Intolerance, the opposite of tolerance, is the root cause of many problems facing the world today. Intolerance basically means the inability to bear with a person or group belonging to another community/religion or holding opposing views. The conflict in Sri Lanka originated as a result of intolerance and so did many other conflicts around the world, from Syria to Afghanistan.
On the other hand, tolerance is what makes peace possible. The ability to learn to live together is essential. If we cannot tolerate other peoples or cultures or their beliefs, that is the surest way to begin a conflict. Tolerance is, in fact, at the heart of the concept of Human Rights.
There will be worldwide focus on tolerance, or rather the lack of it, next Wednesday when the world observes the International Day for Tolerance. The United Nations is committed to strengthening tolerance by fostering mutual understanding among cultures and peoples. This imperative lies at the core of the United Nations Charter, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and is more important than ever in this era of rising and violent extremism and widening conflicts that are characterized by a fundamental disregard for human life.
Extension
Sri Lanka has now embarked on a genuine process of tolerance and reconciliation, which is really an extension of the former. This is not an easy process and cannot be done overnight. Countries which resolved their internal conflicts many decades ago are still struggling to achieve complete peace and reconciliation. The key to lasting peace is understanding and tolerating the “other”. This will build up mutual trust among the different communities and prevent any future conflict.
Colombo is a symbol of tolerance where one can see the temple, church, mosque and kovil almost side by side. It is a city that is home to all communities and religious groups who live in harmony. Worldwide too, there are cities such as London, New York and Sydney where different languages including Sinhala and Tamil are spoken. These are multi-cultural meting pots.
In our region, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a prime example for tolerance and is this year’s focal point for the Tolerance Day. It is a city where the native population is actually outnumbered by the expatriate population. The city has thrived because of this mix of cultures and traditions and was recently nominated as the capital of the world for tolerance. UAE is one of the few countries in the world to have a Minister for Tolerance, though many other countries including Sri Lanka have ministers carrying out similar functions.
Dubai will also present an Award for Tolerance in the areas of human thought, literacy, culture, new media and youth projects. This is in addition to the existing UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence. Tolerance will also be a compulsory course in UAE universities starting from the next academic year, a UAE education official said. As part of the International Institute for Tolerance, launched earlier in October in the UAE to promote values of coexistence among nations, the academic course will be offered to students during their foundation years.
Framework
The course, inspired by the Global Peace Foundation framework, will instill the principles of acceptance in youth and address the root causes of fundamentalism, seclusion and extremism. Tolerance ambassadors will be allocated in different schools across Dubai, before expanding to academic institutions in others emirates. Schools will witness different programmes and councils that will build a “tolerance culture” among young students.
This is a good idea for other countries including Sri Lanka to follow. Tolerance as a concept is ingrained in our societies, but teaching it as a formal subject could deepen understanding of it among schoolchildren and university students across all communities. Now that there is a renewed focus on curricula change and teacher training in Sri Lanka there should be more focus on training the teachers on common humanitarian and moral values, educational experts have opined. Tolerance is very much a part of these values. Religious schools of all faiths can play an even greater role in inculcating the value of tolerance and respecting others among students since it is one of the most fundamental principles in all the great religions.
One of the reasons for the increase in animosity and crime is that society as a whole has distanced itself from religion and moral values. This is perhaps a result of excessive commercialism and the relentless pursuit of money at the expense of everything else. Getting closer to religion, religious tenets and practices such as meditation can veer us away from hatred and steer us towards tolerance. As the Buddha said “hatred does not cease by hatred. It ceases by love alone”. These very words were used by former President J.R. Jayewardene to resolve the animosity towards Japan that followed World War II. If tolerance and compassion can work on that scale, one can imagine what it can do to resolve much smaller matters.
Example
Like most other things, tolerance should start at home. It should ideally come from within. Parents should teach their children the value of tolerance from a very young age, often by example. If there are several children, they should be taught how to tolerate each other. Having a pet such as a dog or a cat (or both) is another great way to teach tolerance. By spending time with their pet(s), they will learn to care for and love another being. Animal cruelty is also a form of intolerance and the youngsters exposed to animals will never engage in such cruel acts.
There are a few other activities that give us a sense of what tolerance is all about. Reading is one such activity. Reading books and newspapers gives us an idea about other people’s and cultures. If you do not like a particular community or religion, read a book written on the subject by someone from that community or religion. That will probably change your opinion on that group. Travelling is another factor that teaches us tolerance. One does not have to go abroad to seek out instances of tolerance. Even when travelling domestically, you will be able to see many instances of tolerance and peaceful co-existence. However, travelling abroad gives you a bigger worldview and understanding on the topic of tolerance.
And the world needs more of it every day, not just on the Day for Tolerance, though it will help increase awareness on the issue. Tolerance for other people and cultures will help to make the world a better place to live in.