Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Edmund Burke speaks of tolerance & the limits of forbearance...

I take toleration to be a part of religion. I do not know which I would sacrifice; I would keep them both: it is not necessary that I should sacrifice either.
Speech on the Bill for the Relief of Protestant Dissenters (1773)

   I have noticed that many people are experts when it comes to someone else's behavior or life. I think it important to learn to treat such opinions with a spirit of tolerance, but have trouble knowing the point at which it becomes necessary to engage in refuting opinions that are intolerant of opposing points of view. Indeed, how far one should go in exposing and refuting intolerance without oneself being laid open to the charge of intolerance is quite a puzzle.
   While I subscribe to the view that "an eye for an eye leaves the world blind," I cannot subscribe to the view that forever turning the other cheek is indeed a prudent strategy. Dealing with those who demonstrate their intolerance by forcing compliance through legal or bullying tactics, claiming the right to do so on religious or political beliefs, cannot and will not depend on passive strategies.
   I would like to point out that non-violence is not by definition passive, nor do good manners dictate smiling fatuously while rudeness is perpetrated. But as a person who strives for tolerance and good behavior, I feel I am left with few good replies when confronted with certain types of behavior, such as the picture below. It is all wrong on so many levels, yet...

There is, however, a limit at which forbearance ceases to be a virtue.
Observations on a Late Publication on the Present State of the Nation (1769)

3 comments:

S N F said...

Wise words my friend.

Unknown said...

But you weren't actually there, right?
The Internet favors inflammatory images and speech that isn't representative of what's actually happening in front of us.

Running Commentary said...

You are correct, I was not there. Is this important, for example maybe the image has been doctored or some such?