Intolerance

The anniversary of that frightful event in New York City on Saturday last, is an appropriate time to look at this question. Lack of tolerance is something that has bedevilled humanity ever since its earliest days. One could have hoped that experience, stretching over millennia and incorporating immense human suffering and premature death, would by now have led to a world order that was much more tolerant than formerly. Alas, this does not seem to be the case. It is a sad and worrying reflection on human frailty that this should be so.

If, as I firmly believe, we come to this Earth in order to learn spiritual lessons from physical and emotional experiences, here is one area where our failure appears to be total. Even amongst religions, I could almost say, especially amongst religions, where the emphasis is nominally on loving one another, the lack of tolerance is astounding. This intolerance starts within the individual religions themselves. All is sweetness and light at first but then disagreements emerge over the interpretation of this or that dogma or creed. Before long, numerous breakaway sects are formed and often each sect vies with the other in the level of its bigotry. The ghastly act just commemorated was carried out by just such totally bigoted and intolerant people; people whose only desire is to impose through fear and terror, their own narrow, unprincipled view of life. It is not only Muslims who spawn these violent and intolerant offshoots. Speak to any religious minority trying to go about their own way of worship and see what they have to face from the extremist thinkers amongst Christians and others. Buddhists are not immune either; many priests openly support political regimes that are totally corrupt and intolerant.

In politics, industry and commerce it is the same. If a particular group, or often a particular individual, cannot get their or his own way, violence, terror and other forms of ‘persuasion’ are employed to ‘convert’ unbelievers or opponents. There are so many historical figures who fit this description, or small businessmen who have been cheated or harried out of their businesses that to detail them is not necessary. What is it in the human psyche that leads to such high levels of intolerance?

Regrettably, it is fear and the lust for power; power over the minds and wills of other people; power to accumulate a disproportionate amount of this worlds goods; power that measures its success merely in material terms, despite the fact that among religions, the specious argument of saving or converting souls is used to justify extremist, materialistic actions; all this, in spite of the fact that the founders of all the great religions taught the very reverse when they were on Earth. Intolerance is, as Shakespeare would have described it, “a worm I’ the bud”. It is insidious and takes hold of individuals and groups without them appearing at first to notice. It thrives on fear, on creating ‘hate figures’ or groups. In the past these have been minorities of all kinds, from Jews to black- skinned people, to Huguenots, to Native Americans and from Catholics and Spiritualists to Muslims and Christians. All I believe persecuted because their seemingly liberal, or maybe just different, views appeared to pose a threat to the megalomania of particular groups or individuals in power. Vested interest usually stops at nothing to protect itself.

I was impressed with the arguments put forward recently warning against overreaction to terrorist atrocities. It seems to be true that intolerance quickly affects those who have been the subject of persecution and this insidious action is one against which we all need to beware. I will give two examples. The first is modern Israel, the state created as a home for the survivors of Hitler’s holocaust. After what the Jewish people suffered under the Nazis, few would begrudge their desire to have their own state, to as it were, return to the “promised land.” Today, that state is a reality and few open-minded people would deny it is one of the least tolerant of modern states and one that has done little to alleviate suspicion between Muslims and the non-Muslim world. My second example is the United States and its reaction to the events of 9/11. Initially, the response of the American government was measured and aimed solely at those known to have perpetrated the abomination in New York City. It was very successful but then fear grew disproportionately and the USA saw threats to its security from all kinds of sources. As a result it became hugely intolerant and got involved in a succession of needless wars. Its persecution of what it saw as its righteous role has been scarcely less tolerant than that shown by its aggressors. As a result, the terrorist ‘problem’ is now infinitely worse than it was and America has become regarded as a pariah to many countries.

What a far cry is all this from Buddha, Jesus of Nazareth or Mahomet, the founders of today’s leading religions! I often wonder how they must feel in heaven today as they watch their names being used to support violence and suppression; the very things they spent their Earthly lives opposing. Instead of paying lip service to the doctrine of “turning the other cheek,” now is the time we should embrace it earnestly. It is not a sign of weakness; it is a sure sign of spiritual and moral strength. Violence and intolerance are the actions of last resort when the arguments of individuals and groups are no longer convincing. When they resort to killing innocent people, they have already acknowledged the paucity of their philosophy. Our reaction to that is what we need to examine so carefully. React with firmness, yes. Overreact and we become as bad as the perpetrators and because violence creates more violence, the age of reason and tolerance is delayed indefinitely.