Islam and Peace
Limits of Tolerance
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tolerate others’ differences, their very forebearance
would become a great enabling factor in collective
human development.
After 1947, when the first government of
independent India was formed, two important
leaders were included in it. One was Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru and the other was Sardar Vallabh
Bhai Patel. Pandit Nehru’s westernized ideas were
in great contrast to the orientalism of Sardar Patel.
And this caused frequent differences of opinion
between these two leaders. But this proved to be a
boon for the nation, because with Pandit Nehru’s
abilities compensating for the shortcomings of
Sardar Patel, and vice versa, the end result was one
of an efficacious complementarity. The above is a
good example of the difference between the
respective natures and opinions of individuals
essential for human development in general.
The habit of tolerance prevents a man from wasting
his time and talent on unnecessary matters. When
negatively affected by another’s unpalatable
behaviour, your mental equilibrium is upset,
whereas when emotionally untouched by such
