Tolerance Overview

Grow Up

Trees and other plants grow together and influence one another in a forest. Similarly, humans interact with and influence one another in their homes, communities, and workplaces.

Begin Where You Are

Just as a tree begins as a little seed and grows throughout its life, you should begin where you are and develop good character throughout your life. In the process, you will encounter individuals at all stages of development and some stunted and twisted by poor choices.

These encounters provide opportunities to exercise tolerance. They can provide good examples, and they can warn of danger. But as soon as you condemn another or congratulate yourself on your superiority, you reveal your own struggles.
Ultimately, your job is not to change others but to help provide an environment in which they can make good decisions.

Pay Attention

Just as leaves and branches cover the forest floor, life often seems littered with “junk” from others’ lives, but these apparent inconveniences can aid growth.
Listen carefully as you work with others. No matter how gruff the message, you can glean wisdom and learn to communicate with those of differing perspectives.

Keep Growing

Carefully distinguish differences of opinion, personality traits, and character flaws. If an irritation results from disrespect, tardiness, deception, or some other character flaw, the individual and the others responsible must address the issue. In these cases, a tolerant person gives an offender opportunities to demonstrate changed behavior.

When working with someone who thinks or works differently, a person can show tolerance by trying to understand the other person’s perspective and motivations.

Tolerant individuals understand they are rooted to the same soil as those around them. Thus, tolerant persons recognize how they too fall short of good character, and they exercise patience with others while working to uphold the standard in practice and policy.

Set high standards, and motivate yourself and others to reach them.

Tolerance In Balance

Speak Boldly

Boldness is “confidence that what I have to say or do is true, right, and just.” A person without a clear sense of truth and justice will resemble a ship without anchor or rudder—moving everywhere and going nowhere. Know what is right, apply it in everyday decisions, and challenge others to live up to the standard.

Emphasize Virtue

Virtue is “the moral excellence evident in my life as I consistently do what is right.” Virtue prevents tolerance from becoming permissiveness or hypocrisy because virtue requires a personal commitment to what is right. Do not excuse your weaknesses or failures.

Exercise Discernment

Discernment is “understanding the deeper reasons why things happen.” Some may confuse tolerance with not caring. You can easily tolerate something you do not care about, but tolerance actively makes room for growth while holding to the ideal. As you learn to understand each person, you can make appropriate investments in each life.