“In the practice of tolerance,
one’s enemy is the best teacher.”
—Dalai Lama—
The world is transforming at breakneck speed, and the myriad changes it brings affect each and every one of us. We live in a highly connected world in an era rich with information and disruptive innovation. However, we may have lost the human touch. We pretend too much. We wear game faces. We become more aggressive with one another, and the outcome is social chaos: children killing their peers at school, ethnic cleansing of minorities, internal displacement of people that creates an increasing number of refugees, and the list goes on.
Before you roll your eyes or, worse yet, put down this book, let me say this: I decided to write this book because it is needed in this hour. Living in the global village means culture and religions meet and should interpenetrate with love. Instead, all too often, the outcome is a tragic collision of hatred and violence. Yet the basic spiritual teachings of the world’s great religions and faiths are remarkably similar. Mahatma Gandhi said it well: “There will be no lasting peace on earth unless we learn not merely to tolerate but even to respect the other faiths as our own.” Yes, it’s not easy, but it’s possible, and it requires honesty, vulnerability, and transparency.
I believe that no matter how different our backgrounds, you and I share many more similarities than differences. We have so much in common. Unfortunately, although we learn about the diversity of the world at a young age in school, no one ever brought it all together into unity.
What inspired me to write on the subject of tolerance is the recent declaration the President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed, of 2019 as the Year of Tolerance, as he believes that tolerance is achieved if we appreciate, accept, and respect other religions, faiths, and cultures.
Getting the Most from this Book
Don’t just quickly read this book; make it your friend. Interact with it. Underline the important points. Write your own thoughts in the margins. Make it your book. Share it with others.
A journey is always better when it is shared. Let’s get started together.
Happy Reading!
Dr. Rashid Alleem
Sharjah, UAE
International Tolerance Day