Fr Anthony J. Fernandes is a Roman Catholic Priest for the Archdiocese of Bombay (India). At present, he is serving the spiritual needs of the people at St Teresa's Church Girgaum, Mumbai and is also the Executive Secretary of the CCBI Laity Comission. --------------
Taking into account some unfortunate threatening events happening in some parts of the world, our minds may ponder on how we can protect the future of our children and how to have a safe and peaceful world. We must accept the fact that human beings, naturally diverse in their appearance, situation, speech, behaviour and values, have the right to live in peace and to be as they are. Tolerance requires all citizens from different class, caste, creed and culture to respect each other.
Below is a list of 12 simple definite ideas that can promote tolerance and peace.
1. Commit yourself to nonviolence. If put in a challenging and confronting situation, try to avoid any fight or use physical force. 2. Teach others how to be kind and fair to all. The best way to teach is to be a good example. Others see what we are doing, how we treat people of other class, caste, creed and culture.
3. When you see any form of injustice and discrimination, speak out. If you are afraid then seek help and guidance on how to go about with it.
4. Groups of people should not be judged by the actions of a few. It is wrong to condemn an entire group of people by association of class, caste, creed and culture. No one likes to be blamed for the actions of others.
5. We are strong because of our diversity. People from every group contribute in making our world what it is. Hence no one is less important, all should be respected.
6. We must work towards a just world. Certainly individuals that are proven to be guilty need to be punished. But care must be taken that they are indeed guilty and not innocently charged.
7. History shows us that intolerance only causes harm. Some of our world’s darkest moments resulted from intolerance towards a certain section of people. We must never repeat these terrible mistakes.
8. When your anger is triggered due to some kind of injustice, count to ten before you say anything. Words, once uttered, will never be taken back, so best to think for the right response and express it politely and respectfully.
9. Try to be more compassionate and understanding of other people’s feeling. If they are misguided or brain washed to act unjustly we need to carefully and tactfully change their mindset towards peace initiatives. It is not easy, for this you may need to seek guidance and help.
10. A tremendous social initiative that will help you build a stronger and more compassionate character is through community volunteering. You can look out for peace initiative groups who care for all. Try searching online for such organizations looking for volunteers.
11. Choose a vocation that only brings positive things for your family, community and the world. Do not take up a job no matter how high the salary, if it involves going against any group of people.
12. A warm smile and “hello” and especially reaching to any one in need wherever you are in the world can bring a lot of positive and peaceful vibes. The main goals of promoting tolerance and peace is to bring about unity, harmony in diversity and prosperity for all.
Let us make this world a better place to live…
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