"Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding." -Ghandi
I came across this quote a few days back, and it spurred on a thought that had been running in the back of my mind. I agree very much with this quote, because no good comes from rash and intolerant behaviour. It is our humanitarian duty and right to respect and be respected, especially in a world where everything is connected by the tap of a button or a flight across an ocean. It is so easy to find ourselves faced with the uncertainty of foreign cultures and foreign traditions that we try to comfort ourselves with comparisons to our comfortable, familiar lifestyles, without looking at the bigger picture. It is so easy nowadays to associate stereotypes with foreign cultures, that we forget to look deeper at the world's vast variety of differences.
By facing situations without clear minds, we endanger ourselves and those around us. It is quite easy to mend physical hurt, what with the level of scientific advancement and medical research today, however, we can never be sure as to how deep or how terminal psychological scarring can be.
Without trying to objectively perceive a situation, we risk losing out on its essence. This especially applies to the many controversial topics of today, such as religion, politics, violence, gender equality, war, terrorism, economics, and so on - the list is endless.
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