Tolerance and forgiveness

A blog by Frits Koster

Last week (November 16th) was the International Day of Tolerance. We (humans) often think that we are already very tolerant. But what happens in you when you think of specific world leaders? What happens when you think of an ex-lover or a neighbor who does not always greet you kindly? What happens when you think of someone who flies to holiday resorts and loves meat, while you yourself try to keep your ecological footprint as small as possible? What do you experience when you hear newly elected politicians making less nuanced statements? What do you experience when you yourself have made a mistake or an error, or when you become aware that you have (unintentionally) hurt someone else?

In many ways, we develop harshness and intolerance, towards ourselves and others. For this reason, Joyce Cordus and I have developed the Mindfulness-Based Training in Forgiveness (MBTF). Forgiveness is included in contemporary Positive Psychology as one of twenty-four important core qualities. It can bring softening and harmony to ourselves, others, and the world around us. The MBTF is a secular training that is scientifically researched.
Participants should be familiar with the practice of mindfulness for at least one year and can put into practice an invitation from the international freedom of speech organisation ‘Loesje’: ‘Let’s make tolerance fashionable again.’

Frits Koster, 22nd November 2024