DEVELOPING TOLERANCE

“The highest result of education is tolerance.” Hellen Keller

My reflections for this month is based on my observations of the society where so called highly educated people openly exhibit insensitivity and intolerance towards their own neighbors and fellow human beings. Whatsapp chats of housing society groups will give one the best example of human behaviour and intolerance. On observing them I was reminded of an incident which I would like to share with you all.

In a special athletics event, all the contestants lined up at the starting point. It was a special race as its contestants were the physically and mentally challenged. At the blow of the whistle all the contestants began running, all except one boy who stumbled twice and fell. When he fell the third time he began to cry, hearing which all the other 8 participants who had proceeded ahead stopped and came back to lift this boy and gently encourage him to run with them. All 9 contestants linked hands and together reached the finishing line.

There was not a single person in the audience who did not shed tears of appreciation and joy on witnessing this level of sensitivity. Each one learnt that day that in life its not always about winning but its more about supporting each other in winning.

The world can be a better place if every one of us develop the ability to be sensitive and tolerant towards the pain , needs and desires of all those around us. Tolerance is a virtue rarely taught by schools in their value education classes. But, personally I believe understanding and practicing tolerance and sensitivity can teach all other virtues which are important for peaceful living and co existence.

Sometimes in life we must put ourselves to certain inconveniences to send vibrations of goodness to others and spread positivity. When a person is over ambitious his/her spouse must be tolerant and sensitive to allow her/ him to chase their dreams; when children have ambitions different from what parents would have wanted them to achieve, parents must be sensitive and tolerant enough to support their children towards success, children too must be made sensitive to support their parents ambitions and dreams even if its just a hobby they want to pursue. Our sensitivity and tolerance will contribute to our own emotional well being.