I was reading about
South Dakota's Republicans latest attempt to outlaw abortion, and it occurred to me that tolerance, in America, has all but died. We are a nation tearing itself asunder...outlawing a woman's choice, allowing medical and pharmacy professionals to deny care based on their "religious conscience," denying teenagers advice on contraceptives...all the while wrapping themselves in the flag...forget tolerence for other's beliefs, other's views, other's needs...
There is a passage in a book I read as a child by
Madeleine L'Engle which describes the citizens of a distant world as extensions of the will of 'IT', the being who ruled the planet. All of the people did everything at exactly the same time, in exactly the same way - no deviations at all. And no free will.
I see an effort by the Bush administration and fanatic Christians to bring about virtually the same thing, and it is frightening, in and of itself. But even more frightening is what it says about our society, culture, and people.
America was built upon the very principles of tolerance for others. But what has happened to tolerance in this country? Reds have no tolerance for blues, blues no tolerance for reds, and everyone everywhere seems to have a target painted on them by someone else.
What has happened to tolerance? When did we become such a sissified society that every, single, micro or macro, HUMAN action is capable of mortally offending someone else and thus must be stopped, prohibited, buried, or legislated until no offense exists or could possibly exist?
This I know for certain: When we give up tolerance, we also sacrifice personal responsibility. And it is this aspect of our current, surreal situation all Americans find themselves in which is most frightening. What this tells us about the future is not encouraging.
You Republicans and Bush supporters- is this what you want? The end of diversity? The death of tolerance? The fragmentation of personal responsibility in favor of doctrine? A New America that reflects only a single vision - the Republican vision? Elimination of all disagreement with official decree? One Way, One Party, One Will?
This is not hyperbole - I am seriously asking. Is this truly the America you seek? If so, I must then ask, how will we grow? With no diversity, how will we become more tomorrow than we are today? Without complexity, how we will learn to solve the complex problems which assault our human condition?
- Cross posted at
Justice For None