Tolerance

Introduction:

In his essay “Tolerance” E.M.Forster talks about the need for a sound state of mind, and a right psychology to reconstruct Europe. Architects, contractors, broadcasting corporations etc must be inspired by the proper spirit in the people for whom they are working. People today are indifferent to civic beauty, and they have no taste at all. According to Forster, until we are concerned and worried about our society, reconstruction of Europe would not become a possibility at all.

Love for Private Life – Tolerance for Public Life:

Most people, when asked what spiritual quality is needed to rebuild civilization, will reply ‘Love.’ But according to Forster, love is a great force in private life; it is indeed the greatest of all things: but love in public affairs does not work. The idea that nations should love one another, or that a man in Portugal should love a man in Peru of whom he has never heard – it is absurd, unreal, dangerous etc. In the rebuilding of civilization, something much less dramatic and emotional is needed, namely tolerance. Tolerance is indeed a negative virtue, but this is the sound state of mind which will enable different races and classes and interests to settle down together to the work of reconstruction.

Tolerance is Common Sense:

According to Forster, if you don’t like people, put up with them as well as you can. Don’t try to love them: you can’t, you’ll only strain yourself. But try to tolerate them. On the basis of that tolerance a civilized future may be built. There is no other foundation besides tolerance, for the post-war world.

Moreover, tolerance is very essential for the establishment of peace. It is also common sense, because in the post-war world we shall have to live with all kinds of people – from different races, languages, ethnicities etc.

Conclusion:

To conclude, Forster feels that tolerance is not a great eternally established divine principle, but just a makeshift, suitable and apt for an overcrowded and overheated planet. It carries on when love gives out, and love generally gives out as soon as we move away from our home and our friends. Tolerance is needed in the shop, among strangers, in the queue, in the telephone booth, in the street, in the office, at the factory and above all between classes, races, and nations. It is a dull virtue but still requires imagination, as it helps in empathizing with others, which is a very desirable spiritual exercise too.