Intolerance understood as synonymous with sectarianism, stubbornness, stubbornness and stubbornness, is common. We are adapting to live with this wrong way of proceeding that reveals severe emotional deficiencies. Without a doubt, another demonstration of the indifference that characterizes us so much.
We are part of a social context with a wrong development and an unintelligent performance. Worse still, with resignation and speechless, we accept the intense atmosphere of intolerance that affects human relationships. I am concerned about how quickly it is contagious and spreads, in the most varied scenarios, disturbing our quality of life. Apparently it's in our DNA.
I could make an extensive list of the innumerable everyday situations indicative of growing intolerance. Our ability to understand and accept others is increasingly reduced. We are in a process that degrades our survival; however, we do little or nothing to reverse this excruciating environment. In one way or another, we are part of a vicious circle that no longer deserves rejection.
We observe it in the heated discussions of couples or between parents and children, where the arrogance of the highest authority imposes its determination; in companies in which the boss considers himself the absolute owner of the truth and does not admit discrepancies; In political events, the lack of skill to cohabit with the adversary is undeniable; Even in the queues in supermarkets we perceive high-sounding reactions. The brand new "stress", of which we all claim to be victims, is the ideal subterfuge to justify the lack of condescension.
It is convenient to analyze the vicious circle produced by intolerance. To begin with, it is related to the lack of emotional intelligence, which makes it easier to understand the feelings of others, cope with work pressures and frustrations, accentuate our ability to work as a team and adopt an empathic attitude. This is the convergence of interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences and it translates into the scope to recognize one's own emotions. In this way, you ease stress management and problem solving.
It is also linked to the absence of openness. The eagerness to consider ourselves “owner of the truth”, without distinction of sex, age and status, indicates the high level of intolerance. The lack of a democratic vocation to assume as valid the thought and the option of others influences this nefarious act. That is, it is not distanced from the deprivation of empathy; this extraordinary ability to place them in the "shoes" of our interlocutor in order to understand him despite our differences. In this way, the knowledge and internalization of social skills is promoted and, therefore, it is an important tool to combat the lack of tolerance.
There are people for whom it is inconvenient to develop this faculty because they would be obliged to assume a comprehensive response in situations in which it is easier to respond with aggression, alteration and obfuscation. At the same time, angry behavior generates fear and some individuals - orphans of self-control - seek this, as a defensive mechanism, to avoid submitting to the censorious scrutiny of their environment. It is frequent in parents, officials, teachers, etc. This is proven by an unbiased look at human behavior.
In this sense, I reiterate what I asserted in my article "Tolerance on etiquette": "… Even though it is hard for us to admit it, we should recognize that we are part of a community where understanding and benevolence are not embedded in our daily behavior. We can verify this by going to a social gathering and observing the behavior of ladies and gentlemen during the conversation of matters that they are passionate about or face such as politics and sports, etc. We also see it in the press media that, supposedly, possess lucidity, objectivity and serenity to channel public opinion ”.
Intolerance hurts our condition as rational beings, hinders social coexistence, exacerbates existing confrontations and uncovers our primitive performance. From my point of view, it is like the tip of an “iceberg” that, in this case, shows the dimension of our internal narrowness. It is regrettable to confirm human insolvency to contemplate with consideration the neighbor and incorporate understanding, consent, good manners, civility, courtesy and plurality as elements aimed at making life viable and peaceful.
Finally, I recommend with a thoughtful spirit and, especially, in the hope of committing ourselves to the well-versed words of the lucid pacifist, thinker and leader of the independence of India, Mahatma Gandhi: “I do not like the word tolerance, but I cannot find a better one. Love pushes us to have, towards the faith of others, the same respect that we have for our own ”.
