I recently came across a new theory that I hadn’t heard about. Typically, I am well-learned, but I am a complete novice in politics and some legal arbitrations. Though I might not be a master theorist the same way I am well versed in human phycology and mindset, I am an avid learner. I believe that we should try to learn something every day. Whether from a book or about ourselves, that has led me to study tolerance theory.

The Tolerance Theory was originated by John Stuart Mill, who began the idea on the premise of Liberty and Freedom in 1869. The 2009 published article I will be working from will be by David Shultz, a Political Science and Legal Studies professor.

In simple terms, the idea of the tolerance theory means to permit different viewpoints and beliefs. These different sets of beliefs would be upheld whether they told the whole truth, part of the truth, or simply were true to themselves. I will say that just because you say something is true does not mean it is true, but this idea of tolerance talks about respecting the person’s views to remain ignorant.

The Tolerance Theory is deeply ingrained in the premise of the First Amendment. The First Amendment protects a person’s freedom of speech. Though we have this in our constitution and belief system, it has been an afterthought in many recent cases like Alex Jones and the victims of Sandy Hook. Should someone be allowed free speech even if they might not have the whole truth attached to what they are saying?

Today, mainstream media can spread lies or truths they believe to be accurate, so they are reporting in ignorance. Similar to how people who speak out on social media about government officials that do not include hate speech are banned. Their voice is muted and muffled because they have an unpopular opinion. Yet, the tolerance theory explains that we must create a diversity of viewpoints, even if we disagree with them.

Recently, there has been a big push from organizations like BLM, LGBT, and the feminist community with viewpoints that are precise about what tolerance theory is. They have different viewpoints, and we must respect them because if we don’t, we will be canceled or labeled a misogynist, supremacist, racist, or antisemitic. Regardless of how they will label a person who is not a part of the movement, the aftermath of anyone who goes against them is to be attacked, whether by the organization, mainstream media, or to be canceled on social media platforms.

The issue here is not that the person was saying wrong or hurtful things. The issue is that the person was expressing individual views the same way these organizations are expressing their viewpoints. If this is not hypocrisy, then what is? There are laws in place for the common good of people, and I am all about positivity, love, and growth.

I do not want to see people hating on others, whether hurtful or harmful; yes, there is a difference. My viewpoint on tolerance is not simply looking at the first amendment and our freedom of speech but instead looking at it from the standpoint of how much we will tolerate in our life before we take action. That was what I thought the tolerance theory was before I did my research. However, I want to coin a new way of thinking about the Tolerance Theory with a more modern approach than our forefathers.

The tolerance theory I will present is not tied to free speech or any specific organization. The idea of this modern tolerance theory I will discuss is how much a person will tolerate before they take action. The action doesn’t even have to be related to inflicting harm. It can be as simple as telling the person how they feel or removing themselves from the situation/environment. It can also be someone not taking action and allowing whatever is happening to continue.

One of the reasons I am so passionate about my work here at Reven Concepts and mindsets is the idea of limiting beliefs. Many people will live with these limiting beliefs and stay within their circumstances. Though that is the easy way out, one must begin to wonder if there is a better way to live. Many people tolerate hardship and struggle when there is another path they can take.

That other path will be the less chosen because it requires an undertaking of yourself. That understanding is that you are more powerful than your brain leads you to believe. If that is the case, why do many people not find or claim this power for their own? The answer is quite simple, and it stems from our upbringing. From your years spent in the school system, you learned how to be a “good member of society.” Raise your hand if you want to take or leave the room and make sure not to make a mess.

I could go deeper into all the aspects of control in school, but today I want to look at why we tolerate this kind of control. To see where this idea stemmed from, we have to look back thousands of years ago at the inception of tribes and society. Even when we were cavemen, there was an aspect of tolerance in the mate selection process. Women would be with a man who was strong and could protect and provide for them. That remained the norm until the women’s movement, striving for “equality.”  Though this is not why people are tolerant, this offers some clarity to how we evolved into tolerance.

Even looking deeper into how the nuclear family was born, the man was the provider, and the woman would be the stay-at-home mom/wife. This was a bad deal for some women because their husbands would abuse them mentally or physically, and they didn’t have a way out; they had to tolerate this because there was no better option. Moving past this type of tolerance, we look at what we now tolerate daily.

Common tolerance would include relationships, career, and personal development. Relationships are for the same reason that people are unaware of their worth and will stay in a toxic relationship for either comfort or security. People will stay in a negative workplace for the same reason. However, the last area of personal development will be dealing with the mindset of what we will tolerate and what we will not tolerate.

As a person, you can make great things happen in your life. Though many people will not take control of their life due to some factor of limiting beliefs, they will live their life tolerating actions they are not happy with. People will allow toxic and dead-weight people to stay in their life. They will continue to be used and taken advantage of because they have decided to tolerate it. In reality, you can choose what you allow and what you won’t allow in your life.

When working with new clients who have allowed others to rule their lives, I must do some damage control first. The first thing I ask them is WHY they are allowing this, and the next thing I ask them is what they would like to feel instead of being taken advantage of. This can be a scary moment for anyone because they might have to get rid of something that was their semblance of safety and security, but if we keep this, the result is not being happy with what we tolerate.

Even in our day-to-day life, we must tolerate so much from people, especially in a service-based industry. I am sure you have heard the saying, the customer is always right, and how relevant is that during the holiday times? We are told to put up with bad behavior because the company wants to profit during the busy times of the year. Those companies will sell you out to make a buck because they know you will tolerate poor treatment for a paycheck.

This is where the tolerance theory gets interesting. We can talk about different viewpoints all day because there is no lack there, but the true conversation to be held is why we tolerate being mistreated and settling for less. The rat race is not the rat race because you work for an employer. The rat race is the rat race because you see your check as the cheese, and that is all you want. People need to see what they give up for a weekly check. That weekly check provides safety and security and makes you more tolerant of being abused, used, and mistreated.

The question I want you to ask yourself right now is, what in my life am I tolerating that I should? The second part is what you are going to do about it. I get to ask my clients WHY because they took action to change their life through coaching. The same can be true for you. What actions will you take to reclaim the power which are you? Hearing about people stepping into or back into their power is akin to this tolerance theory. We can accept what we are given and what happens to us or make some changes.

How much are you, or will you tolerate this coming year? – Michael Rearden

In closing, the tolerance theory looks at different viewpoints and the idea of what and how much you will tolerate before enough is enough. I can tell you that the American people in the year 2023 are almost at that point. They are not there yet, but when they are, that is how civil wars begin. True change will occur when people stop being tolerant of what is happening to them and around them. You can also make some changes today by getting some coaching to learn how to demand more and not allow the world around you to dictate what is and isn’t for you.

Until then,

Michael Rearden

Founder of Reven Concepts