U is for Understanding

This time of year made the call for my U...for Understanding. It seems like so many of our troubles stem from not understanding--the other guy, the other society, the other point of view etc. We all [in our culture, at least] talk about peace, joy, goodwill and understanding towards all, but it is so much easier done than said! Understanding does not mean agreement, nor even approval. It means just...understanding that the other person might have a different viewpoint, which is as valid to him as mine is to me. The other culture might have a different background, so a different way of interpreting events etc than mine. We can understand that we have differences.

That said, understanding that others have different viewpoints does not make all views equally valid. I can understand that the colorblind man sees the stop sign as grey, but it remains red. Verities do not change because of differences in understanding. I know certain things are true, but if you understand it differently, I do not have to look down on you, nor do I have to accept your understanding as true as mine. I simply have no right to ridicule you or persecute you for your lack of understanding as I do. That is true tolerance. To know what is right, to understand the differences others may have, to accept the people with the incorrect opinions as valid and justified in their opinions without accepting something that is intrincically abhorant as equal in value. The person is equal in value to me or to anyone else, but understanding is rarely equal because we have such divergent backgrounds that while some of us show great understanding, others might not be to our level as yet.

All this rambling can be taken in a religious sense, but not neccessarily so. It could be about politics or even about dog breeding! I think we [people] just need to show more understanding towards others in general.