Tolerance Awareness Tuesday

The capacity for getting along with our neighbor depends to a large extent on the capacity for getting along with ourselves. The self-respecting individual will try to be as tolerant of his neighbor's shortcomings as he is of his own. – Eric Hoffer

Eric Hoffer has also written that we really do love our neighbors as we love ourselves. That is, if we are intolerant and dislike our neighbors, we really don't much like who we are.

Masons, it is said, are good men, striving to become better. We, each one of us, falls short of the mark - whether that mark be set by our faith or our conscience. But we keep striving.

Today, let's cut ourselves a little slack. We will fall short today, but we'll get up and try our best tomorrow. And, while we're at it, let's cut our neighbor a little slack today, too. Maybe he is falling short of his mark today. Maybe all it takes is a kind word or a word of encouragement to help him rise and strive again.

Maybe all it requires is a little tolerance.