A Deeper Tolerance; 2020 Vision

“A peaceful future depends on our everyday acts and gestures. Let us educate for tolerance in our schools and communities and, most of all, in our hearts and minds.”

— Federico Mayor, Director General of UNESCO at the 1993 dedication of the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles

The "No Hate, No Fear Solidarity March" across NYC's Brooklyn Bridge on Sunday, January 5, 2020, was a wake-up call for tolerance. Increasing incidents of antisemitism across the country fueled more worries about safety in places of worship, education, and business. It drew thousands to rally in support of the Jewish community. Tolerance, it seems, is skating on thinner and thinner ice. Perhaps it’s fear, anxiety, and insecurity that drive this sense of imminent danger supposedly posed by a cast of 'others' who look different or who have opposing beliefs and customs. We seem to have forgotten that tolerance and acceptance are the building blocks of democracy and decency.

Several decades ago, I attended a conference where a successful designer, builder, and author Chuck Chamblain spoke to us about how he was taken down to his knees by a drive to succeed mixed with lots of booze. And then about what restored him to 2020 vision. Change, he said, was an inside job. He told us that he had been given a new pair of glasses. His law of life said if the only thing poured into it was love, then love was all that would be given back. Chuck was all about tolerance and acceptance. I came away resolved that it doesn't matter what others think about me, but matters greatly what I think about others.

Deep tolerance incorporates absolute acceptance and unconditional love. Dangers to our security cannot be achieved by diminishing the stature of others. We won't achieve peace, harmony, and serenity by killing our perceived enemies. God is never on the side of hatred and violence. We can't possibly continue to stumble along this rocky path without keener perception.

I think we need to invest in that new pair of glasses if we are to overcome the tide of short-sightedness which threatens to destroy us. We must embrace the fact that the only way to achieve a future free of threat is by acceptance, tolerance, and working on that ‘inside job’ Chuck Chamberlain endorsed. Our unrealistic fear and mistrust of others will be replaced by an enduring faith in a power far greater than ourselves. We will be blessed with new freedom through the miracle of the new vision.

Awe and Acceptance; Looking Through Different Lenses

It seems that most all of us could use a new pair of glasses!

The lenses we have in place no longer provide clear, joyful images which enable us to stand in awe. They've become cloudy and scratched over time by resentment and judgment. Under these conditions, with our sight so badly obstructed, it's hard to appreciate the majesty of our surroundings and magnificence of one another. A vision checkup is in order.

Mother took me to a local optometrist when I was twelve years old. My complaints about poor vision were met with some doubt due to the fact that my best friend had just gotten some glasses. She figured that I wanted a pair to be like him. Dr. Harry Janoff's assurance that my eyes were pretty weak did little to convince her of my need. It wasn't until we were driving home, with me wearing the new specs, that she became a believer.

I looked out at the passing countryside and wondered aloud if everyone was was able to see leaves on trees without being close to them. Mom had to pull the car over to wipe away her tears. Her apologies to me were begrudgingly accepted, but my well deserved vindication paled in comparison to the wondrous details of the new world around me.

If we do take the step of getting that new pair of glasses, we will become overwhelmed with a desire for inspection and introspection. The way we look at things and how we see ourselves will be dramatically changed. There probably will come a tendency to be critical of the way things were in the past and we must be cautious in applying our newfound perspective in hindsight. The world today is quite different than it was fifty or one hundred years ago. As my 1969 high school reunion comes closer, that fact becomes clearer by the moment. We were a fun bunch of mischievous kids but what was tolerated by adults back then might be fodder for news reports today.

The new lenses we wear will open up a world which must be received not only by embracing the grandeur but should be mixed with a spirit of acceptance. A physician who struggled with drug and alcohol use became a contributor to the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book. His writing has been a touchstone of recovery for countless people. At the end of his story, he wrote saying; "I must keep my magic magnifying mind on my acceptance and off my expectations, for my serenity is directly proportional to my level of acceptance."

The appreciation of our oneness and desire to make the world a better place should never be hampered by becoming caught up in condemnation of how things used to be. Our ‘magic magnifying minds’ will take over once again. For the new pair of glasses will have become cloudy and scratched by the same judgment and resentment which ruined the last pair. We must become accepting seers who understand the lessons of history, embrace the present moment and who have great hope for the future.