Tolerance in Global Consciousness

I was thinking about tolerance and what that really means. To me, tolerance doesn't have an active connotation but more of a feeling passive acceptance. I think to be truly globally conscious, one must not only tolerate or accept but make the effort to understand. For example,  tolerating a neighbor who practices another religion is all well and good but perhaps having a dialogue or participating in some of your neighbor's ceremonies, rituals or traditions would not only close the gap on our differences but educate in a fuller sense of the word. 

I am interested in Dr. Reimer's references to The Enlightenment and bringing those philosophies to what is happening today. I also believe that global consciousness begins in our back yards. Most people do not have the economic privilege of traveling internationally but can always find some level of diversity close to home. Obviously many of our students are blessed with that privilege but others are not. We should not reserve the experience to connect with others for those occasions.

Susan Arruda