A Kinder World

Is it possible to have a peaceful world? What would happen if everyone were tolerant of differences in opinions, practices, nationality, culture, personalities, and anything that makes us different from each other? Disagreements, fights, and wars are caused by people who do not respect the differences in others. Intolerance divides groups and tolerance brings them together.

Many times, people have the wrong idea about those who are different than themselves. Sometimes they have been taught that people who look or act differently deserve to be mistreated. If we hate someone just because of the way they look or because they have different ways of doing things, we might be missing out on knowing someone that could be a good friend. We might miss out on someone who can teach us something new. They might be someone that could be exactly like us on the inside. Mr. John Norton responds to the topic of tolerance by saying, "I think the world would make a huge leap forward if we could all agree to disagree, without finding it necessary to force others to agree with us." Mr. Norton expresses his feelings about the causes of misery and war when he says, "Many people in history have operated on the assumption that if you do not agree with their beliefs, you do not deserve just treatment. That leads to intolerance, misery and war."

You can show tolerance by being respectful to everyone no matter how they are different from you. It is important to try to learn from others and try to put yourself in their place. Carolyn Foote agrees that communication is important and says, "I think part of tolerance is learning to really listen to others. Stephen Covey writes about this in his book Seven Habits for Highly Effective People. He sets out one habit--"First, Listen" which I think is very important. Sometimes we have our own opinions or we get defensive about something and start thinking of how we are going to respond, and then we stop listening. So, I think a way to work on being more tolerant is to practice the act of listening. We have a lot to learn from those different from ourselves."

When you show tolerance it does not mean you give up your own customs, heritage, or beliefs. Showing tolerance does not mean that all behavior should be accepted, like being unkind or doing things that are hurtful to people. Because of technology, the world is different now and people are able to communicate easily with others all over the world. We must be willing to learn from others and most of all, we must be willing to get along.

"Peace"

We surveyed fifty-three people and 74% of them said that they think tolerance is learned from parents.

Culture • Kindness Kids Speak Out • Cultural Differences

A Kinder World