Tolerance

Now that Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty is in the headlines I am reminded of my travels through the world of tolerance. When I was young I was tolerant of just about everybody. If someone made a comment about another person I would jump to their defense by saying if you had walked in their shoes you might think differently. My favorite line to defend some big city delinquent was if your mother was a prostitute and you father a druggie where would you be. I got so good at this that by the time I hit 30, I reached the point where no one was responsible for anything. As years past I came to understand that this was an unattainable position and slowly changed and started evaluating each situation on its merits and today I have a warning for younger folks. Don’t make a virtue of tolerance lest you end up standing for nothing. Freely express your views and show tolerance to those who differ. Like the old adage goes, agree to disagree.