Tolerance of others is easy, as long as the others behave exactly like you. People generally do not like "others." The weaponization of the "other" has been a frequently used tactic when fanatical support from the masses is required. Typically, the "other" consists of racial, religious, or other social groups that find themselves in a homogenous society.

"Othering," or the reduction of a person or group of persons' individuality, worth, and promise to their affiliation in a negative context to the existing status quo, has been commonly used historically to deprive minority groups of life, liberty, and rights that members of the dominant socio-economic class otherwise enjoy. Historically, America has never been a tolerant nation, and this is evident countless times in the context of the United States alone:

Racism:

• Enslavement of peoples deemed inferior
• Segregation of those not deemed 'white enough'
• Colonization of Caribbean and Pacific island nations
• Genocide of indigenous peoples to make way for the 'enlightened'

Religion:

• Islamophobia
• Antisemitism
• Anti-Catholicism
• Anti-atheism

Identity:

• Sexual Orientation
• Gender Affirmation
• Sexism

These are just the highlights. There are countless more instances of othering, both legalized and societal. America's foundational hypocrisy—declaring to the world that all men are created equal, only for its founding document to state that some people are only 3/5ths of a person—has plagued us since its inception.

The solution is, of course, tolerance. Not tolerance from the individual—no, this tolerance must come from the heart of society. This has to be a part of our social contract. We as individuals, as a community, as a state, as a country, must begin to embrace tolerance of others to the fullest extent.

This does not mean that overnight we will all hold hands in a circle and sing "Kumbaya," and all of society's woes will be gone. There is too much pain and violence that has endured through decades, centuries, and millennia to be healed in a short time frame. Such thoughts are for those who imagine a utopian society where all of life's problems have been solved.

Instead, we need to simply strive to be tolerant of others in all areas. Using my value of Self as a guiding principle for how we have the right to self-determination, and using my values of Compassion and Others as guiding principles for how we should interact with one another, we can come together and embrace the differences that make us interesting.

More specifically, we as a society must be able to encounter any random member and instantaneously recognize them as our equal. The respect you give to a janitor should not be more or less than the respect you would give to the CEO of your company. The respect you give to a member of another gender, faith, race, or sexual identity should be no different than the respect you would give to your own.

I say these words out loud, and people will say that we are already taught this, that this is already encouraged. And I agree, it is. However, it is also ignored. People will proclaim that they already show this level of respect, that they are tolerant of others, yet they do not practice what they preach. Either consciously or unconsciously, many people view others as less than themselves. If they are of a different religion, race, gender, profession, or wealth class, many people cannot accept not being better than others.

We cannot progress as a society as long as people continue to hold intolerant beliefs deep down. The paradox of tolerance, therefore, comes into play with how we should handle the intolerant. The actual paradox is that if you tolerate intolerance, then eventually the tolerant will be eliminated from society, and society as a whole will become intolerant. I do not consider this to be a paradox at all. In fact, I believe we have already solved this paradox: Tolerance of the tolerant. Intolerance of the intolerant.

We should not tolerate people in society who:

• Believe that it is acceptable to deprive others of rights that they themselves enjoy.
• Believe that because of their wealth or lack thereof, one is inherently more or less suited for power.
• Believe that systems that are fallible should not be fixed.
• Believe that by giving others rights, they themselves would then lose rights.
• Believe that the environment should be solely exploited and not sustained.

This is not something that is addressed by legislation or proclamation. This requires a conscious act, a desire for society to improve, to be better than it already is. To perform an act that can so easily become corrupted: do not tolerate the intolerant.

Intolerance should be viewed as a scourge of our species. Intolerant people should be called out, shamed, and reviled for their views. I am not advocating for violence against others. I am not advocating that we should imprison or otherwise deprive rights from those who are intolerant of others, as this just leads to the same cycle of violence that has plagued us since time immemorial.

Instead, I am asking that we simply call out intolerance and injustice whenever we can. Truly love thy neighbor. Change today to fix the future.