Comments...

There I was, yesterday, wondering why the silence--and this morning find a welter of welcome comment, all thoughtful, smart, and focused. Thanks to everyone who joined in. Welcome, Lindsey. I'm not sure I fully understand the distinction you make between tolerance and acceptance--though perhaps acceptance goes a bit further in the positive direction. And I think I see some common ground in this with Carly's rejection of "disengagement" as not viable in today's world, and his proposal instead of "non-action" engagement. In Buddhist terminology, I think the concept of equanimity is a good analogy to what he's talking about. As I understand it, this is a kind of compassionate non-attachment. Cardozo's "isolation"--whether personal or geopolitical--sounds to me impractical, as Carly suggests. The dinner conversation that started this discussion--concerning the differences between twin sisters at opposite ends of the political and social spectrum--reminds me that it is possible to maintain a close and loving relationship even with those with whom one profoundly disagrees. My wish is to learn to better see things from the other person's point of view: too often I find that I'm simply blinded to their angle of vision by my own.