Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Respect vs. Tolerance

Respect: To feel or show deferential regard or honor for; esteem

Tolerance: The capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others; the capacity to endure hardship or pain.

There is a fine line between tolerance and respect. Just because I have a capacity to recognize the practices of another does not automatically qualify me as supporting that behavior. I think too often we make assumptions pertaining to the connection of these two ideas.

If someone is being mistreated in the workplace, they may tolerate it, but they will not respect that individual. Just because I tolerate my messes once in awhile doesn't mean I honor them. I do not condone annoyances just because I grin and bare it.

I feel as if we are somewhat forced to tolerate, maybe because it is mostly associated with a painful experience or maybe because we must compromise if we want peace. I choose to respect. Earn it.

1 comment:

Jon said...

Sadly, many people don't value respect these days as long as they have tolerance.