Being Respectful And Gracious Even When We Disagree - Real Tolerance

The modern notion of tolerance has somehow come to mean that we will all agree that everyone is right.  In other words, everyone’s personal “truth” is correct. This is illogical and self-evidently incorrect.  The real challenge of true tolerance is to acknowledge that we disagree and, yet, continue to communicate in respectful and gracious ways with those whom we disagree.

What Does It Mean To Be Tolerant?

The true definition of “tolerance” is not the idea that everyone agrees on all issues or, even, that we understand everyone’s position on a matter to be correct.  The fact is that genuine tolerance can only actually happen when we disagree.  However, being tolerant means that we disagree respectfully and graciously.