Every November 16, the International Day for Tolerance is celebrated with the aim of promoting among the population one of the fundamental values to ensure that human rights and individual freedoms are respected.
And it is that tolerance is nothing more than the acceptance of the other, of other cultures, of other ethnic groups, of other religions, of other ideologies… It seems something simple, because most of us recognize ourselves as tolerant people, and yet Every day we see all the violence that intolerance generates, both globally and personally.
Tolerance across the board
- Tolerance is respect for rights, recognition of diversity and acceptance of what is different. These three premises can be applied both to the global environment and to the individual. Because the lack of tolerance causes wars, genocide and discrimination, but the lack of tolerance in a private and individual sphere also generates this type of violence, even if it is reduced to the domestic or work sphere.
- Tolerance is, in any case, a value that must be preserved and promoted, since in this global world where different cultures have to coexist due to population movements, intolerance is the cause of many social conflicts that are generated in our cities every day. Discrimination is the first consequence of a lack of tolerance, be it discrimination based on gender, sexual identity, race, religious beliefs or political ideology.
- Some of the attitudes that show a total lack of tolerance and pose a danger to people’s rights and freedoms are racism, ethnocentrism, religious fundamentalism and also machismo. All of them are causes that generate violence and, if there is something in which there is no room for tolerance, it is in the use of violence.
Fight intolerance
- It is necessary to fight intolerance with all possible resources, if we want to live one day in a world where everyone enjoys the same freedom and the same rights. At the state level, the different governments are responsible for promoting tolerance and creating laws that protect the rights of all citizens, as well as punish violence.
- But the laws are not enough because intolerance and violence are the result of ignorance and fear of the unknown, which is why an education in which values such as respect and acceptance of plurality are inculcated is essential. But in order to achieve quality education and training in respect for the rights of children and the elderly, better access to information is necessary.
- On the other hand, the inculcation of tolerance in the collective conscience begins with oneself. We too are responsible on many occasions for acts of discrimination by accepting them and keeping silent. Making our own the motto of “live and let live” is one of the points to work on a personal level, but we must also take an active part in spreading tolerance in our society.