Tolerance: Key to peace

Sushmita Dutta

The year 1995, at UNESCO’s initiative, was declared the United Nations Year for Tolerance. Every year since then 16th November is honoured as the International Day for Tolerance. UNESCO has launched world-wide campaigns against non-violence and terrorism on this day. But have we ever pondered why do we need a day to remember a basic human quality like tolerance? If we move around the city, we will very easily come to know why it is necessary to commemorate this basic human quality which is on the way to extinction. People in this city find the smallest of reasons to get into a fight. Tolerance levels have dropped to zero. In the streets people fight over every issue, be it a small thing like stepping over someone’s shoes, a big issue like the assembly formation in Maharashtra, driving the car the wrong way or waiting in the queue to get work done; almost everything can lead to quarrels. There is just no patience to get things done in the right fashion. Verbal duels to even murder on the flimsiest of reasons have become the order of the day. But, as Mahatma Gandhi says, an eye for an eye will only make the world go blind. Being tolerant is tougher than losing control. The never ending zeal to achieve something can definitely fetch victory but it is not enough for a prosperous future. So we have to increase our level of tolerance. “Let’s make it (the world) a better place for you and for me and for the entire generation,” crooned Michael Jackson in -Heal the World. But in this highly intolerant world, there are also abundant examples of tolerance and respect for others from different parts of the world. We can start right from our country, with the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. A large number of people had questioned the Mahatma’s methods of attaining freedom. But he stuck to his principles and asked his followers to be tolerant. Finally we had our tryst with destiny and his stand was vindicated. It was a victory of a great human trait. From around the world we have the shining examples in personalities like the iconic South African leader Nelson Mandela. He is probably the greatest example of perseverance. He stayed in jail for 27 years and was finally rewarded with the freedom of his country. He never broke down during all the years of imprisonment, never gave up hope and continued to fight. After this display of exemplary tolerance and fortitude he had his reward when his country gained freedom from the clutches of the British rule. The world recognizes Nelson Mandela today as a great statesman. United Nations has even honored him by commemorating 18th July as the Nelson Mandela International Day. It was the world’s tribute to a person who has furthered the cause of peace in a world full of chaos. This is all because he showed the world that perseverance always pays and pays big time. In today’s world when even one insult is enough to brandish knives and spill blood, leaders in India and around the world showed that it is sometimes right to take insults when one is aiming for a much higher goal. One has to keep oneself in check in the face of such insults, so that one does not lose focus. There may be many impediments to one’s quest, but we should be tolerant and continue our progress with determination. Tolerance and patience, then is the key to all great achievements around us. 16th November or the Day for International Tolerance is a special day to remind everyone that building tolerance is often a matter of community and individual work, and not just the responsibility of governments. A great person has rightly said, “Your greatness is measured by your kindness; your education and intellect by your modesty; your ignorance is betrayed by your suspicions and prejudices, and your real caliber is measured by the consideration and tolerance you have for others.”