We talk about agreeing to disagree when there are differences in our thought process or perspectives. All of us have different opinions and beliefs. None can say that s/he is right as different individuals have different opinions and people may be right in their own place or positions. The word that catches our mind in this regard is tolerance. There is no doubt that people are naturally diverse; only tolerance can ensure the survival of mixed communities in every region of the globe.
It is the ability to accept and respect differences in opinions, beliefs, and practices, and also refers to the acceptable variation from a standard, like a specific measurement. In a social context, it is a fair and objective attitude toward those whose views differ from one’s own, while in engineering, it is the allowed range between the maximum and minimum size of a part.
In 1996, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 51/95 proclaiming 16 November as International Day for Tolerance. This action followed the adoption of a Declaration of Principles on Tolerance by United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization’s ( UNESCO) Member States on 16 November 1995. Among other things, the Declaration affirms that tolerance is neither indulgence nor indifference. It is respect and appreciation of the rich variety of our world’s cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human. Tolerance recognizes the universal human rights and fundamental freedoms of others.
In 1995, to mark the United Nations Year for Tolerance and the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, UNESCO created a prize for the promotion of tolerance and non-violence: the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize. This Prize rewards significant activities in the scientific, artistic, cultural or communication fields aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence.
Tolerance is important and to ensure that there is no intolerance there must be activities and actions . Each Government is responsible for enforcing human rights laws, for banning and punishing hate crimes and discrimination against minorities. Law is important and must ensure tolerance in our societies.
Laws are necessary but not sufficient for countering intolerance in individual attitudes as intolerance is very often rooted in ignorance and fear: fear of the unknown, of the other, other cultures, nations, religions. There must be awareness and it should be started from an early age .Children should be encouraged at home and in school to be open-minded and curious.
Education is a life-long experience and does not begin or end in school. Endeavours to build tolerance through education will not succeed unless they reach all age groups, and take place everywhere: at home, in schools, in the workplace, in law-enforcement and legal training, and not least in entertainment and on the information highways.
Intolerance is most dangerous when it is exploited to fulfill the political and territorial ambitions of an individual or groups of individuals. Hatemongers often begin by identifying the public’s tolerance threshold. They then develop fallacious arguments, lie with statistics and manipulate public opinion with misinformation and prejudice.
Intolerance in a society is the sum-total of the intolerance of its individual members. Bigotry, stereotyping, stigmatizing, insults and racial jokes are examples of individual expressions of intolerance to which some people are subjected daily. Intolerance breeds intolerance. Father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi said that “once one assumes an attitude of intolerance, there is no knowing where it will take one. Intolerance, someone has said, is violence to the intellect and hatred is violence to the heart.”
We see intolerance in the digital world very often. The conflicts in social media are also responsible for intolerance. Spread of fake news, hate speeches or comments are a threat to tolerance and we must be digitally vigilant to ensure tolerance instead of intolerance. It is up to us when it comes to our future as we may build a positive future or destroy the same. Let us choose tolerance and counter intolerance for a sustainable future and better world.
Ranjan K Baruah
(With direct inputs from UN publication and feedback may be send to bkranjan@gmail.com)
Saturday, December 6, 2025