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When Tolerance Is Not A Virtue. |
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The Re-Enlightenment
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We are often told that tolerance is a virtue. But is that always the case? Could it be argued that tolerance is actually a weakness, a luxury that we cannot afford, because if it is carried to its ultimate is often a sign of indifference?
Our society is based on the belief that we are all free, rational individuals who have the right to live our lives with minimal interference from the state. This belief encourages us to be tolerant of other’s beliefs, lifestyles etc. However, like unconditional love, tolerance only works if it is universal. If it is not universal it allows those whose intentions are not liberal and democratic to undermine the very foundations of a liberal democracy. We only have to look at the history of the 20th century to see how the tolerance embedded in liberalism has led to the growth of totalitarian regimes. The growth of religious fundamentalism is no different. Religious fundamentalism is just another form of totalitarian ideology that, in essence, is no different from Nazism or communism. They all set out to repress the basic freedoms and liberties of democracy and they all exhort their followers to fight for their ‘nation/belief system/way of life’ because they are under threat from outside influences which are a direct result of the tolerant attitudes embedded in liberal democracy. Rather than the aggressors they portray themselves as ‘the victims’.
One way of looking at religious fundamentalists would be to compare them to perpetrators of domestic violence. Most people would accept that those who abuse people in relationships are bullies. They become bullies because they are insecure and one of their main characteristics is their lack of personal responsibility – the ‘poor me syndrome’ - “I hit you because you made me”. People who are secure have no need to control others and the same applies to organisations, corporations, nations and belief systems. Religious fundamentalists wish to impose their beliefs on others. They do not believe in tolerance nor do they believe in the right to believe in anything other than the view they are preaching. Presumably, if they were secure in the truth or veracity of their belief they would not seek to impose it on others because rational argument would suffice. But it is this belief in rationality as well as the capacity for tolerance that is at the heart of the problem. Most rational people cannot understand why someone would choose to impose a repressive regime on others so do not recognise the dangers. We see things from our own perspective and if we enjoy the benefits of a liberal democracy we find it difficult to understand those who wish to be told how to think. The same thing happened in the 1930’s when very few people could see the dangers in the growth of the Third Reich.
The problem for liberal democracies, belief systems, organisations and individuals is how to maintain tolerance of alternative ideologies, beliefs and individualism without allowing this tolerance to be seen as a fundamental weakness and therefore something to be replaced with a dictatorship. Unfortunately, doing nothing is not an option. Doing nothing, pandering to the insecurities of those who do not believe in the basic freedoms we take for granted, is not tolerance, it is indifference. Indifference sends out signals that we do not believe in our freedoms. Two whole generations died for us to have these freedoms – are they not worth defending?
So what does this have to do with spiritualism? As spiritualists we believe that we are here to evolve and we do this, in part, through the experiences we have on the earth plane. If we have a problem in our personal lives we try to learn from it so that we don’t have to experience it again. But we are not just individuals with personal lives, we are also citizens of the world with a responsibility to others. As spiritualists we believe that we are all one spirit, that we are all responsible for our own thoughts, words and actions and that we are here to help each other evolve. This applies on both a personal and a global basis. One of the gifts we are given to use is tolerance. But like all our gifts they can be used for good or for bad. Although we have not eradicated domestic violence it is at least being addressed. Ignoring it did not work. If we, as individuals, do nothing to defend our freedoms, then we may find that we lose the freedom to have development groups, to teach and give healing and to provide proof of life after life through mediumship.
Spiritualism is growing – the direction in which it grows is up to us. We tell people that it is a way of life. If we genuinely believe that, then we have take spiritualism into the community and become involved in politics. As the advert says – if you don’t ‘do’ politics – you don’t ‘do’ life!
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