Tolerance and compassion, like love, are words that have gotten
a lot of mileage lately. It is both Buddhist and PC (politically
correct) to advocate for T & C. But what do we really know
about the power behind these words? Tolerance and compassion
are not merely intellectual states of mind. They are meant to
be embodied, shared, and – dare I say it? – LIVED!
Tolerance and compassion are divine forms of intelligence that
invite us to require more of ourselves. We live in a world where
we are accustomed to assigning blame as an immediate response
to any situation. We have to know who dropped the ball. Who’s
at fault? The greatest social shame would be that something
unacceptable happened on YOUR watch! We live in a world where
“I am right, and that gives me might!” Whatever
happened to agreeing to disagree? Aren’t right and wrong
subjective forms of wisdom – different degrees of the
same thing? When I say that, I’m not talking about right
and wrong in serial killing, wife beating or child molesting.
I’m talking about right and wrong in how one subjectively
experiences reality.
Not too long ago, Linda Ronstadt, playing to a Las Vegas audience,
demonstrated this point perfectly. Linda felt compelled to share
her political views, her likes and dislikes, among elected personalities.
The crowd’s response for sharing her unsolicited views
was nothing short of a riot... and I do not mean a laugh riot.
The singer was incensed that the general public did not share
her reality, and the general public was outraged that she occupied
their time with her political opinions. That wasn’t what
they came to hear. Why celebrities insist on treating the general
public like idiots who are unable to form their own viewpoint
without the benefit of a star’s “celestial”
guidance has always confused me. But I usually chalk it up to
their being well intentioned and let it go. After all, I know
my own mind. If they have a different point of view than mine,
who cares! On my deathbed, what Barbra Streisand thinks about
the political climate of the Middle East is the last thing that
will be dominating my focus of attention.
It has become so commonplace to perceive others as wrong or
bad because they exercise their free will in a different direction.
I remember seeing an interview between Barbara Walters and Madonna.
The Diva was going on and on about how she did not want the
members of her audience to dress like her; she wanted them to
think like her. Hey Madonna, can you say fascism? Making others
think the way one person wants, contrary to what is in their
hearts, is not exactly socially elevating. Everybody has to
find his or her own way home. Everyone has to able to grow in
the direction and speed that he or she needs to, not as rigidly
predetermined by a few privileged, self-appointed, select know-it-alls.
Where is the tolerance for the other guy’s opinion? Where
is the compassion for the learning experience and the ideas
of others? Who cares if someone on the A list agrees with anyone
else on the planet. When Albert Einstein was alive, hardly anyone
agreed with where he was going in his understanding of time,
matter and energy. Imagine Einstein being stifled because Clara
Bow or Errol Flynn did not endorse his view of reality! What
happened to the celebration of diversity of thought and imagination?
What happened to treating others as you would want to be treated?
If someone attempted to invalidate Madonna’s viewpoint,
solely based on a lack of like-mindedness, you know the Earth
would shift on its axis from the explosion of unjust and unfair
accusations Madonna would hurl back. Yet Madonna, with a straight
face, can tell Walters she wants everyone else on the planet
to think the same way she does. Are we not listening to ourselves?
What a dull, boring and limited world it would be if everyone
thought, felt and saw the same way. There would be no ingenuity,
no paradigm breakthroughs, and no advancement for the human
soul. There would be no Gandhi, no Martin Luther King Jr., no
Princess Diana. Ralph Waldo Emerson would never have written
about “Self-Reliance.” Shakespeare would never have
allowed Polonius to utter those immortal words, “To thine
own self be true.” Jesus would never have stood up against
the religious leaders of his time. The only free thinkers would
be Homer Simpson and the kids at South Park.
It’s no wonder adolescence is so traumatizing. That is
when one needs to be accepted, because not “fitting in”
is so socially painful. That is the time most critical in our
devel-opment, when non-conformity crushes our psyche and soul
so mercilessly. That’s why we make Olympian heroes out
of characters like “Cool Hand Luke” and James Dean’s
“Rebel Without A Cause”; they moved against the
current of conformity. (And just for the record, Madonna and
Linda, these iconic characters didn’t think like you either!
Oh, well!) We live in a free country. There is no caveat that
it has to be free to think only what Madonna, Linda Ronstadt,
George Bush or Dick Cheney want you to think.
Free will is a great gift. Imagine a world where others respected
and valued the exercise of free will. Consider a world where
it is more important to actualize your own free will than it
is to conform to another's agenda, no matter how vogue they
may be. There used to be a saying you rarely hear these days,
“I may not agree with what you have to say, but I would
defend your right to say it with my life.” Wouldn't it
be interesting if that idea were as popular as being politically
correct?
Vaishali intimately understands the journey of moving the mind
from imprisonment to liberation. I share with you her story
to illustrate that what she talks, writes and teaches comes
from a deep knowing of the suffering one can go through when
life appears to be filled with hardships and questioning. She
was born into an abusive, alcoholic family and knows first hand
the impact of being raised in a hostile environment. At age
8, a teacher who served as a beloved mother figure was brutally
murdered. She has been diagnosed terminal twice – once
as a result of an illness and the second time as the result
of an auto accident. If that wasn’t enough, while literally
fighting for her life, she had to endure lies and infidelity
in her most meaningful relationships.
Vaishali hosts her own weekly You Are What You Love web-cast
on http://www.contacttalkradio.com/hosts/vaishali.htm
and is a monthly guest host on KEST 1450 AM radio show in
San Francisco. Her articles have been published in magazines
nation-wide. Vaishali has appeared on national radio and TV
programming including Oprah & Friends Radio, ABC TV and
the Joey Reynolds Show. To learn more please visit www.purplev.com
