Inclusion. not tolerance.
Growing up, there were these two twin boys who lived in the neighborhood around the corner from my house. The Browns. Kevin and David. I still remember them vividly to this day. As there weren't a ton of boys my age in the neighborhood, my mom encouraged me to befriend and hang out with almost all of them. So I did. And for a moment, I liked the Browns. We played Ghostbusters together (I remember they had an extensive set of the action figures), we rode bikes, played outside, and I remember liking them. But as we grew up, they became jerks. Like serious jerks. The neighborhood bullies. Nobody liked them and and I'm convinced they enjoyed being mean and ridiculing everyone else. My mom used to ask me to tolerate them. I didn't have to like them or be friends with them but I had least had to co-exist with them.
Tolerate. Tolerance. Any difference? Perhaps. But for me, the two aren't that far off from each other. A student interviewed by USA Today at Rutgers University after a candlelight vigil held this week in honor of the student who took his own life said that we shouldn't preach tolerance because all that does is tell us to tolerate something. She asked why we should have to tolerate LGBT individuals when we should be respecting and accepting them for who they are. What does it mean to tolerate something or someone? It doesn't give off warm fuzzies. It doesn't lead me to view the other individual as my equal or even someone I respect. Just someone I have to learn to deal with. So when we preach tolerance but is that the right message? I'm beginning to think not.
So that leaves me wondering (yet again) how we move forward in loving one another as individuals and celebrating the dignity and worth of each and every person when we walk around harping on tolerance. Seems like one big mixed message to me. From here on, forget tolerance. Why? Because it's not enough. It's just not enough. If we want to reach a day and age where all persons, especially LGBT individuals can feel safe, secure, loved, appreciated, valued, respected, and be treated as equals, then tolerance falls short of hitting the mark.
So the question I pose to you: How will you be inclusive, not tolerant, of others who are different from you at work today? the rest of this week? around town this weekend?
Cheers,
Tolerate. Tolerance. Any difference? Perhaps. But for me, the two aren't that far off from each other. A student interviewed by USA Today at Rutgers University after a candlelight vigil held this week in honor of the student who took his own life said that we shouldn't preach tolerance because all that does is tell us to tolerate something. She asked why we should have to tolerate LGBT individuals when we should be respecting and accepting them for who they are. What does it mean to tolerate something or someone? It doesn't give off warm fuzzies. It doesn't lead me to view the other individual as my equal or even someone I respect. Just someone I have to learn to deal with. So when we preach tolerance but is that the right message? I'm beginning to think not.
So that leaves me wondering (yet again) how we move forward in loving one another as individuals and celebrating the dignity and worth of each and every person when we walk around harping on tolerance. Seems like one big mixed message to me. From here on, forget tolerance. Why? Because it's not enough. It's just not enough. If we want to reach a day and age where all persons, especially LGBT individuals can feel safe, secure, loved, appreciated, valued, respected, and be treated as equals, then tolerance falls short of hitting the mark.
So the question I pose to you: How will you be inclusive, not tolerant, of others who are different from you at work today? the rest of this week? around town this weekend?
Cheers,
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