotry or severity.

As a virtue, tolerance implies that one accepts differences in people. You don’t expect others to think, look, speak or act just like you.

Tolerant people are generally free of prejudice and discrimination. They accept things they wish were different because they possess some of the companion virtues necessary for promoting tolerance, such as charity, justice, prudence, patience, and flexibility.

Not all tolerance, however, is a virtue, nor is all intolerance necessarily a vice. An exaggerated tolerance may amount to a vice, while intolerance may sometimes be a virtue. This is substantially in agreement with Aristotle’s definition that virtue in general holds the right mean between two extremes which are both vices; the extremes being those of deficiency and excess. Having intolerance for that which shouldn’t be tolerated and is evil is no vice. Tolerating everything regardless of its abhorrence is no virtue.

One of our early American forefathers, Thomas Jefferson, incorporated theories of tolerance into the Constitution of the United States. The virtue of tolerance and genuine respect for differences in people are fundamental to democratic stability in the United States.

Tolerance promotes pluralism, civic responsibility, and then beyond our borders; peaceful world relations. Furthermore, the true test of a free and democratic society is its tolerance by a majority of the people in that society.

A distinction is sometimes drawn between “Religious Tolerance” and the higher notion of “Religious Freedom.”

Some philosophers regard tolerance and religious freedom as quite distinct things and emphasize the differences between the two. In a religious sense, tolerance signifies that permission is given by the adherents of a dominant religion in a society for other religions to exist, even though they are looked upon with disapproval as inferior, mistaken, or harmful. In contrast, religious freedom is the recognition of equal freedom for all religions and denominations in a society, without any kind of discrimination among them; no one is rightfully possessed of the power not to tolerate or to cancel this freedom.

One of the best handbooks I’ve read on the subject of tolerance and religious freedom was written by the late Jesuit scholar, John Courtney Murray, “We Hold These Truths.” I’ve read it several times; its an all time classic.

In the book Murray states, “the American Proposition rests on the more traditional conviction that there are truths; that they can be known; that they must be held; for, if they are not held, assented to, consented to, worked into the texture of institutions, there can be no hope of founding a true City, in which men may dwell in dignity, peace, unity, justice, well-being, freedom.”

Finally, the virtue of Tolerance gives one the ability to separate people from things. This allows us to truly love and esteem those we don’t agree with and consider in error (the people), while separating them from the condemnation of what we consider to be the error of their ways, thoughts, or attitudes (the things).

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TOLERANCE by Michael Hickey

People before

Things

Love before

Knowledge

Freedom before

Tolerance

Prudence before

Intolerance

Esteem with

Opinion

Acceptance with

Expectation

Forbearance not

Bigotry

Patience not

Prejudice

Dignity not

Dominance

Equality not

Discrimination

Peace after

Justice

Unity in

Diversity

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Michael Hickey is a local writer and poet who lives in Pelican Bay and Swampscott, Mass. His book, “Get Wisdom,” is published by Xlibris Div. Random House Publishing and is available at 1-888-795-4274 Ext. 822, at WWW.Xlibris.com, or your local bookstore. E-mail Mike Hickey at Mikehic@nii.net.