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| Tolerance |
| 12.18.03 (4:47 pm) [edit] |
If humans have existed for 50,000 years and you divided this into life spans lasting about 62 years each, 800 life times have passed in all of human history. Only in the past 150 of these life spans have societies and villages existed, and only in the last one have we had globalization. Today, in our world with so much diversity and rapid change, are we transitioning the way we think and act to coincide with this change? With all our accomplishments that have been made through technologies and understanding, do those living in modern society reflect this level of growth in their way of thinking towards the other cultures of the world and people that live differently from them? Or do we only believe that we have evolved understanding, by giving labels and groupings to others, to help us with our fear of that of which we cannot perceive? As time passes culture and technology grow at an ever-increasing speed and complexity, new technologies always producing more technologies. Some of the simplest advances can dramatically change everyday life. Only through willingness in the society and in a level of security can change be brought about.
When I was much younger, do to the fact I am dyslexic and needed extra help learning, I tended to be moved around the district from one program to another. When I entered the second grade I was placed in a first and second grade multi-age class, at Lake Forest Park Elementary. This was as close to a mainstream class I had been in and was my first experience at Lake Forest Park. I was very excited and so very much wanted to be accepted by my peers. I began to make friends with a group of boys in my class that seemed to accept me. They were all involved in cub scouts at the school, and met at LFP on Wednesday nights. I wanted to become better friends with these boys, so I begged my mother to take me to one of their meetings. It is a known fact by many people that scouts have had a very turbulent past with excluding gays and other groups (like non-Christians). My father is gay and my mother and him have been on good terms and friends for as long as I can remember. Therefore my mother’s reaction to my asking her if I could join cub scouts was rather negative, and at my point of social innocence I couldn’t understand why. Finally I convinced my mother to take me to one of the meetings. She was so horrified by the experience because of her own intolerance and perceptions of conservative Christians. She never allowed me to return. When I was in the fifth grade my mother found an all boys Camp Fire group for me to join. Camp Fire has a reputation for being a more liberal organization and has an all-inclusive non-discriminatory police that includes sexual orientation. I made many friends, and made up for the experiences I lost by not joining cub scouts, and developed many life long skills. Now being 16 and able to look back I know that I never became good friends with the group of boys I desired too in the second grade. At the time, I was upset by this missed opportunity, but now realize that I have little in common with this group of people at Shorecrest. I also know that a lot of my younger childhood would be considered a difficult one by many. Did my mother make the right decision? Is there ever a “right” answer? Or rather in life are there only better choices.
History has a way of repeating itself. My younger brother Tristan, who is in first grade at Brier Elementary, now too desires to join a Cub Scout group. He is new to the school and this would be a good opportunity for him and my parents to get involved with others in their community. Tristan is currently in a mixed boy/girl Camp Fire group out of Lake Forest Park. Tristan is the one of only two boys in his group. My mother is now faced with the dilemma of letting Tristan go to a cub scouts group. Was she too hasty by not letting me go? Does the policies of a national organization necessarily reflect the values of those involved in the program in our community? Does the benefit of being “in the group” outweigh the negative of being part of a group that allows intolerance?
I feel of all places, living in Western Washington which is populated by so many people of different backgrounds and histories, gives me a unique chance to use personal experiences with people and understand what tolerance is. There is no black and white, right or wrong, and intolerance can be created by the human desire to create a black and white definition of right and wrong. I believe that the only thing tolerant people can’t tolerate is intolerance.
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