Every 16th of November each year, the International Day for Tolerance and Peace is celebrated by the whole world. This event was established by UNESCO in 1995 and since then it has been celebrated all over the world annually on November 16. The UNESCO declared some principles of tolerance that were adopted by people globally. They declared tolerance not the lack of sympathy or pleasure but the respect and admiration of the way of life and culture of people wherever they may come from.
About the International Day for Tolerance and Peace
Tolerance is embodied by a person when he or she acknowledges universal human rights as well as the freedom that every people deserves. We all know that on a global scale, we are all different in terms of culture and nationality. With tolerance, we are all able to set aside our differences and work together to make this world a better place. Tolerance cannot be just an ethical duty. It is also a legal and political necessity that everyone must embody.
Intolerance harbors discrimination, marginalization, violence, and injustice. To avoid these, one must develop tolerance. The most effective way of developing this value is through education and the ability to remove fear and discrimination against people of other cultures or nations. Tolerance unites people. With tolerance, people are able to think rationally and with moral reasoning. Diversity due to culture, language, religion, and ethnicity is set aside by tolerance.
On the 16th of November each year, the International Day for Tolerance and Peace is celebrated. Various activities including campaigns and summits are held during this day as people do on International Day of Peace. People are also taught about tolerance and why it is important to put human rights first before anything else. Humanity will unite us all. By embodying tolerance, we can all work together as one to make our world a better place.
History
As mentioned above, UNESCO was the organization responsible for establishing the International Day for Tolerance and Peace. This international organization has recognized the fact that discrimination and marginalization based on culture, language, religion, and ethnicity is still a worldwide problem. Hence, establishing this day is a good way to address such a dilemma.
Dates
This special day of celebration is always celebrated every November 16 each year.
Why Celebrate
The following are the main reasons why you should participate in the celebration of the International Day for Tolerance and Peace:
To Promote Tolerance in all its Forms
Tolerance is a broad term that can be applied in different ways and situations. But this day is all about promoting tolerance in all its forms. This is the opportune time for you to encourage and motivate people to exhibit tolerance so as to solve problems involving the absence of such value.
To Help Stop Discrimination and Marginalization
Intolerance gives rise to marginalization and discrimination. These are two major problems that we are all focusing on solving right now. The International Day for Tolerance and Peace is an important day since it advocates for solving these two problems. If you participate in the celebration of this day, you are contributing towards solving them.
To Make the World a Better Place
Another reason why you should celebrate this day is that you can make this world a better place if you promote tolerance and peace. These two important values place stress on humanity. You should make sure that you possess these values and also teach people how to exhibit them.
Celebration Ideas and Activities
The following are the best things to do to make your celebration of the International Day for Tolerance and Peace as best as it can be:
Also Read: International Day of Peace
Join Seminars and Conventions
One good way to celebrate this day is by joining seminars and conventions discussing tolerance and peace. For sure, if you participate in these seminars and conventions, you will be able to learn more about how one can exhibit tolerance properly and how to encourage other people to possess the same value as well.
Make a Difference
Another good way of celebrating this day is by making a difference. Practice what you preach is what other people would say. You can thus celebrate this day by showing to people that you exhibit tolerance – that you treat all people as equal and you value everyone in the same way as you value the people you love the most in your life.
Celebrate on Social Media
You can also take your celebration of this day on social media. You can, for instance, use the hashtag #InternationalDayForToleranceAndPeace to let your friends and followers that you are also participating in the celebration of this day.
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Quotes
- “In order to have faith in his own path, he does not need to prove that someone else’s path is wrong.”― Paulo Coelho
- “Tolerance isn’t about not having beliefs. It’s about how your beliefs lead you to treat people who disagree with you.”― Timothy Keller
- “In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher.” ― Dalai Lama XIV
- “ Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.”― John F. Kennedy
- “The only way to make sure people you agree with can speak is to support the rights of people you don’t agree with.”― Eleanor Holmes Norton
- “I do not like what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”― attributed to Voltaire
- “If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships – the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace.”― Franklin D. Roosevelt
- “If a profound gulf separates my neighbor’s belief from mine, there is always the golden bridge of tolerance.”― Anon.
- “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion.
- People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”― Nelson Mandela