Openness, tolerance, patience

IT is indeed very painful to learn that even now, when we

seem to have progressed a lot in the area of culture, knowledge and

technology, we still can witness massive cases of primitive

misunderstanding and barbaric brutality in some parts of the world.

            A case in point is what’s happening in some areas in Iraq.

There today, ethnic cleansing is taking place where some people are

eliminated simply by reason of their religion, where even babies are

not spared from being beheaded.

            We need to issue a big, loud and worldwide call for

openness, tolerance and patience among ourselves. Pope Francis has

spearheaded this call, and we should do all what we can to heed it,

starting always with prayers and sacrifice before we think of whatever

political and even military solutions may be needed for this

unspeakable problem.

            Yes, we have to learn how to coexist peacefully and

fruitfully in spite of and even because of our unavoidable differences

and conflicts. Especially since we cannot avoid getting a more complex

and complicated world as we go along our collective life, we need to

learn well the art and skills of openness, tolerance and patience.

            We should learn to make our differences, conflicts,

mistakes, failures, offenses, etc. an occasion to love each other more

and more. They are actually privileged occasions for us to broaden and

extend our capacity to love, and to know the more subtle aspects and

dimensions of love. Even the worst scenarios can offer us precious

lessons.

            Love has to prevail, because after everything is said and

done, it is love that contains the ultimate of truth and justice that

usually are the reasons why we fight each other, even to the point of

killing each other.

            And love means we need to be open to one another,

accepting each one the way he is, including his defects, weaknesses,

mistakes, failures, not in the sense of approving what’s wrong with

them, but in the sense that they are first and last our own brothers

and sisters whom we need to love regardless of the different

conditions and adverse positions they may have in life.

            Anyway, what usually also happens is that what we consider

as wrong in others are actually just matters of opinion, preferences

and tastes. They are not actually wrong and bad in themselves. They

are just different from ours.

            And so we just have to learn to be open-minded,

respectful, tolerant even as we try to expound our own opinions,

preferences and taste too. We have know how to give space for each

one. The world is big enough to accommodate all these differences.

            And even when we think that what’s wrong in others are not

simply matter of opinion and taste but of things essential, we still

need to be open, tolerant and patient in an appropriate manner.

            We have to be ready to be heroic in these cases, generous

and magnanimous in our behavior and reactions, willing to suffer more

than to win some victory if the ultimate value of love would be

compromised when a certain course of action would be pursued.

            In this, we have to follow closely the example of Christ

himself who bore all the sins of men just to save us. He is the

standard, the pattern and the power in our effort to be open, tolerant

and patient with everybody else.

            Of course, this is possible only when we have faith in

God’s word and try to conform our ways to God’s ways. But we can start

learning these indispensable traits by pursuing them in our

unavoidable daily encounters and conflicts with others.

            For example, when we express our political opinions or

views related to anything social or cultural or even religious, we

should try our best to be respectful with one another.

            Even in our sharpest disagreements, we should see to it

that we remain courteous, civil and friendly. We should learn how to

disagree agreeably, without poisoning the air around and, much less,

cutting the bonds of friendship and brotherhood.

            To be avoided at all costs are inflammatory language,

insults, ad hominems, all kinds of fallacies, sarcasm, ironies, etc.

These do not advance our dialogues and exchanges. Rather, they hamper

and undermine our conversations.

            We should see to it that we have a good grip of our

emotions, our temper, our tongue, and much more, our hand. Rather,

let’s follow what St. Peter once said:

            “If you are a speaker, speak in words which seem to come

from God…so that in everything God may receive the glory…” (1 Pt

4,10-11)