Four Keys To Being More Tolerant

Tolerance is a fundamental virtue that everyone should develop. Think about it. In our society, people interact daily with others. First, the ability to be more tolerant can help you avoid discussions and interpersonal conflicts. In addition to this, it can allow you to learn other opinions and views. Why then is it so difficult to be tolerant?

People build their identity around their values, opinions and beliefs. Therefore, they try to protect them. It is normal for you to feel at risk when you are faced with a different perspective, especially one that completely contradicts your own.

Some individuals are quite inflexible and prone to use dichotomous “black and white” thinking, and this undoubtedly hinders their ability to think outside the box and accept other opinions. You can follow several strategies if you want to start being more tolerant.

Keys to being more tolerant

Discover your own biases

As we mentioned above, it is normal for you to try to keep your faith intact. To do this, you can come up with different cognitive biases. For example, you can search for and accept information that matches your ideas. In the same way, you can ignore or reject those who contradict them. This process is usually automatic. Knowing this can help you open your mind.

Before you annul an idea, you should think about why you are doing it. Is it because it really does not seem to be true or simply because it contradicts your current opinion? You should also try to inform yourself about the different positions available. Let yourself be more educated. It’s okay to change your mind!

Open up to diversity

If one thing is true, it is that intolerance often arises from ignorance, from staying in closed social circles and environments. When this happens, it is typical to resort to stereotypes to judge a whole group of people. Have you ever represented something enormous by only being marginally involved yourself? Let’s be honest, you probably have. We all do this at least once. But that does not mean it is right. To avoid this, there is nothing better than opening up to different things.

Traveling, discovering other cultures, talking to people from different backgrounds and with different opinions and interests can broaden your perspective significantly. Learning about other realities directly from the source helps you to have a more open and tolerant attitude.

Actively listen to others

One of the keys to being more tolerant is definitely learning to listen to others. Many conversations today are nothing more than a power struggle to see who gets the last word. It is important that you are interested in what the other person has to say in order to have a real conversation with him. Do not try to completely disprove the person’s arguments and impose your opinion as if it is the only valid one.

Active listening means paying attention to what the other person is saying. Do not hesitate to analyze what he or she says. Reflect and ask questions if necessary. This will let the person know that you are listening, which is important. It’s okay if you do not understand his point of view. Just let the person know so that he can explain the topic in a simpler way.

This process will not necessarily make you change your mind, but it will definitely let you understand what the other person’s motives are and feel with him or her.

Do not be afraid to change, as this is one of the keys to being more tolerant

Although it may not seem like it, intolerance sometimes reflects a fear of losing the faith you have had for a long time. Changing opinions is not easy because it means acknowledging that we have been wrong, which can be perceived as a weakness or a failure.

However, this can not be further from the truth. To double-check is a wise thing to do, and there is absolutely no shame in taking a different approach to the facts you did not know before. This reflects maturity and helps you grow as an individual.

Being more tolerant does not mean that you change your essence

First of all, remember that being tolerant does not mean that you blindly agree with what other people think. This means that you respect them, no matter what your personal opinion is. Everyone has different preferences and interests.

Maybe you do not share the same lifestyle as your friend, maybe you do not share your partner’s opinion on a particular issue, or you may not understand why someone else made a particular decision. But intolerance will only generate suffering, anger and restlessness, and moreover, it will lead to interpersonal conflicts. Respect, listening and a more flexible mindset will help you build harmonious relationships. It can even help you discover perspectives that you did not consider.