Within the last year, I have spent some of my often time honing and trying to comprehend what it truly means to be “tolerate.”

From a very young age, similar to most children in grammar school, we are all taught that we are all different. Take a simple activity that I am certain we have all done in school at some point in our lives. The teacher hands out a worksheet and the instructions may read something similar to the following, “Directions: Place a check mark next to the object that are the same, and place an “X” mark on the objects that are different.” Through a simply classroom activity, young children are already cognitively making an effort to “x-out” any objects that are different and not being allowed to include said objects into a “group.”

Personally, I have always believed that ignorance is strictly driven by fear. We as humans often fear certain people or situations that prompt us to step outside of our comfort zone. Aside from fear and ignorance, some of us allow one interaction with one person from a given group to complete persuade our thought about every other person that may belong to that subcultural or group. We have all been guilty of it at some point in our lives.

In the world in which we live, especially in the progressive and ever-changing world that we live in, it is imperative to have a balance of all people. After all, what shapes each and every one of us into who are as people are our personal views, our upbringing, our culture, and personal interest, just to name a few distinctive differences.

We have to remain cognizant that just because a person may differ from another, it does not mean that there is anything wrong with that person. Instead of turning our back or placing that metaphoric “X” on anyone who differs from the person that you may be, learn to brace that person and celebrate your differences.