Intolerance has no place in this wonderful land

• Intolerance itself is not a “dirty” word: it is a word used to describe a reaction, good or bad, to something subjectively considered as negative. It is the outcome of intolerance that we must look at.
• Ultimately, we all fall into two categories: You and I.
• There are things that are common to us both. Some of the basic things common to You and I are: 1.) We are human; 2.) Our personality is the sum of our minds, bodies, intelligence, faculties, abilities, etc; 3.) We share essential needs – food, clothing and shelter; 4.) We have our likes and dislikes; 5.) We have families and relationships, friends and enemies.
• Now for our differences: 1.) Our physical and mental capacity, and our abilities; 2.) Our social, economic and political status.
• The commonality and the differences are individual and collective –as no individual lives in total isolation. The two categories expand from two persons to groups, small or large, and then communities, populations and nationalities.
• If we accept the above, we will see that no two categories – persons (even identical twins) and groups – can be identical in all aspects.7. We cannot ignore the differences, but we must also know that it is up to us to choose to either accommodate one another and our differences through understanding and live in harmony and peace, or to take a confrontational stance, which would result in a widening of the gap between the two, a chasm that may ultimately become unbridgeable and only end in strife and conflict.
• One has only to look at nature to see that variety exists happily together, and that the same species will fight only over something they are all striving to get, which is not the same thing as fighting over personal differences.
• We like to say that variety is the “spice of life”. Why not recognise and appreciate the variety in us humans? Our paramount current need is to “live and let live”.
• Just think what a dull world it would be if we were all alike or even similar!
• Let us accept our common humanity as it is, unchangeable, and not as we want it to be.
• If we can give serious thought to our common humanity and accept the differences and cherish the variety in life, we will not be intolerant. Intolerance is irrational. It takes two to tango; we have to make the effort, You and I.
• What is deserving of intolerance? We should be intolerant of unfair discrimination based on ethnicity, creed, caste and class. When the discrimination gets exaggerated you get divisiveness. We all want harmony and peace, not division.
• In the Sri Lankan context, our common humanity should be based on the recognition that we are all Sri Lankan, and that we are above all divisive forces. This wonderful land is Yours and Mine. We need to remind ourselves of this cardinal point, especially after emerging from decades of conflict. The first step is to banish intolerance. A genuine, sincere resolve to do away with intolerance is required. We should be determined to live our lives tolerant of one another.

Manel Abeysekera