Yesterday when I was listening to a speech by Elder Dallin H. Oaks I was reminded of an enlightening BYU Forum speech given by Alwi Shihab on October 10, 2006. He made a comment in that speech that I feel we want to remember at Esperanza. He said, "...religious (and I would add political, racial, etc.) tolerance is not enough. We have often seen--particularly after the tragic events of 9/11 and, most recently, the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed--that tolerance does not always lead to true social peace and harmony. To tolerate something is to learn to live with it, even when you think it is wrong and downright evil. Often tolerance is a tolerance of indifference, which is at best a grudging willingness to put up with something or someone you hate and wish would go away. We must go, I believe, beyond tolerance if we are to achieve harmony in our world...We must strive for acceptance of the other based on understanding and respect. Nor should we stop at mere acceptance of the other; rather, we must accept the other as one of us in humanity and, above all, in dignity."
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