Intolerance-do you think this is on a general rise?

You may be right kalav. It seems to me that people do not have a great of patience for each other any more; try driving, oh boy, if you take half a minute too long at the stop sign you will be tooted and cursed at; trying doing the speed limit on a quiet road, the car behind will just about be in your back seat and you can see the driver waving his hands getting all annoyed because you are not going fast enough! At my daughter’s school some of the mothers are evil, I swear; they spend a lot of time criticising others and being totally intolerable in regards to accepting different customs and cultures amongst parents and children. My own family is always at each other’s throats and nobody likes to respect each other’s differences but would rather exercise control instead. I can sense that the world is angry. We know the earth is angry too; what with earthquakes and the like...I don’t know what is happening but there does not seem to be any patience and tolerance amongst people anymore...

Hi Kala! You are correct that tolerance levels are going South. People are getting more and more impatient. They just cannot tolerate and withstand pressure and comments of others. If you say some unpleasant or strong words to your friends or relatives, they just retaliate, without blinking an eyelid. People, I feel, are getting less humorous, they just cannot tolerate a little bit of fun and lighter talk, if you do it, they take it too personal and make it an ‘issue’. Incidents of road rage and fighting with neighbors are on the rise, because everybody wants to prove that he is ‘somebody’ and he should not be taken lightly. You just cannot drive your vehicle peacefully on a busy road, somebody would suddenly come and overtake you from the wrong side or somebody would hit you from behind, if you apply sudden brakes, because he was just not alert. I do not know where this will take us. I feel really suffocated in this kind of atmosphere.

I too realize that people are losing their patience fast in this rat race world. Intolerance creates anger in many people. When people feel anger they undergo physical and mental changes. Their heart rate, blood flow and tension rises as the body prepares for action. That is the reason why today there are high record of people suffering from high blood pressure which is a silent killer. I wish not point fingers on others but I was once a monstrous impatient person that no one can tolerate my foul temper. After taking up meditation and practicing it daily, I have mellowed down a lot and meditation have changed me 360 degrees. I am more angelic now and can tolerate even in toughest situation.

I think intolerance has always been around but that the tone of it has changed. Instead of a fairly homogeneous group of people banding together and agreeing to a tradition of being intolerant of certain things, now we have diverse groups of people intolerant of tradition itself.

Hi kalav, I find generally that I have little tolerance for the intollerant.

Hi kalav56, I do think it is on rise - but I think it may be our perception. For one population has increased, so obviously, we see more number of people behaving like that. Life has also become tense in a way. In good old days, my mom had only 4 sarees for functions and 6 or 7 for daily wear. Now, it seems ridiculous to manage within that. To keep up with Joneses so to speak, we deprive ourselves of little joys, and end up with materialistic things, losing out on precious moments. I am one of those who is kind of addicted to earning/working. Periodically, I step back and question myself, is this what I want, am I becoming overbearing and so on. Personally, if we ladies can avoid traveling (to and fro work), half the tension of our lives would be out. :) But that is only my opinion, u dont have to subscribe to it. :)

Hi Kala, It is true that nobody has the patience to wait and all are in hurry. Personally I too feel the same. I try my best at home to keep my cool otherwise I know the peace will destroy at home. Sometimes my elder son is facing my angry, what to do I can’t control by seeing his cool attitude towards studies, taking much time to bring his books for sitting with me, meanwhile he is trying to fight with his younger brother for some toys. He won’t take much time to learn if he sits with me seriously, but his eyes are always following his younger brother checking whether he is taking anything belongs to him (elder one). I am more tolerant with friends and neighbours but I can’t do the same with my elder son. I know a hug or kiss will definitely cool him, may be this is the reason. I personalize the problem because I know by the time you have read the general problem from many.

Kalav56, Tolerance? what is that? in today society, people have lost it, there are more violent amonst neighbours and families, people cannot sit down and talk the they to shout and argue with each other, I blame the media for that becasue everything they sow its all about violence, so people have short tempers and lash out, they don't talk anymore like in the old days. Tamara

I mam not sure but you may have a point .One of the greatest display of intolerance is what is happing in the middle east where jews and arabs tend to be intolerant of each other views and to show their general disgust of each other they maime and kill.With regard to tolerance in western socities I think intolerance may actually be declining ,look now there is a black man in the white house which would be unheard of before .In addition gay rights seemin to be taking momentum in several states in the Us and in other parts of the world .In addition several left and right wing countries who swore total anhilation of western societies like Lybia adn Venezuella are now adopting a more liberal approach adn even some arab states are being slightly westernized in their approach So I am thinking that based on this and other consideration that intolerance may be on the decline ,granted there are pockets which continue to resist the wings of change but since there have been so much advancement ,maybe in the end they will be mowed over and a new era of tolerance ushered in but then with tolerance must come a level of responsibilty