CosmicWise

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THE LAW OF TOLERANCE

The Law of Tolerance is that Law which recognizes the divinity in others even when covered by their masks and armor of demonic imagery and activities, or hidden behind the walls of apparent ignorance, sleep, and stupidity; or residing in the bowels of lust, greed, and power. The Law of Tolerance is that law which allows one to speak through these walls and barriers to the divine God-Cell which lies buried behind these outer layers, and awaits liberation from the deep confines and imprisonment at the center of the self. This Awareness suggests you are all gods, and must in time learn to speak to each other as though you were addressing gods.

"What is tolerance? -- it is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly -- that is the first law of nature."
~Voltaire~

Simply, tolerance permits others the right to be themselves without the threat of rejection, hatred, or physical violence. It can be defined as the capacity to endure hardship or pain, for one. The endurance of the presence, the opinions, and/or the actions of persons we judge objectionable and offensive, for another. Also, it is the capacity for, and the practice of, recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others. It is our uniqueness and differences that cause us to judge each other in the first place. However, we all have one common denominator and that is the same shared God-spark within. When we can focus on the God-spark, we are better able to make room for those who differ markedly from us.

Most of us have heard the story of the blind men touching the same elephant at different points and 'seeing' it in different ways. For instance, when one felt it's side, he announced it was like a wall. When another felt it's leg he described it like a tree. A third who held its tail naturally declared it was like a rope. While a fourth, grasping its trunk, concluded it was very much like a snake. From a limited standpoint, all perspectives are correct, and yet what is certain is that none of them 'saw' the animal wholly and completely and so in that sense, they are all incorrect, too. Each simply 'saw' the animal not only from a different angle but from a severely limited perspective. Hence, we too (as egoselves) are limited in our ability to see the whole picture. We are in fact SERIOUSLY dependent on each other for gaining wider and more elevated perspectives. Therefore, tolerance is a NECESSITY for those of us aspiring to that which is far greater and above the ego experience.

Tolerance is the very mindset of FREEDOM which pushes away the restricting walls of our present ego-limits. As egoselves, our perception of the Universe is significantly finite and though we each bear the God-spark of Omniscience, until we push the walls of our personal comfort zones far enough outward, we will never BE as Gods, only Gods in potentiality. In short, tolerance is the strength we build on that which permits us to make allowances for the uniqueness of others, for without it we are sentenced to living inside the confines of our limitations, which also means continually struggling with others in the vain hope of proving our individual superiority.

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Reader's comment #1:
Though I agree with this law in general, I too have an issue with the meaning and underlying meaning of the word "tolerance". To me to tolerate something or someone, means to "put up with" what you yourself perceive as faults. To me, this is a ver egotistical and self-rightous way to think of things. It is my belief that we, as human beings, should do more than "tolerate" others. When we reach the level of evolution and the higher thought processes, then we will not only tolerate others but will in fact embrace those differences and see that we have something to learn from each and every one of them, and not only learn from them but are actually connected to them. It is my belief that God is that energy that makes up us all, and we all come to this epiphony, we will see each of us in a different light. Tolerance will be a thing of the past and the energy that is God within us will lead us to the only cosmic law that will matter.

Response:
To PERCEIVE fault is indeed egotistical and self-righteous. This is what ego DOES all the time--it perceives fault out there, while perceiving righteousness within.

The fact is, as ego-led beings we must first learn to walk before we can fly. In this world, so heavily populated by other egos, each different and sometimes VERY much UNlike us, we are unavoidably "rubbed the wrong way" from time-to-time. When this happens, our ability to tolerate other people's right to be who they wish to be at a given moment, differing as it does from who WE wish to be at that moment, makes for a more peaceful co-existence.

THAT is the value of tolerance.

When we elevate to higher states above the ego-status we presently hold, THEN we can easily fly the higher regions. Until then, it is not in the least offensive to me to practice tolerating differences. In fact, tolerating the decisions and choices others make is the necessary formative step we make in our efforts to REACH beyond the higher levels of our present station in life.

Reader's comment #2:
Over the years I've had to consciously change my emotional reaction to the word 'Tolerance' as in the past it led to a knee-jerk reaction in me to 'annoyance'. It took a long while--and there are times I still have to work at it--for me to see Tolerance as a 'Live And Let Live' type of attitude; almost a 'distancing' emotionally. I don't know if that makes any sense.--lol! However, when I am not emotionally invested in another's reactions, view-points, or behaviors then --for me-- I am in line with the Law of Tolerance. My question though is this: what happens when one encounters another person who has NO conscious, No compassion, and lives only to hurt others? Would these types also be given the benefit of having the 'God-Spark'? Would these individuals be 'tolerated'? How would you proceed here?

Response:
I think these types of people are meant to test our tolerance levels, that's for sure. :) Primarily, in tolerating ANYone's differences, it means that we are ultimately not allowing ourselves to be thrown off-balance. Retaining balance is key with tolerance (as you yourself noted). However, to tolerate, though we refrain from judging (we separate the person from the decisions and choices they make) it doesn't mean we are condoning actions that deliberately harm others. Think in these terms--if you were attempting to grow a vegetable garden, a high tolerance level would allow for the weed-factor-growth. You don't stand in judgment of the weeds that come up but neither do you allow them to choke-out your potential harvest. You do what has to be done to promote your "project". Along these lines, whether or not the God-Spark is present, becomes a moot point, as they say.

Reader's comment #3:
Tolerance can be so difficult to put into practice. While other people expect you to tolerate their behaviors and life choices (whatever), and it's usually (IMO) those who preach tolerance the loudest that are the least intolerant. I recently traveled with a friend of mine who's a grandmother and extremely proud of it. I'm happy for her, and for eight weeks I tolerated hearing about her grandchildren to anyone who would listen. It got tiring. Does that make me intolerant? I didn't want to insult her, so eventually I would excuse myself to the washroom, hoping that the conversation would have moved along by the time I returned. What was interesting though was the fact that she has (or so it seems) a very difficult time tolerating the fact that I am not a grandmother, and apparently, according to my friend, I should be one. Now, I don't have children, so I am never going to be a grandmother, and it's not an issue with me. I was really taken aback when my friend decided that I would be the "Asian Granny" to her new grandchild that is on the way. Why? She seems to think this is a great honor, while to me it shows just how intolerant she is of my chosen path in this world. Doesn't her behavior smack of intolerance?

Response:
Perhaps yes, and perhaps no, also. She is clearly not accepting the facts of your life situation as it stands, and it could be that she interprets your "signals" incorrectly. It seems to me that both of you may be assuming something about the other that is incorrect. For instance, you assume your silence on the subject ought to "speak" for itself, and she may be believing that your silence on a subject (one that is so dear to her) MUST naturally be a "frustrated desire", for what she can only believe stems from this "obvious" lack in your life. Afterall, THIS is probably the way she expects SHE would feel if the tables were turned.

I think it is important that you be more openly vocal about the satisfaction you feel with your life. Not so much to convince HER (though it will certainly give her a more accurate picture of reality) but to give your own chosen lifestyle the due respect it deserves. :) Remember, your silence is the trigger for her talking the issue to death--this polarizes the two of you and so creates a semblence of "balance", the kind called intolerance on both sides.