top of page
Search

Essay Published in SpillIt!: "Vigilant Tolerance"




As you know, there’s a lot of change going on in America right now. So when Ashley Holloway in Calgary, Canada, wrote an essay — “Is ‘tolerance’ really something to strive for?” — for SpillIt!, the opinion column published by Vine Leaves Press, I saw an opportunity to jump in with a resounding “yes!”


I’m a member of Braver Angels, a national nonprofit that works to unite Americans through civil discussion, and so strongly support all of my fellow Americans, despite differences in political viewpoint. I believe the essay about “responsible tolerance” is appropriate for everyone. If I’m wrong, let me know! I welcome the discussion.


You can read the essay below. At the bottom I've also attached a downloadable pdf.


___


I appreciated the question Ashley Holloway raised in last month’s Spill It! essay, “Is ‘tolerance’ really something to strive for?”


My answer is yes, but not just any tolerance. Instead, freedom relies on the kind of tolerance described in the United Nations’ Principles of Tolerance, also mentioned in Ms. Holloway’s essay.


The document, adopted in 1995, states, “Tolerance is not concession, condescension or indulgence. Tolerance is, above all, an active attitude prompted by recognition of the universal human rights and fundamental freedoms of others.”


In other words, tolerance is a phenomenon that’s alive and must be tended with vigilance lest it grow to include what should not be tolerated, or wither to a form that creates a restrictive society.


That attitude has taken on immense meaning for me as an American. While I’ve read about many repressive societies throughout history, I didn’t fully understand the mechanism by which they arose. But now that my country is fast moving toward a breakdown in the rule of law, I know the answer is…


Tolerance, but of the irresponsible kind.






Tolerance demands responsibility


To be a free society you have to be tolerant for the many reasons stated in the UN document. Tolerance:


  • allows many different kinds of people to live together in pace

  • upholds human rights

  • upholds the concept of democracy, i.e., self-government in which human rights are recognized and every individual is entitled to equal treatment under the law

  • upholds the rule of law


The proclamation is clear that “the practice of tolerance does not mean toleration of social injustice or the abandonment or weakening of one's convictions. It means that one is free to adhere to one's own convictions and accepts that others adhere to theirs. It means accepting the fact that human beings, naturally diverse in their appearance, situation, speech, behaviour and values, have the right to live in peace and to be as they are. It also means that one's views are not to be imposed on others.”


The first point — that a society must allow for a wide range of differences in order to accommodate a diverse population with divergent customs and ideas, including those we may not agree with — is particularly important to achieving or maintaining the last three.


Tolerance in a free society is a delicate balancing act. Too much can create a backlash by a population that seeks more guardrails, while too little can lead to suppression.


What a society tolerates should be agreed upon and formally acknowledged through laws. Rather than end the conversation there, however, those tolerances should remain part of societal discussion so changes can be made as society changes.


Whatever the case, tolerance demands vigilance in which people watch, question, and if need be, challenge.


So what’s happening in America and other countries like Turkey, Venezuela, Russia and Belarus where liberal democracies are giving way — or already have — to authoritarianism? (“The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule”) (“The Lost Democracies of the 21st Century”)


In a phrase, political polarization, or the belief those who agree with us are our comrades, and those who don’t are our enemies. Such attitudes are actively grown by repressive leaders to divide and conquer a populace for the soul sake of power.


Polarization has grown so deep in America that in 2017 it spurred the birth of Braver Angels, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reunifying citizens by teaching them the skills of civil discussion with those of opposing viewpoints. The idea is that by talking to one another with the aim of listening and learning, rather than trying to prove a point, people can rediscover tolerance, and in so doing, see how much common ground they share, a mission that inspired my blog, Vigilant Positivity.


But the task of depolarization and reunification becomes almost impossible when both the leadership and citizenry abdicate their role of responsible tolerance, which leads to…


Irresponsible tolerance and intolerance.





In the last several decades, I’ve experienced the extreme discomfort that comes with learning my country’s part in past and current human rights abuses that point to the reality that a “liberal democracy” may only apply to certain privileged groups within society, whereas others have been irreparably harmed. (“It’s no surprise liberal democracy is giving way to authoritarianism”)


Those conditions come about when a society tolerates what should not be tolerated.


What should not be tolerated, and that has become a matter of course in my country, are:


leaders who daily make demeaning statements about citizens, or condemn entire groups of people, whether federal workers, immigrants, members of opposing political parties, or those who don’t conform to leader-approved lifestyles leaders who purposefully circulate — and citizens who recirculate — misinformation aimed at destroying trust in lawful institutions, encouraging hate towards those of opposing viewpoints, and engendering fear of retribution leaders who actively deprive people of their right to due process of the law

those who foster the belief that fellow citizens are the enemy because they have a different viewpoint


If you see these actions in your country, don’t wait. Sound the alarm. Get involved in your political system. Engage with organizations like Braver Angels to draw citizenry together to speak to leaders with a unified voice for policies that encourage the welfare of the entire population. And most importantly, loudly decry acts of unkindness.


By being vigilant and employing the basic tenet of humanity — to treat others as we would have them treat us — we have the power to stand up for positive tolerance and against negative tolerance and intolerance..


___


For updates about Martha’s forthcoming books, news and giveaways, subscribe to her website: MarthaEngber.com.


SCATTERED LIGHT, a novel, sequel to WINTER LIGHT (Nov. 2025)



BLISS ROAD, a memoir


WINTER LIGHT, a novel, in paperback and audiobook



GROWING GREAT CHARACTERS, a resource for writers





 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page