The Hypocrisy of "Tolerance"

If you've been paying even passing attention to the news over the course of the past, oh, 15 years or so, the one thing that you've heard the liberal left preach over and over and over again is "Tolerance." We have to be "tolerant" of things and people that are different from us for whatever reason; we have to be "tolerant" of people with differing viewpoints and opinions; we have to be "tolerant" of just about anything that anyone else wants to preach or espouse, because it's their right to be that way.

For the most part I agree with all of this, but there's one thing that the liberal left fails to preach and intentionally omits - tolerance is a two-way street.

Let's take a look at the Webster's Dictionary definition of "tolerance," shall we?

Full Definition of TOLERANCE

1: capacity to endure pain or hardship : endurance, fortitude, stamina

2
a: sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own
b: the act of allowing something : toleration

3: the allowable deviation from a standard; especially : the range of variation permitted in maintaining a specified dimension in machining a piece

4
a (1) : the capacity of the body to endure or become less responsive to a substance (as a drug) or a physiological insult especially with repeated use or exposure ; also : the immunological state marked by unresponsiveness to a specific antigen
(2) : relative capacity of an organism to grow or thrive when subjected to an unfavorable environmental factor
b: the maximum amount of a pesticide residue that may lawfully remain on or in food

That last one is a little spooky to think about, isn't it? But anyway...

If you go by the dictionary definition of "tolerance," then I'm about the most tolerant person there is. I came to the realization a very long time ago that there's a whole lot going on in this world that I cannot control and that truly doesn't affect me, so for the most part I just go ahead and live my life as best I can and let others do the same. And when I became a Freemason in November of 2013 those personal beliefs were fortified by the Masonic teachings, and I believe in those teachings now more than ever. The plain fact of the matter is that people are different, they have different values, different beliefs, different understandings, and that's going to make their lives much different than mine - just as it makes my life drastically different than theirs. Please note that I said "different" and not "wrong." When it comes to opinions and beliefs there is no "right" or "wrong," there's just "different." (If you've been following my blog for the past 7 years then you already know that.)

And I'm okay with that, really. To me, THAT is the definition of "tolerance."

But the "other side" isn't practicing what they preach. They preach "tolerance" from the rooftops and highest hills, telling us that we must be "tolerant" of them and their beliefs while in the same breath telling us that our beliefs are wrong, that they're offended by them (God, how I've come to loathe that word!), and that we must change OUR opinions, beliefs, and in some case practices to be in line with THEIRS.

And THAT, friends and neighbors, is not "tolerance." There's another word for it, and the word is "HYPOCRISY."

If you're going to stand up on a podium and tell me that you have a certain belief or opinion and demand that I accept that, I'll agree with you; however, the moment you stand up there and tell me that MY beliefs and opinions are wrong, that I must stop having them and conform to YOURS is the moment that you'll get extremely fierce opposition and resistance from me. And that opposition and resistance will continue until one of two things happen: either you stop telling me that I have to conform to your beliefs and drop mine, or I die. Those are the only two ways I'll stop. Period.

Sound a bit extreme? Nah, not really. The more correct word is "dedicated."

Until the liberal left comes to the realization that they need to practice what they preach, I and thousands of others just like me will continue to resist, continue to oppose, and most importantly we will continue to live our lives by OUR standards and beliefs and not THEIRS. When the liberal left comes to this realization, that true "tolerance" is accepting that others have different beliefs than yours and not insisting that those different beliefs and associated actions be stopped and/or banned, at that point we will finally be able to truly understand each other and just get along.

But I ain't holding my breath.

IHC