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As I sat in our community cultural center last night, I looked around me. People from Peru, the United States, France, Canada, and Iran all gathered in the same room. We all came from different countries, spoke different languages, dressed differently, carried different cultures, believed different things, and thought differently.
Everything about us was DIFFERENT.
Yet, we enjoyed sharing a meal together, talked about our lives and countries, taught each other expressions and words from our mother tongues, explained our curious cultural behaviors, laughed together, cried together, dialogued together.
Most importantly, we respected one another.
“Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world’s cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human.”
We sometimes agree. We sometimes disagree.
We agree to disagree.
By the end of the evening, we have learned from one another and respected each other.
We practiced my motto: “It’s not better or worse, it’s not good or bad. It’s just different.”
That’s what TOLERANCE is all about.
We could all use a big dose of it right now!
I did not know that today is the “International Day of Tolerance.” Did you know?
In 1996, the UN General Assembly adopted November 16 as International Day for Tolerance.
This action followed the adoption of a Declaration of Principles on Tolerance by UNESCO’s Member States on 16 November 1995. Tolerance recognizes the universal human rights and fundamental freedoms of others. People are naturally diverse; only tolerance can ensure the survival of mixed communities in every region of the globe.
Let me write out that last sentence again in bold.
People are naturally diverse; only tolerance can ensure the survival of mixed communities in every region of the globe.
Our world is full of mixed communities, so we better get used to it. We better learn to live with each other!
Celebrate tolerance today! Practice tolerance today! Adopt tolerance for all your tomorrows!
—The Cultural Story-Weaver
My Gift to You—Get Your Free Ebook—”The 5-Day Journey to Cultural Awareness”!
Let’s Weave Cultures!
On a scale from 1-10, how tolerant do you think you are? How would others rate you?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures”! Write about them in the comment box below.
