Toleration

Toleration is tricky. It carries so many different meanings, to so many different people and yet, when true toleration comes around, regardless of its form, we thrust it into this broad, umbrella category.

The first disclaimer I want to make, is that toleration is not the opposite of intolerance. To tolerate something is to endure it; not exactly to accept or encourage it. Is toleration a bad thing? No, in many instances it is perfectly acceptable to “tolerate” things without accepting them. Is it a good thing though? In the terms in which we most associate toleration with (ethnic, racial, religious, etc) it is not. Toleration becomes a mask that we hide behind. A white flag, so to speak, that we throw up as if to claim we have done enough, and need not go further.

Acceptance, appreciation, freedom, encouragement. Those are all distinct entities from toleration. However those are the type of attributes the idealists of the world attribute to this vague, elitist word.

As many know, I am writing my thesis dealing with religious toleration. Most notably Jewish toleration in seventeenth century England. I won’t bore you with the details (I shall save that little gem for another post) however it has opened my eyes to truly consider what the word means, it its true form. In my research group, we discussed a certain book concerning this topic this week. That, combined with the recent election we had, posed the question of tolerance in regards to political thought.

In as unbiased terms as a leftward leaning hippie can denote, let me delve into my thoughts:

There are two types of toleration that people, throughout history, have professed. One embodies toleration of thought. In this sector, people tolerate differences in their mind. Mentally, they endure knowing that differences exist. Historically, many claimed themselves to be religiously tolerant; a Puritan would accept that Catholicism and Judaism existed, and they allowed those of such faiths to live amongst them. However, open practice of such religions, any public places of worship and any cemeteries were forbidden. Yet, this was, at that time and to those people, tolerant practices.

The other type of toleration is toleration as an action. This wasn’t the concept that pluralism was alright; it was the accepting of this principle through physical and concrete acts. Those that allowed Lutherans and Catholics to coexist, who allowed public churches and rights to all occupations regardless of religion. Toleration, in this sense was not imagined; it was felt.

We’ve come along way since the times of religious wars and conflict surrounding the Reformation. However, toleration is still an issue that we grapple with to this day, not only in our personal lives but in the public sphere. Religion, race and sexual orientation are contentious topics, and although politicians from both sides have their views on such issues, each group firmly protests themselves to be of a tolerant mind.

Not to get bogged down in a political gripe here, but I would argue that tolerance is a political idea, one that is quite interesting. When reviewing current US political parties, it cane be seen that rightward leaning people tend to sway more to the first definition of toleration; leftward-leaning people to the second. Conservatives (in all of their gun-holding, tax-hating glory) tout their tolerance, yet refuse to let it have legs; refuse to give mobility to it. The idea of toleration, to them, is well and good; they accept gays, they just do not want them to have equal rights. They feel sorry for and appreciate minorities; they just don’t want to play a role in helping them advance. They feel compassion for the single mother raising a family, yet they’ll be damned if their tax dollars go towards helping them. It’s all too familiar a cycle. People hide behind the belief that toleration is alive and good, yet intolerance, persecution and discrimination is all too common. Toleration, as an idea, is simply not good enough.

We, as people, can say one thing and do another. Clearly, the age-old adage “actions speak louder than words” is valid. However, I want to take this to the next level, and argue that actions speak louder than beliefs. Anyone can believe in tolerance, but few truly practice it in the way our world deserves.