Sunday, August 9, 2009

Tolerance makes us strong


When we see an unacceptable behaviour, we typically begin to get hot under the collar. We lose our patience and begin to fume. Depending on the level of irritation and the situation, we may get provoked to speak out our minds and even take other forms of action. Taking the initiative to make a change is good. It indicates courage and a spirit of bravado. I am reminded of many revolutionary freedom movements which were successful due to this.

However, intolerance is good only in certain situations. If this becomes our second nature, it could lead serious consequences and breakup of relationships. I have seen people priding themselves in being intolerant. They make statements like “I just can’t tolerate this” or “I have tolerated this for too long”. There are many situations where tolerance is a virtue and makes us stronger.

The key requirements for tolerance are patience, maturity and a broad mind. Instead of being reactive, if we become “reflective”, it will help us see things with a wider perspective. Viewed with a long term perspective, small irritants seem insignificant. We learn to take things lightly and overlook them. In children, we see high levels of tolerance as they do not have high expectations and they have the knack of acceptance.

With tolerance, we gain control over ourselves. People who have control over themselves are strong indeed and have the magnetism to be able to control others. When we are tolerant, people get a sense of comfort dealing with us. Our relationship network expands and so does our ability to influence others.

“Until you have learned to be tolerant with those who do not always agree with you, you will be neither successful nor happy” - Napoleon Hill

"The highest result of education is tolerance." - Helen Keller

“He that can't endure the bad will not live to see the good.” Yiddish Proverb

“In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is one’s best teacher” - Anonymous

10 comments:

KParthasarathi said...

As usual a very nice post.

There is nothing to be ashamed about being angry. It is like any other emotion like happiness or sadness. Anger should not be suppressed but the surging energy given vent in some other way like exercise, sports, or social work. Otherwise the buried anger will harm the health of the individual. The hard part is learning what to do with these strong feelings. It helps to discuss about our anger with a friend or family member. Once we talk about anger, those bad feelings usually disappear. Never getting angry is well nigh difficult. We should instead remember that how we react when we are angry would decide ultimately the situation getting better or worse. We should in no case permit anger taking control of us. We should learn to control it.

anupama said...

DEAR VISH,
congrats for choosing the topics.see,the image makes a difference to the post.
tolerance helps us to maintain relations.it develops better relations and communal harmony.whatever we preach,unless one experinces the bitterness he/she will not learn.
enjoyed reading your post.
happy blogging........
sasneham,
anu

Sneha Shrivastava said...

I think we all love people around us who are more tolerant, less mindful of our mistakes and errors and in this sense more predictable. in tolerant people tend to be more unpredictable however intelligent or bright they may be, are not the happy part of any group or team.

A very well written post.:)

Anonymous said...

Each person has their own way.As for the right way the correct way & the only way it does not exist.We must learn to tolerate each others differences.We must stay committed to our decisions but must be flexible in our approach..

Tolerance is Virtue
Virtue is Grace
Keep them together
&
Keep a Smiling Face:-)

Tyaagi

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Right you are! Tolerance certainly makes one strong and courageous..... as I have witnessed in many occasions of my own life!

ramesh sadasivam said...

We need to strike a balance between tolerance and intolerance.

Too much of anything is good fro nothing. We can learn this from Gandhiji. He is the ultimate example. He knows what to tolerate and what not tolerate.

Thanks for sharing.

What I like about this blog is,

1.You write short and simple
2.You write really valuable basics.
3.You substantiate your idea with a few quotes from great men.
4. When one comments on your blog, there is something he/she can contribute to the post.

Really nice.

ramesh sadasivam said...

I guess the following post by Venus is also quite close to your's.

http://mary-das.blogspot.com/2009/08/in-harmony.html

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