Tolerance

Pages 235-237

George marched into town about an hour before sundown. The cameras followed him as he made his way to City Hall. There were close to two hundred people in attendance. The crowd politely applauded.

“I thank thee for coming to hear me. It is not my words thou shalt hear, though, for I am not the intelligent and inspirational orator that I wished I were.

“No, it is God’s word thou shalt hear. For some reason, the Lord has chosen to speak through me,” George said it with a self-deprecating smile and a shrug that elicited a chuckle from the crowd.

“The main themes I have been chosen to discuss are tolerance, kindness, and individualism. I am a realist, not an idealist. An idealist says, ‘Love thy brother.’ I agree with that sentiment but I am a realist, I know it is not always possible to love thy brother. There are times that brother makes it impossible to love him. I tell thee, in those cases, walk away. If thee must hate, do it without malice. Do no harm. Tis better to avoid than to injure.

“We live in a paradoxical world. We are paradoxical people. In each of us is the capacity of great love, as well as great hatred. This is natural, and just, and right. There are paradoxes and opposites in everyone and everything; night has day, earth has water, war has compassion.”

George spoke gently and earnestly; everyone heard him and everyone listened. Some nodded their heads in agreement, others looked at their shoes in thought. George was reaching them, touching them.

“Many of thee read and believe in the Bible. It is a noble book. The Bible is filled with contradictions. It is a book of opposites, a unity of opposites. The Bible speaks of heaven and earth, light and darkness, water and dry land, earth and sea, sun and moon, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel. Indeed, the first sentence in the Bible is, ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’ Certainly, these things are opposite, just as black and white are opposite.

“What I ask of you today, is to accept this universe of opposites. Accept that it is so. Do not think of people in groups, but as individuals.”

He found Rayna in the crowd and spoke directly to her.

“Tell me what thee said to me one time.”

Somehow, Rayna knew exactly what he was talking about. She spoke loud enough for all to hear.

“There are three kinds of people in this world. People I know, that I trust. People I know, that I don’t trust. And everyone else. They’re in the gray area between the two and I take them on a case by case basis.”

“And that is what I want thee to do,” George told his audience. “Take people on a case by case basis, as individuals. In Buddhism, there was a messiah. His name was Guatama. He was conceived immaculately. He was recognized by wise men. He brought ‘the word’ to his people. And furthermore, he refused to recognize the divisions of caste. All people were individuals to him. Please think in the same manner.

“God has made different religions to suit different aspirants, times, and countries. All doctrines are only so many paths; but a path is no means God Himself. Indeed, one can reach God if one follows any of the paths with whole-hearted devotion.

“One may eat a cake with icing either straight or sideways. It will taste sweet either way. Sri Ramakrishna said that. 

“My friends, please try to accept others ideas. Show them tolerance, even if thee does not agree. I am a realist but the spirit of idealism is within me.

“Live thy lives peacefully, tolerantly, individually. I thank thee for thy time.”