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Quote of the Day: Tolerance
Beliefs that may be contrary to common sense can sometimes be transformed into beliefs that are aligned with correct thinking.
But if the person with the outmoded or incorrect thoughts is attacked, the tendency would be for that person to dig in their heels and hold on to the belief with even more persistence.
Even if the belief is founded on an immoral attitude, when the belief holder meets a strong but tolerant person, there can be transformation.
Published in General
That’s how you identify a belief. It doesn’t require an attack on the person at all, tho’ – only disagreement with the belief. Even if one states the disagreeable counter oh-so-eggshell-carefully, the holder of a belief will immediately feel anger.
Shame or pain is a much more effective remedy than tolerance. Tolerance might provide some space where the shame can be realized, but it’s not the tolerance that cures them. Believers take simple tolerance as validation.
Not necessarily: Sadness, disappointment and such like may also be indicators of a contrary belief.
When righteousness allows people to adopt anger and to lock out any thoughts of a more tolerant approach, maybe in 99 out of 100 cases, no difference is made. But in that one out of one hundred cases…
One of the moments on social media that prompted me to post this particular thought about tolerance was the testimony of a young woman regarding her having had an abortion.
A friend dropped her off at the clinic as the friend needed to go and get parking.
So the young woman then walked alone through a gauntlet of people waving signs and issuing angry screeches of how abortion is the work of the devil.
As she walked through that crowd, she simply retreated within herself. The crowd was extremely angry to the point that they frightened her. (Frustration often ends up being expressed as anger. I get that.)
Later on she realized if even one person had approached her in a calm manner, and offered to help her, she would have backed away from her decision. She was the mother of 3 children, was barely getting by, and she also was living in constant terror of her ex-partner who was threatening her life on a weekly basis. (No matter how many times she moved to escape him.)
Meanwhile in all the many screeds I have read about the evils of abortion, I know of only one person who has put out the offer to help anyone like the woman above by letting the woman live with her and her family to help her through the pregnancy. Nothing is asked in return. This family already has 4 kids & they’re not looking to adopt a child. They also are a very normal middle class family and would be giving up a lot to support any individual who took them up on the offer.
If you know of only one person who offered to anyone in this situation, then you may need to widen your circle of acquaintances.
That could be very true.