I have realized lately that I am intolerant to intolerance. This makes me just as bad as any narrow-minded culprit. I try to be a fair, open-minded individual; you live your life the way you want but let me live mine too the way I want. But with so many ethnocentric individuals out there, my brain just wants to bust! I wish everyone could just practice a bit more cultural relativity, quit soliciting their religious beliefs, and in general stop looking down upon people who are different than you! Every time I hear a generalization I just want to SHOUT: Not every Arab hates Jews! Not every Jew is a banker, lawyer, or doctor! Not every Christian is a bible thumping redneck! Not every Indian smells like curry! Not every American is a fat, burger-eating slob! And not every Frenchman hates America! Why the generalities, why the stereotypes, why the racial slurs?! Why can’t we accept that people are different, and that it is a good thing? If everyone was just a tad more tolerant, we could end so much of the hate and violence in this world!
I will take an example from my own life, which I think if this individual could be a bit more tolerant, then the earth would turn a little happier on its axis. But even further and goes along with why I chose this goal, I need to learn to be more tolerant of these people because my arguing with them just causes more stress and duress. My sister is a hard-core Christian. She will not associate with people who are not like her (which, by the way, I think this idea does not go along with Christian doctrine), which sometimes I think includes me. I think she avoids me. Her only sister. Because I am not carrying around a bible, quoting psalms and visiting bible group every day, or praying to Jesus that the apple I am eating will be ripe or that please Jesus let that light turn green for me or Jesus thank you, thank you for dying for me every second of every day. And because I have friends of various religions, beliefs, etc. she refuses to hang out with me or come to my house if they will be there. And I think she just tolerates my boyfriend, who was raised Catholic because she does not believe “Catholic = Christian” (which last time I checked, Catholics follow the old and new testaments just the same as regular “Christians”). Anyway, I just truly wish that she could just find it in her “pure Christian heart” to be a bit more tolerant of others. I will work on the same.
