The election is over. The race card, economy card, liberal agenda, obstructionist republican and “birther” cards have all been played. But there’s one gift that keeps on giving: the mythical virtue of tolerance. Please, let us be done with this. Proclaim the limited benefits of tolerance if you must, but not the virtue. Tolerance is not a Virtue.
Notice, I’m talking capital ‘V’irtue. What is Virtue, other than Webster’s “general moral excellence?” A suitable definition might read thus: “A concept, characteristic or ideal that is meaningful and worthy in and of itself, regardless of its particular application.” Virtues are like Platonic forms. They stand alone, basalt pillars upon which rests the mantle of human concern, tried and proven true by the fires of time and circumstance. The classic virtues—Love, Patience, Forgiveness, Loyalty, etc—stand on the strength of their own, well…virtue. At best, tolerance is a civic virtue. We need a reality check to take it off the high pedestal of Moral Virtue to which it has been falsely elevated in our national dialog. The obvious (and perplexingly unmissed) fact of tolerance as a pillar upon which to build society is that, as a moral construct, tolerance is slave to whatever is being tolerated. READ MORE >>>
