"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. —John Donne

Almost everyone agrees that we need more tolerance, not only among nations, races, religions, and communities but also in our own homes. Not all agree, however, that we can do something about it. I began to develop that conviction, and discovered personal intolerance that needed uprooting many years ago.

My personal experience in this way may not be entirely different than your own. Tt an early age the unnatural but essential process of looking beyond appearance, broken language, and even crankiness to the real person became my intention. I learned that people deserve to be treated as brothers and sisters because they are all children of God. No matter what the circumstances, almost everyone deserves decent treatment and respect.

One of the tragedies of war is its tendency to build up in people attitudes of hatred against whole nationalities, races, and cultures. During such times, stereotyping spreads to epidemic proportions, and the rhetoric gets harsh and ugly.

Currently, we have such an ugly history with so many ethnicities that it could be said that we have reason to hate just about everyone beyond our American borders.

Jesus taught gospel principles that ,exemplified tolerance constantly. In the Sermon on the Mount, the spirit of which is beautifully summed up in the Beatitudes, Jesus insisted that the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers, and the pure in heart were blessed. His followers must expect and endure hatred, personal vilification, misunderstanding, and persecution. (See Matt. 5:3-12.)

While we have a Christian world that extolls intolerance as some peculiar sign of strength in character, it is actually reserved by those who are bound in fear and ignorance.