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Be more tolerant – you need toleranceMaverick social philosopher Eric Hoffer really put his finger on why we need to be more tolerant. He recognised that intolerance is actually an indicator not so much of our narrow-mindedness towards others, but of our unkindness towards ourselves.Think about this for a minute.Do you set very high standards for yourself, and have a strong sense of ‘right and wrong’? Do you constantly strive for ‘perfection’? Do you berate yourself and feel bad if you make mistakes, or fall short? Do you sometimes worry that people will see through you and you must never relax or let your guard down? Is it very important to you to know that you are ‘right’?The roots of intoleranceSuch harsh attitudes to oneself, often rooted in childhood, or developed in response to social pressures, can generate uncomfortable feelings of insecurity and doubts about one’s self worth. Intolerance – refusing to accept or allow for the fallibility and difference of other people – can feel like a protecting shield. By insisting that others must meet your standards, you avoid having to face your own fallibility and weakness.The effects of intoleranceWhile intolerant attitudes appear to promise you safety from error and failure, this protection has a heavy cost. At the physical level, rigid attitudes and the effort it takes to maintain them without slippage drain your energy, raise blood pressure, trigger frequent adrenaline surges and stressful episodes of anger and frustration. Over time, such raised stress levels can cause severe harm to your health.Intolerance can also make life difficult in your relationships with family, friends, and colleagues. If you take great care never to mingle with anyone who thinks differently from you, you may not have too many difficulties. But if, like most people, you have to mix with a range of people, you may experience a great deal of unpleasant friction – and even rejection.Intolerance doesn’t work anywayAnd rigid intolerant attitudes don’t actually protect you from anything, anyway. We all fall into error and get things wrong sometimes, because we are human. We all need tolerance from other people sometimes for our own failings and differences. We are all unique individuals, and what is ‘right’ for someone else is not necessarily right for us.How teaching yourself to be tolerant can improve your lifeLearning to relax and be more forgiving of yourself and others has immediate benefits. Stress levels go down, and energy levels rise. It feels good not to worry all the time about being ‘caught out’ – for who is surprised if a human being sometimes makes mistakes? And it’s so much easier to get along with other people when you can let them be themselves and know that you can be yourself too.Relaxing with yourself is the key to becoming more tolerantBe more tolerant offers you a powerful and effective way to begin the transformation you desire. You will find that the level of relaxation you are able to experience dramatically increases as you put aside the need to be on guard all the time. You will gain new understanding of what has influenced you in the past and how your life can change in the future as you become more tolerant.Download Be more tolerant and begin to enjoy the wider horizons of your life.