Some positive characteristics are inborn into some. Great artists seem born with their gifts. Great singers, athletes and so on are endowed at birth with their propensity for talent. The virtue of tolerance is not so. It is not an innate characteristic. It does not come naturally and must be developed over time.

     Yes, I know some people are soft-spoken and non-confrontational and this is part of their personality. Please do not confuse this behavioral trait, as the development of temperance. Temperance is in some situations very passive and in others very active but it is not a natural condition.

     Yet, though it may not be an inborn condition. No virtue is more critical to the welfare of our world, than the development of this condition. We live in a world where people chop each other’s heads off, for not buying into their belief system; a world where people ridicule and berate each other for skin and cultural differences; a world where people excuse their own misbehavior, as an excuse for opposing the opinions of others. In this day, if all men and women would learn tolerance; the acid of hatred would be dispelled and the cancer of prejudice would be disarmed. We need tolerance.

 1-    It takes an effort to be tolerant. Tolerance does not choose to take into account every wrong suffered. (1 Cor. 13:5)

     Tolerance is a virtue you must learn. I am a Quaker. Yet honestly by nature; I am very intolerant. I have had to learn new values and unlearn tightly held convictions, to learn the strength of tolerance. As strength that I still struggle to learn today, through practicing restraint with others, where my nature would rather practice hostility or retribution. It takes an effort to be tolerant.

2- Tolerance often chooses to turn the other cheek, rather than state its own opinion.

     Yes, there is a time to stand up for what’s right. But most often what is right is being willing to defer judgement, to bless others. Having to be right is one of the most cruel weaknesses in humanity. Turning the cheek to allow the mistakes of others is not fun but it is often the most beautiful way to live. Learning to allow others a little room to grow, without being so quick to retaliate is often the best practice. We should all learn the strength of being willing to turn the other cheek occasionally.

3 – Experiences and background leave us all influenced with “prejudices.” Tolerance admits your own human-ness and looks for the good in others.

     I am so weary with people pointing the finger at others for prejudice. We are all full of it. When someone hurts you, there is a natural prejudice that occurs against that person. And this can spill over into a prejudice against that type of person. Every culture fills its children with tons of prejudice. No matter who you are, you can not claim exemption.

   Admitting our prejudices and being willing to grown beyond them is a real elevated possibility. We can leave the ground of our natural feelings and look to benefit our fellow-man, even when we disagree with them. We really are  in a sense of the word “our brother’s keeper.” A great part of the mission of life is to bless the world and its people around us, even when they do not do that to us.

4 – Tolerance chooses to believe in the worth of all men. It is only conduct and behavior that should separate us, not color or creed.

    I can not add a word to this. Read it again. Let it soak in.

5- Tolerance is the wisdom of knowing that u, yourself R not always right & that it requires as much grace 2 accept u, as for u to accept others.

     This point is a big one. …. People have as much right to be prejudiced against you, as you do them. Acceptance is the key here. We are a flawed race. And if we would approach a higher plane of life, we must learn to be honest with ourselves, about ourselves; in the pursuit of higher good.

6- Tolerance wants to find the good in others, even if it means that we have to stretch our comfort goods to look beyond our own perspectives.

      It is pretty easy to say I love my fellow-man. Really tough to practice it, when its practice is a personal inconvenience. Tolerance doesn’t just let others be but is willing to help them out, when possible.

7- Tolerance is built around the understanding that grace has set us free personally with God and it will set us free with others, as well.

      I didn’t want to start loving others in spite of their faults, until I deeply realized that God loved me in spite of mine. This deep security will allow us the grace to be merciful and compassionate with others, even when we see their frailties…. And then when the necessity does come that we oppose cruelty and evil very actively; we will be sure and know that our heart is in the right place because we have first tried to help, before we responded in opposition.

8- Tolerance is not a natural characteristic. You have to meditate on how to learn it and try diligently to practice it.

       Like a program has to be downloaded into a computer, before you can run it and use it. Temperance and authentic tolerance must be received similarly. Find your own quiet time each day and meditate on this.

9- If there is a future for humankind, it will be in the discovery of tolerance and the practice of its discipline.

       We certainly have the power to destroy each other. Do we have the power to save each other? It will depend on whether or not we as human beings learn and practice the virtue of tolerance.

10- It is not until u face the fact that you are flawed with prejudices that u can begin the journey to learn the tolerance of accepting others.

     What are your prejudices? This is an uncomfortable question that must be asked and faced, before you can learn the truths of tolerance and acceptance.

11- Loving people is a choice. It is a conviction of tolerance. I have had to overcome many personal wrong ideals, in its practice.

      Probably the greatest virtue is humility. We have flaws. We are not always right. We are in fact wrong a lot. Can we learn to humble ourselves to look beyond the walls of our own bull-headedness? It is not easy. To love others must start with those different from you. You must choose to love them. You will have to shake away some of your faulty ideals and get humble enough to learn from God and others, to learn the virtue of tolerance.

12- Your truth is not always “the truth.” Are you willing to be wrong sometimes to bless other people. If so, you are on the road of tolerance.

13- It is no wonder that you must “befriend” someone. This is an active term. If I choose to BE your friend, it is unconditional. #tolerance

     This was a huge discovery for me. That even after someone slighted our hurt me that I could love them. If I choose to be your friend, it is for keeps. This is a virtue that learning tolerance has given me.

14- Learning to be a more tolerant person does not depend on the make-up of those we “tolerate” but our own growth to be more accepting persons.

 15- I am not by nature, a very tolerant person. I have had to train myself 2 be more accepting of others. #LikeAworkoutInYourHeadInsteadofTheGym

16- You become more tolerant, not because you discover different things about others-But because you discover intolerance a weakness in yourself

     It is not the noble elevated position that the world is so bad that leads you to learn tolerance. It is rather the honest realization that you can not grow spiritually and morally, without the development of tolerance. It is not just that the world needs it. You do.

17- Yes, forgiveness is an essential attribute in tolerance. Injustice leads to prejudice only because we can not forgive the mistakes of others.

      This is not original. The greatest teacher said it in Matthew 6:12.

18- Tolerance is not blindness-You do not have to accept-unacceptable behavior-But often that which we can not accept in others is present in us

       I know that by now many of you are screaming that we can not tolerate and accept the injustices in the world. I am not crazy. You are right. Evil must be opposed and overcome, as an institution. But love must be learned for individual human beings. I agree; We must do what we must do to keep our society safe from the ravages of murder, violence, slavery and other unacceptable wrongs. There is no easy, pretty way to do this.

      However if we are not careful, we will let our vitriolic opposition of inhuman behaviors cause the same inhuman conditions in us. Also, let us not forget that if we reach individuals, institutions can change.

        So, on a personal level, let’s you and I learn the qualities of tolerance. Let’s learn not be so quick to defend our own rights and learn to be quicker to stand up for the rights of others. It is a high call but if humankind is to survive; it is a call that we must all hear and heed. Mercy, grace, forgiveness, understanding, compassion, gentleness, humility, kindness, forbearance, …… These words need to be our guidelines: The intelligent basis for communication and human relationships, throughout the world.  Tolerance. Its a good word for today.

Tim’s ideas are dynamite in person! Hire him as a speaker, at 336-688-7538.