3 Ways to Practice Tolerance

Written By Colēgia

Everyone has their own thoughts and feelings which is all the more reason why we need to practice tolerance. Tolerance is the act of accepting and respecting others’ opinions and beliefs. When you agree to disagree with a friend or accept a different way of thinking, you are practicing tolerance. This is one of the largest parts of effective communication which is why we want to highlight 3 ways to practice tolerance.

Respect Everyone’s Right to Speak

First and foremost, we all enjoy our right to talk, think and act for ourselves, so we must respect when others do the same. The keyword in that statement is ‘respect’. Regardless of how differently you and your friend think, if they aren’t specifically addressing you or your beliefs then you must respect their opinions. Diversity is what makes life interesting as it can help open you to unique perspectives and experiences.

“First and foremost, we all enjoy our right to talk, think and act for ourselves, so we must respect when others do the same.”

Practice Listening

In order to become more tolerant of others, we need to first practice listening. We engage in conversation multiple times a day which is all the more reason why we need to listen. We are often so focused on getting our own point across that we don’t stop and take a moment to acknowledge what the other person is trying to say. Take a second and really listen and think about what someone is telling you, you might learn something new or start looking at things from a different perspective. No one knows everything and no two people have the same point of view, so open yourself up to learning something new from someone else.

“In order to become more tolerant of others, we need to first practice listening.”

Understand The Other Side

Lastly, once you've started to utilize the skill of listening, it’s much easier to try and understand the other side of the argument. Ask questions, consider their own unique perspective, and work to understand where they’re coming from and what makes them think or feel that way. You might not agree with this person but maybe you can use your differences to get to know them better. It’s easy to judge something when you don't understand it, so work on your tolerance and try to see the other side of the argument before you jump to conclusions.

Tolerance is an important skill to possess, especially since you’ll encounter countless people throughout your life that think differently than you do. Maybe you’ll find that these are the best people to be around, and maybe you won’t, regardless, you need to be able to respect them.

Colēgia

Colēgia

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