Tolerance

I learned a new thing about tolerance.

First, some background. I used to say that I was a very tolerant person. By that, I thought I meant that I was open minded, able to agree to disagree, able to let people have their own way.

But then, I realized, that I really am not very tolerant. I am completely intolerant of fools like Sara Palin. I am intolerant of the idiots who voted for Prop 8. And I am totally intolerant of people who want to rape the environment and not look back. Yes, in many ways, I am very intolerant.

But recently I listened to a teaching on patience. In it, the author spoke of 3 facets of patience: persistence, tolerance, and acceptance. And in the facet of "tolerance" she said that when we are confronted with the unacceptable, patience is born out in tolerance for the process of change. That is, tolerance isn't saying that the unacceptable is acceptable, or that everybody is right. Rather, it is being patient with the time needed to bring about change. That is real tolerance.

Wow. That I think I can do. I hate that folks voted for Prop 8. But I think I can at least try to be patient--tolerant for the process of change.