Tolerance

If one considers him/herself to be a tolerant person, that is absolutely no indicator whatever of the quality of his/her character. Here are two reasons why:

1. Everybody is tolerant - until they find something that seems intolerable to them.

2. It is impossible to be a functional adult without being intolerant of some things and some people; otherwise, for example, there would be no prisons.

With regard to tolerance as an indicator of personal character, these matters are more worthy of serious consideration:

·         What potentially harmful things or people am I willing to tolerate, and why?

·         Of who or what might I be intolerant beyond rational justification, and why?

·         How do I handle someone else's (seeming) intolerance (of me)?

·         How do I handle my own intolerances (of others)?