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Tolerance
TOLERANCE
But what about the person who gives his or her life willingly, for total strangers? How do you express the proper level of admiration and gratitude to those who have lost their lives in service to others through their humanitarian work?
TOLERANCE
How many of us take care to verify the rumors we hear by making our own observations? Whether the source is trusted, questionable or entirely unreliable, are we keeping a watchful eye on how we are influenced by that source’s “information” or are we letting our opinions, actions and lives get knocked around by others like a ball in a pinball machine?
TOLERANCE
If I were a traditional journalist, I would not interview Bishop Jon Fish of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He makes no accusations, nurses no grudges, minimizes conflicts, ignores those who denigrate his faith, and works to spread understanding and inclusion. He’s a “glass half full” kind of guy, and a journalist or an editor looking for a quick piece of clickbait or a mean-spirited comment for “controversy” would come up empty.
TOLERANCE
The world offers much to be indifferent about—violence, hatred, bias, discrimination, lies and death. At 68 it would be easy to snuggle up to that indifference by just working my garden, taking out the trash and muttering platitudes at my neighbors.
TOLERANCE
Some of the people I most admire are those who are devout in their personal faith but also curious and generous in their interest to learn about others who may have a different one.
TOLERANCE
Being a musician, I’m always interested in fellow artists who chart their own path and create music that is truly representative of their unique world—not derivative of what is “hot” at the time or purely motivated by a desire for broad acceptance.
TOLERANCE
The answer to every problem that exists between people or groups is always, always more communication and attempts at understanding, no matter how challenging or even hopeless the odds of a true, productive dialogue seem.
TOLERANCE
Some might quibble about the differences in our faiths and beliefs. I choose not to. Instead, I choose to join in the prayer for ourselves, for our fellows, for our nation and for the world. I choose to pray for our essential goodness to flourish in all of us.
TOLERANCE
On the first real day of spring here in central Oregon, I dusted off my bicycle and went for a ride. My neighbors, devout Christians, waved and wished me well. I returned their kindness.
TOLERANCE
In this season of Passover, Jews around the world celebrate freedom from bondage, a never-before-or-since historical occurrence whereby an entire nation departed in a single day from another nation. But a careful reading of the Bible tells us there was more to this than what many suppose.
