The True Jihad
Tolerance!!
Its Significance Today
~ 98 ~
a society, a community or a
country, differences are bound
to exist everywhere. Now the
question is how best unity can
be forged or harmony brought
about in the face of the human
tendency to differ.
Some people hold that the
removal of all differences is the
sine qua non for bringing about
unity. But, this view is
untenable, as it is not
practicable. You may not like the thorns which
essentially accompany roses, but it is not possible
for you to pluck out all the thorns and destroy them
completely. For, if you pluck out one, another will
grow in its place. Even if you run a bull-dozer over
all rosebushes, new plants will grow in their place
which will bear roses ineluctably accompanied by
thorns. In the present scheme of things, roses can be
had only by tolerating the existence of thorns.
Similarly, a peaceful society can be created only by
creating and fostering the spirit of tolerance
towards diversities. In this world, unity is
In this world,
unity is
achievable only
by learning to
unite in spite of
differences,
rather than
insisting on
unity without
differences.
