Tolerance..
(Viewpoint from 2005)
How tolerant are you? How much difference of opinion and views can you handle? How rigid are your own thinking and views – have you changed your opinion about anything recently? What has caused those changes? To what extent would you go to get others who think differently from you to convert to your views? How much would you accept others trying to confront your beliefs and values without wanting to pick a fight with them?
I believe these questions are important at a time when it would appear that there is rising intolerance and displays of prejudice, which have resulted in violent conflicts - between nations or between people. In Guyana, it is important for us to address our own prejudices and levels of intolerance as we create a plural society.
My parents this year were accosted by a Christian missionary who felt that the jhandhi flag in our yard was a symbol of our evil and hence it was necessary to save us. My normally tolerant family were shocked at the blatant display of disregard for multiple religious faiths – have you had any similar experiences? How will we deal with those people who believe that their religion is the sole religion and will go to all lengths to condemn other people's religious beliefs? Do we start wars, or do we seek to engage them in discussions to leave us alone and to respect the diversity? What happens if people continue to condemn our religious beliefs? At what stage should we become offended? Should we take offense at all supposedly negative views of our religious beliefs?
What about other forms of intolerance and prejudice that manifest themselves in our society – our phobias, prejudices and stereotypes based on ethnicity, or gender, or age, or disability. How do we feel about people who are HIV positive? Would we work with someone who is HIV positive, be a friend to them? How do we feel about people who are disabled – do we give the time of the day to ensure that our public spaces are accessible to those who are wheelchair bound? Do we care that some of our children whose minds are active but whose bodies limit their access to our public school system are left out of the society.
Stabroek News columnist Allan Fenty wrote in his column of 10 December 2004 on his views on gay and lesbian people – that his view of tolerance is that people should keep their sexuality private. Imagine what a world it would be , if people kept their sexuality private – there would be no amorous couples on the seawall, no Valentine's Day commercialism, no lavish spending on weddings etc – unless if we feel that in our view of tolerance, that gay and lesbian people should keep their affections furtive and secret unlike the public displays of sexuality of heterosexual people. What kind of discrimination is that? In the US there used to be a time when inter racial couples were abhorred by the white majority – are the majority views on romance and love always right?
Do we prefer to see people as we want them to be, or rather as the way in which they want to be seen. What I mean is – would we rather that the entire world thought, behaved, just like us, or that there was some space for diversity of beliefs, behaviours and opinions? How much of that diversity can you accommodate? How far are you willing to go to listen and engage with others who are different from you, to find common grounds to prevent conflicts. Back to the first question, how tolerant are you? And if you are not tolerant or able to deal with your prejudices, how would you like the other people who think different from you, but believe that their views are the best views – to deal with you?
How tolerant are you? How much difference of opinion and views can you handle? How rigid are your own thinking and views – have you changed your opinion about anything recently? What has caused those changes? To what extent would you go to get others who think differently from you to convert to your views? How much would you accept others trying to confront your beliefs and values without wanting to pick a fight with them?
I believe these questions are important at a time when it would appear that there is rising intolerance and displays of prejudice, which have resulted in violent conflicts - between nations or between people. In Guyana, it is important for us to address our own prejudices and levels of intolerance as we create a plural society.
My parents this year were accosted by a Christian missionary who felt that the jhandhi flag in our yard was a symbol of our evil and hence it was necessary to save us. My normally tolerant family were shocked at the blatant display of disregard for multiple religious faiths – have you had any similar experiences? How will we deal with those people who believe that their religion is the sole religion and will go to all lengths to condemn other people's religious beliefs? Do we start wars, or do we seek to engage them in discussions to leave us alone and to respect the diversity? What happens if people continue to condemn our religious beliefs? At what stage should we become offended? Should we take offense at all supposedly negative views of our religious beliefs?
What about other forms of intolerance and prejudice that manifest themselves in our society – our phobias, prejudices and stereotypes based on ethnicity, or gender, or age, or disability. How do we feel about people who are HIV positive? Would we work with someone who is HIV positive, be a friend to them? How do we feel about people who are disabled – do we give the time of the day to ensure that our public spaces are accessible to those who are wheelchair bound? Do we care that some of our children whose minds are active but whose bodies limit their access to our public school system are left out of the society.
Stabroek News columnist Allan Fenty wrote in his column of 10 December 2004 on his views on gay and lesbian people – that his view of tolerance is that people should keep their sexuality private. Imagine what a world it would be , if people kept their sexuality private – there would be no amorous couples on the seawall, no Valentine's Day commercialism, no lavish spending on weddings etc – unless if we feel that in our view of tolerance, that gay and lesbian people should keep their affections furtive and secret unlike the public displays of sexuality of heterosexual people. What kind of discrimination is that? In the US there used to be a time when inter racial couples were abhorred by the white majority – are the majority views on romance and love always right?
Do we prefer to see people as we want them to be, or rather as the way in which they want to be seen. What I mean is – would we rather that the entire world thought, behaved, just like us, or that there was some space for diversity of beliefs, behaviours and opinions? How much of that diversity can you accommodate? How far are you willing to go to listen and engage with others who are different from you, to find common grounds to prevent conflicts. Back to the first question, how tolerant are you? And if you are not tolerant or able to deal with your prejudices, how would you like the other people who think different from you, but believe that their views are the best views – to deal with you?
Comments
Post a Comment