Tolerance

I was thinking the other day about the concept of 'tolerance.' In light of the coming election, those of us with liberal bends tend to hanker toward certain aspects of agendas - gay rights, equality (women, colors, beliefs, sexual preference), abortion, taxes (who doesn't want to know where our money is going to end up?), foreign policy... the usual.

In thinking about that, I was struck by something.. it ended up being unpleasant, because it made me play 'devil's advocate'. If tolerance is a goal to strive for, how realistic is it to draw a line. A man beats his wife, or cheats on her. We tend to reject that out of hand, because it violates basic human rights. But, if he came from a belief system where women are less than human, we are now 'intolerant' to his religion and culture.

Does the line get drawn because we don't want the same fate? Because our belief system is so different from that it cannot support, not tolerate it? Having come from a destructive and abusive marriage, I can't support domestic violence or abuse of any kind. Am I intolerant because my belief system has been corrupted by my own experiences? I'd like to think not. I'd like to think that my intolerance of cruelty is because abuse is unacceptable. Abuse of any kind - power, trust.. the physical, emotional and mental forms of interpersonal abuse. I like to think that my intolerance is that not only can I not condone that abuse, but that I can't abide it.

I will never go out of my way to bomb the opposing party, but I also won't be holding signs for them either. I won't be voting for them or laying down in front of them so they can use me as a bridge to step on. (sorry Jesus, I know that I'm supposed to love my enemy as I'd love myself, and according to Corinthians' definition of love, I am violating that.)

Perhaps, though, I am confusing tolerance with acceptance. I will be watching to see what will unfold for the future of our nation, for the future of my children and family, and for the future of fairness.