Tolerance
To be
tolerant means in the sense of Spiritual Science something quite
different from what one understands usually about it. It means also to
respect the freedom of thought in others. To push others away from their
place is an insult, but if one does the same thing in thought nobody
would say this is an injustice. We talk a lot about “regard for the
other’s opinion,” but are not really willing to apply this principle
ourselves.
The “Word”
today has almost no meaning, one hears it and one has heard nothing. One
has to learn to listen with one’s soul, to get hold of the most
intimate things with our soul. What later manifests itself in physical
life is always present in the spirit first. So we must suppress our
opinion and really listen completely to the other, not only listen to
the word but even to the feeling. Even then, if in us a feeling will
stir that it is wrong what the other one says, it is much more powerful
to be able to listen as long as the other one talks than to jump into
their speech. This listening creates a completely different
understanding — you feel as if the soul of the other starts to warm you
through, to shine through you, if you confront “her” in this manner with
absolute tolerance.
We shall not
only grant the freedom of person but complete freedom. We shall even
treasure the freedom of the other’s opinion. This stands only as an
example for many things. If one cuts off someone’s speech one does
something similar to kicking the other from the point of view of the
spiritual world. If one brings oneself as far as to understand that it
is much more destructive to cut somebody off than to give them a kick,
only then one comes as far as to understand mutual help or community
right into one’s soul. Then it becomes a reality.
-- Rudolf Steiner – GA 54 – Brotherhood and the Fight for Survival – Berlin, November 23, 1905
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