TOLERANCE: the practice of permitting a thing of which one disapproves, such as social, ethnic, sexual, or religious practices.

Often we interact with people who are different from us, who talk in a different way than we do, who dress different than we do, who think different from us, who have different beliefs, habits, etc. and we can’t always accept and embrace these differences. We want others to think exactly as we do, to act in the exact same way that we do, to dress like we do, to have the same beliefs and habits, same religion, the same of everything, we want them to like what we like, and we want them to be just like us, because we really believe that the way we are living our lives is the best way, and they should do what’s best!

The Power Of Tolerance

Think about it for a second. Would you really like to live in a world where everybody thinks the same way, acts the same way, where there is no diversity, no social cognitive conflicts, no growth, no challenges, no evolution, no nothing? Is that what you want? I really don’t think so, and that is exactly why I suggest you start working on accepting everybody as they are without trying to convince them that they should change, without trying to convince them that your way is the right way and their way is the wrong way, because you see just like Friedrich Nietzsche said it:

“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”

You can’t always change what others are doing but you can always change what you are doing, you can always change the way you look at things and the world around you, you can always change how you perceive those who might be different from you, and you can always let go of your need to label them, to call them names and to judge them, knowing that:

“Judgements prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances.” Wayne Dyer

Can you imagine how easier your life will get the moment you will let go of your need to always point the finger at those different from you; how easier and happier your life will get the moment you will let go of the need to control their every step, their every action? This behavior takes a lot of your energy, and if you don’t believe this to be true, why not make a test?

Try going one day without judging, without pointing your finger, a day dedicated to tolerance, and notice how will that make you feel, but from my own experience, I will have to tell you that it is possible and that you will never want to go back to your old negative patterns and behaviors. Chances are that you will never want to go back to feeling offended about every little thing that is not going how you will want it to be going, and you will realize that this is the way to a peaceful and beautiful life.

You can’t fight what is, and you need to understand and accept that everybody is doing the best they can with what they have, and you should allow them to just be. Learn to accept the world as it is and you will realize how this will put you in an empowering position, making you feel so much better about yourself and the whole world, giving you more time and energy to focus on improving yourself and your life.

~love, Luminita💫

Comments