Yesterday went as planned, even though my admin efforts amounted to no more than the writing of two cheques. Cheques you say? Yes I’m still in that, now almost quaint, habit. I remember being introduced to this cheque writing system here in Canada as a new immigrant in the summer of 1959 and corrected later by a bank manager!

So, why change now? Do the companies give me a discount when I use the digital system? No, they do not, but is does represent a cost reduction to them! However, my own cost of mailing the check is now 85 cents, hence I can implement my own savings. I know I’ll have my bills paid by means of my bank some time, but not just yet.

Late in the morning I collected my recyclables and dropped them off at the bins and the depot. From there I drove on to the DJ market, where I said good bye for the winter season, though I may stop by the owner’s residence next year.
In the aft, I took the bus down to ShelfLifeBooks and ordered ‘The Aztecs’ in the Oxford’s Very Shorts. After some perusing I walked back, bought some stamps along the way and posted my cheques! You see, this cheque writing gives me a purpose in life!

The Tuesday and Thursday mornings I have set aside for work on the essay about tolerance, as mentioned yesterday. I have taken up my study of the Maya for my next talk, but that is a separate undertaking.

So, during my breakfast coffee I thought about capturing the intent for my essay on tolerance. I recalled the idea of a thesis statement, as we were instructed to formulate in the courses on composition at MRC back in 1995 and later. This resulted in the following: ‘revelation, teachings, practice’, which were ideas and stages that I used in my presentation last Sunday.

This is not a thesis statement itself, but it is a focus around which to compose the elements of the essay on tolerance. You could say “Modern Tolerance” as title, with as subtitle ‘Revelation, Teachings, Practice‘, where Revelation could be replaced by ‘Imperative’ as both associate authority.

The concept of revelation refers to the handed down traditions of humanity, which are regarded as being revealed from an external source and authority. Therefore, when we combine “modern tolerance” with ‘revelation’ we are saying that we need to work our own revelation as conscious and aware moderns, now having the responsibility for our own doings on this planet.

It also places this ‘modern tolerance’ as notion right along side the older traditions and value frameworks of humankind, lending it a similar relevance, setting and a relating sense of authority.
You might say, that like the various given traditions guided and still guide humanity, today we must take on our responsibility for adjoining to those traditions, that what is needed in our modern globalising world. The importance of that message is what the word ‘revelation’ conveys.

But the stones making up the mosaic need a design to reveal the potential beauty, without which only confusion would be on display.

The two other aspects, teachings and practice, fit right along with the existing reference frame works that we humans have used since time immemorial to order the worlds of our daily experience. In the past, this was experienced as revealed, lending it the authority that flowed from the mystery of knowing the solution to the boundary situations of those early days.

Today, our boundary situation is that of discovering ways to resolve conflicts among belief frameworks, group - and personal identities. These have taught and still do teach internal tolerance, but only conversion of the unbeliever or else condemnation of that outsider.

Tolerance of the other-believer was and still is a threat to the taught identity of person and group. This needs to change and become a tolerance of our existing human diversity, so as to first survive and then to enhance the whole of our humankind‘s mosaic and our experience.

But the stones making up the mosaic need a design to reveal the potential beauty, without which only confusion would be on display.
<10:14am~