TOLERANCE: THE WAY OF NATURE
Tolerance (forbearance, patience) is a universal principle of nature. The lion and the elephant are both very large animals. They can be considered rivals. Yet they live together in the same jungle. This is possible only because of tolerance. It has often been observed that when an elephant comes from one side and a lion from the other, both quietly continue on their way without clashing. If they did not show tolerance toward each other, they would fight until both were destroyed.
Nature has taught this principle to both the lion and the elephant. In the same way, it has placed within the human body a built-in system of tolerance. In medical science, this is known as biological tolerance—the capacity of a living organism to come into contact with a substance, or to have it introduced into the body, without suffering any harmful effects:
“In biology, the ability of an organism to endure contact with a substance, or its introduction into the body, without ill effects.” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol. 10, p. 31)
The entire system of treating illness depends on this ability of the body. When a person is sick, medicines are introduced that, in general, are harmful. Yet, despite being highly sensitive to outside substances, the body tolerates such medicines. It deals with them patiently. Because of this “biological tolerance,” these medicines can enter the body and take effect. They act on the sick organ and heal it without harming the other organs.
The same principle of tolerance is needed in human society. What animals in the jungle do by instinct, and what the human body does by natural design, is exactly what human beings must do with conscious choice. They must deliberately adopt tolerance in order to live with others peacefully.
Whenever people live together, complaints and disagreements are bound to arise. This happens within a single family. It happens in society. It happens in a whole nation. And it happens at the international level too. Wherever human beings meet and form relations, unpleasant situations are inevitable.
What should be done in such circumstances? Tolerance is the answer. In such times, one person must deal with another, and one group with another, with patience and forbearance. This is the only practical way for people to live together and move forward together. Without this spirit, human civilization cannot be built or developed.
Tolerance is not a passive attitude; it is plain realism. It does not mean that someone had a better choice but, out of weakness, accepted a lesser one. The truth is that in today’s world, no other choice exists for us. Tolerance is a practical necessity, not a moral weakness.
It often happens that a person finds a situation unpleasant and begins to fight it—only to end up in ruin. Why does this happen? Because, out of short-sightedness, the person believes the choice is between what is pleasant and unpleasant. He fights the unpleasant in the hope of gaining the pleasant.
But the outcome shows that the choice was not between pleasant and unpleasant. It was between unpleasant and destructive. In reality, it is very rare in this world that a person’s choice lies between pleasant and unpleasant. More often, the choice is between less unpleasant and more unpleasant. In such cases, wisdom means accepting the less unpleasant to avoid the greater one.
Most people destroy themselves because of this misunderstanding. They take action, thinking it will remove an undesirable situation and bring about a desirable one. But when the present situation ends, they discover that the new situation contains the same unpleasantness in even greater measure—the very thing they could not tolerate in smaller measure before.
This is the wisdom called tolerance. In this world, patience leads a person toward life, while impatience leads only toward death.
Tolerance gives us the chance to act. It allows us to adjust to unfavourable circumstances and still continue our journey of life in a balanced way. On the other hand, if we abandon tolerance and fight everything that seems unfavourable, the only result will be that we destroy one “evil” by name, only to fall into another, even worse evil.
If the lion and the elephant did not tolerate each other, both would invite their own death. But when they accept each other, both gain the chance to live. This is the greatest benefit of tolerance. Tolerance gives you the chance to act. It provides the opportunity to achieve something. And without doubt, the greatest thing in this world is the chance to act. To lose this chance is destruction; to gain it and use it is success.
