Having different political views than my parents, I learned the importance, and often the necessity, of tolerance.
(Associated Press) This undated illustration depicts President Abraham Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of Gettysburg National Cemetery on the battlefield at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, November 19, 1863.
Editor’s note: This was an essay that won an award in A project where tolerance means dialogue.Read his other three essays here.
When Abraham Lincoln gave a speech, gettysburg address, a two-minute speech immortalized in history that divided the nation. The United States was not divided by a de facto political border; rather, the border became more solidified as the country split into two.
Lincoln’s speech outlined the basic principles of freedom, unity, and the idea that “all men are created equal.” These important principles were outlined to defend Lincoln’s goal that the United States “not perish from the face of the earth.”
Tolerance and compromise in the face of conflict were absolutely essential to Lincoln’s words to unify a divided nation.
Division is not a new concept in America. I am a history major and have studied hundreds of years of discord, lack of tolerance, and injustice perpetrated against different groups of people over the centuries. Looking at history through the lens of the present, from the civil rights movement to Europe’s interactions with Native Americans, we see a clear lack of tolerance when it should be championed. Studying the past is an important aspect of looking to the future, and evidence throughout history shows the importance of tolerating different groups and ideas.
The first time I voted, I stood with my parents in a dusty Presbyterian church. It was a primary election, so the woman working at the polling place asked me which ballot I wanted.
“Democrats,” I said. Both of my parents asked for Republican ballots.
“How did this happen?” the woman asked.
“I wish I had known,” my father said.
People with very different views than mine are not a separate group with whom I rarely interact. Often the people we disagree with are the ones closest to us. Having different political views than my parents, I learned the importance, and often the necessity, of tolerance.
Tolerance does not mean separation. It does not mean ignoring or completely differentiating people with different views and opinions. Having respectful and meaningful dialogue with people with different views is important in reaching common ground and expanding our own worldview. It may be easy to ignore controversial and divisive issues like gun control and abortion, but discussing these issues is essential to promoting tolerance on both sides.
The purpose of tolerance is not to get people with different opinions to agree with you. It is about reaching a common understanding and mutual respect for people who are different. Understanding the unique experiences and perspectives that contribute to their ideas is important and brings people together rather than driving them apart.
In a country that may not be divided by national borders, but certainly divided by political and ideological lines, tolerance is essential to our nation’s well-being. Just as Abraham Lincoln advocated for national unity during a deeply divided period in history, tolerance can help bring people together when division threatens to tear them apart.
Kimball Yates He is a 20-year-old BYU student from Kansas City, Missouri. She dreams of attending law school and becoming an immigration lawyer, and she is a third year student studying history.
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