Reflection on Tolerance

Today we have arrived in a state of total ambiguity, or at least so it would seem. Virtues are no longer practiced in public, nor are they acceptable. Chastity is looked upon with scorn and disdain, fertility which was once a blessing is now a curse and must be "controlled;" Children, once a blessing, are now a "right" so that if you are unable to conceive in the natural there are means by which a child may be manufactured, as opposed to being the fruit of a loving act between father and mother; Justice and mercy seem to be a dicotomy, and therefore cannot really exist in todays world of logic and constistency, thus we adopt the attitude of "fairness" because of course this is the purified form of justice; Love is acceptable at all times and in all places, in any form and for any person, so that any atrocity can be committed as long as it is done for love; kindness is permitted so long as it does not inconvenience the giver in any way; patience has gone by the wayside, for you can even skip the few seconds of silence in between songs; self-sacrifice, meekness and humility are silly and stupid. Faithlessness in marriage is forgivable under nearly every circumstance, and divorce always acceptable. Temperance is good, but if you want to do everything to excess no one will say boo. Peace is simply the lack of virtue. Liberality has become a virtue instead of a trait. What is the only virtue left us?

Frankly, it isn't a virtue at all. It is tolerance. Virtue has become obsolete, for everything is relative to location, time, person, situation, etc. As Chesterton pointed out, "Tolerance is the virtue of a man without convictions," Some even believe that cold blooded murder, the worst of crimes, is acceptable if the victim is a "bad" person, though what constitutes bad these days I have no idea. It may be acceptable if they are suffering, or no longer productive (fulfilling their place in society), or perhaps unwanted, "for it is better they not live at all than to live a life as an unwanted person." Life, we must conclude from this, is no longer worth living if conditions are not optimal. Thus we join Margaret Sanger in her crusade against "retarded" life, blacks; Hitler and his band which supported only the perfect race, a race of demi-gods made of genetically perfect individuals; Peter Singer in his view that parents have sway over the life or death of their offspring until age 12.

So what is this new virtue, this standard? Tolerance is "to bear with, to not interfere with, to allow, to permit," in the grammatical world. In the medical world it refers to the body's ability to grow numb to the effects of certain drugs so that there must be more drug given to cause the same effect. Tolerance itself is a neutral thing and can become either good or evil by way of the essential matter tolerated. However, in our day one must tolerate everything, good and evil, no matter how atrocious...one is absolutely compelled to do so. In the land of free speech it is now a crime to take an unpopular stance or to speak an unpopular sentiment. Tolerance is the gospel of the people.

As for me, I will tolerate other opinions, the fact that you like scary movies, that Mr. Jones only cuts his lawn every two weeks, that my roommate plays loud music I dislike. Such things are not moral issues. However, under no circumstances should one ever condone sins, silence his own voice or the voices of others in speaking against evil, nor should we ever be silent in the face of policies, legalities, or opinions which are offensive to the right. We must have convictions, that there is truth, and that life is indeed worth living.