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September 15, 2024: Choosing Tolerance In Times of Turmoil

Britannica Dictionary definition of TOLERANCE. 1. : willingness to accept feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own.

In 1799, Patrick Henry in his last public speech, uttered the famous words, “United We Stand, Divided We Fall”, a phrase originated from a Revolutionary War Song by John Dickinson, which has transcended the test of time. These six words eloquently emphasize the power of what happens when we work together, and what happens when we are torn apart. Another motto, E Pluribus unum: (out of many, one) seems to be facing its biggest challenge with our current political culture, where our country is witnessing great division, distrust, and experiencing daily hostile and negative rhetoric.

During this political cycle, the hostility for differing viewpoints seems to be reaching a dangerous precedent, dividing our families, friends and neighbors. Instead of focusing on what we have in common, it has become a landscape of “us versus them”, no matter what political beliefs one subscribes to. Political rhetoric has flamed the fires where compassion for others, tolerance and understanding have seemed to ebb away, with a seemingly blind allegience to one’s identification with a voting bloc. Fueled by fear of change, misinformation, degrading stereotypes and an unwillingess to change one’s beliefs, despite evidence of truth, has led to a country where we no longer feel safe discussing our own deeply held beliefs. I hesitated in even writing this blog.

Our forefathers knew the importance of unity, recognizing the power and strength of being united. Now the division in our country threatens to weaken us in the eyes of the world, While we all have our own deeply held personal belief systems, learning to accept the choices of others requires tolerance, understanding and a willingness to listen to the “other side”.

As humans we share so much, from the basic needs of clothing, food, water, air, and shelter, to the emotional/psychological needs of feeling safe and secure, having a purpose, experiencing meaningful connections with others, and finding a sense of esteem through activities and work. Recognizing the humanity that connects us can help to alleviate the sense of alienation.

I have strong moral and political beliefs which I am passionate about, and have also struggled to accept the choices of others. But I have come to realize that alienating and judging others for their choices only perpetuates the sense of division, rather than uniting us as a community. In our democracy, we can still actively support and vote for the candidate of our choice, but can choose to not perpetuate the hostility and ugliness so rampant on social media and the news. We can choose to be compassionate, be kind, accept our differences, recognize our commonalities and most importantly, we can choose to be tolerant.

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. I’ve gathered some quotes on the Power of Unity. If you have thoughts or additional quotes that are inspirational to you, please share them in the space below. And if you have someone who might find this post meaningful, please share it with them.

In Peace and Understanding,

Wendy Oellers-Fulmer

Quotes on the Power of Unity

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

– Helen Keller

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

– Martin Luther King, Jr.

“So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.”

– Baha’U’Llah

“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”

– Henry Ford

“There is no power greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”

– Margaret Wheatley

“Unity is vision; it must have been part of the process of learning to see.”

– Henry Adams

“We cannot be separated in interest or divided in purpose. We stand together until the end.”

– Woodrow T. Wilson

“The best way to predict the future is to create it together.”

– Joe Echevarria

“We are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond.”

– Gwendolyn Brooks

“When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.”

– Winston S. Churchill

“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.”

– Stephen Covey