One of the things that’s fascinating about we humans is how different each of us is.
And that includes people really close to each other, such as brothers and sisters and parents and their children.
Two brothers or sisters can love each other, can both be good people, but on certain issues they can be diametrically opposed.
Same goes with close friends, who suddenly find out they are poles apart on some controversial subject.
Now most people are conscious of the fact that we are all individuals.
So how come we know others can be different and hold views different from ours and be so intolerant of their views?
Well, I don’t know the answer to that.
But I do know that he rise and rise of intolerance was the standout feature of 2017.
Whether it was gay marriage, refugees, coal versus renewable energy or a raft of other issues, we all agreed to disagree.
In other words we could not bring ourselves to tolerate the opposite view, even where it was honestly held by someone we loved or cared for.
In 2017, John Howard’s suggestion that the things that unite us are far more important that the things that divide us got the brush off.
But in fact, if we had stopped being so intolerant and started to think for a moment, we would have realised that the former PM’s dictum was still mostly true.
It’s just that we did not want to know any of that in 2017.
Which is what happens when intolerance reaches, well, an intolerable level.
So on the very last day of what can be called the Year of Intolerance, let’s hope that 2018 brings something better.
And by something better I mean that we again learn to tolerate other views, even if they are the complete opposite of our own.
We must remember that nobody has a monopoly on wisdom, not even the smartest fellow humans.
So, then, it’s time to say good riddance to 2017 and a Happy New Year for 2018 to each and every one of you.
In terms of climate change Eric, it was not the year of intolerance. It was a stupendous year of greed in NSW. Do you think they are going to just shut down the biggest and most profitable coal export port in the world? This is not intolerance. It’s you can have an environment for humans, flora and fauna to live in or the alternative status quo which they will just not let go of. Don’t implicate the word wisdom in this argument as it is a no brainer when 15,000 climate scientists are signing a petition this year to advocate a swift change that we have only known about now for 30 years. This is not Intolerance.