Tolerance

is a dirty word.

We must eliminate it from the American vocabulary.
When I say that I tolerate someone, what does it mean to you?

Saying that I tolerate you means it's OK that you exist.
In the United States of America, it's politically correct to be tolerant of others regardless of race,
religion, sexuality, and politics, but law defines the boundaries of tolerance.

In 1865, law made slavery illegal and started the process of white people tolerating black people.
In 1920, law gave women the right to voteaand started the process of men tolerating women. In
1965, law pushed For more racial tolerance, and last year, in 2013, law mandated
the federal government's tolerance of gay Americans.

These laws and mandates are extremely significant, but they don't change thought or
conversation. They only widen the definition of who is to be tolerated. Tolerance is where we are,
and tolerance is the bar our society assessed its highest score.

We need to shift from tolerance to acceptance.

Acceptance of all people is a choice and in an accepting society, the people steer the creation of
laws instead of following rules out of obligation.
But think about America right now, think about how we converse.

We are not an accepting society. Topics such as liberal versus conservative, pro-choice versus pro-
life, marriage equality, and affirmative action, can bring conversations to a halt and destroy
friendships.

For a country that claims to be based on freedom and acceptance, political collaboration on social
issues is nonexistent and getting worse.
We are worlds away from my vision of an accepting society.

How do we reframe these conversations and change the way we view each other fundamentally?
Education.
America is a diverse nation, but our education system does not portray
our diversity to students.
Instead, it creates a system that is rigged for those with privilege.
So why am I speaking to you?
I am a white, heterosexual, cisgender male who comes from a very loving and supportive upper-
middle class family. I am the definition of privilege, and changing the conversation
starts with me.

Imagine the curriculum in America, based on the acceptance of all cultures in our nation and in the
world. We have a responsibility to teach students open-mindedness.

But what will this looks like?
Curriculum based on acceptance teaches children about diverse cultures, life styles, religions,
and people's differences around the world. With education, we can foster dialogue with young
people, broaden world views, and provide a platform for students to ask questions about cultural
differences.

Imagine the classroom that utilizes technology to connect students from all over the globe.
I see American students getting ready for a classroom video chat with students from Royal
Thailand. They have done their research, and they come armed with questions ranging from the
simple to the philosophical:
"What do you eat for breakfast?" "What's your favorite subject?" "What do you want to do with
your life?" and "How do you want to change the world?" "What are you scared of?"
"What are the issues in your daily life that hold you back?" "And how can we work together to fix
those issues?" "How do you view our society?" "What do you know about us?" and "How can we
take this connection a step further?"

I loved field trips. Everyone loves field trips. That's a field trip around the world.
Technology can create a connection that transcends our surface level understanding
of cultures. This is a curriculum of thought, not tests, not statistics, and not papers, but ideas
about the people around us.

So how do we do this? It's not overnight. Acceptance-based education policy needs to come from
individual state governments. Some states will have to lead the way, and with time, others will fall
in place, but it must start now.
Acceptance of all people solves today's issue of tolerance, but acceptance is not the ultimate goal.
Some people in this audience have found and defined a sense of self that speaks to the absolute
core of their being, but most have not.

Right now you feel tolerated. I've laid out a plan to cultivate a society that accepts you,
but imagine a society that celebrates you.

Imagine a society that admires the meaningful differences that make you an individual.

We often forget the huge similarities that make us all human.
When we remember these, we get to the level of acceptance.
But the meaningful differences are what make you an individual the meaningful differences create
culture, passion, and self-identity. The meaningful differences lead to advancement in technology,
entertainment, and design.
And the meaningful differences are the essence of what makes life worth living.
But perhaps to you, this seems distant and idealistic.
It's not.

In fact, I see the root of this type of celebration throughout history and around the world,
everyday.
Look at the Olympics and the World Cup. These events celebrate global similarity,
people enjoy watching sports. These events also celebrate the meaningful differences
of nationality and culture.
The country of Rwanda is rebounding after a civil war that ravaged their entire nation.
Kigalians celebrate a mutual Rwandan heritage and the meaningful difference of tribal affiliation
with a music festival based on cultural acceptance and diversity.
Denmark during World War II, while other countries persecuted Jews, the King of Denmark
chose to celebrate them. Nazi leaders told the King to mark all Jews with the Star of David.
The King of Denmark said no. Instead, he celebrated the Jewish population by having every citizen,
including himself, wear a Star of David on their sleeve.
This action saved thousands of Jews in Denmark.
I've just given you four out of hundreds of examples of the celebration of meaningful differences
that go on around the world everyday.

But these examples only celebrate one part of a person's identity.
Since when are you only your sexuality? Since when are you only your race, only your religion,
only your ability?
Although not fully inclusive, these are still examples of what we can create.

So how do we take this model to the next level? And how do the next group of leaders
go about making this change?
There's been a lot of criticism about the millennials, but I believe in our generation.
Statistically, we are more diverse, more open-minded, and more confident that we can change the
world than any other generation.
I believe in my generation because we are better collaborators and seeking a higher percentage of
employment and education than our predecessors.

And I believe in my generation because we are the first generation in the history of the world
to prioritize happiness above success.
I believe in the students who choose to study abroad, and anyone who choose to participate in
globe education.
The few of us who have had these opportunities have been able to combine study with cultural
immersion.
We have been able to see and learn from various ways of life around the world, and take from
each of them ideas that can change our society at home.
These experiences can make us thoughtful leaders of the next generation, and our experiences
can create lasting change, they're ripples across the globe.

We can create world peace. I'm here because I believe that world peace is attainable.
World peace stems from an integrated globe community, and an integrated globe community
will not come when we are all the same, but instead, when we fully accept and celebrate
everyone's meaningful differences.

230 years ago, John Hancock signed a piece of paper that created a nation under the sentiment
that all men are created equal, that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable
rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursue of happiness.
The idea that all people are equal and the same is at the core of the USA, but it's a sentiment that
has been incomplete since we became a nation.

Today we tolerate each other, today we give no credit to our similarities,
and today our differences rip us apart.

But tell me why can't we create the nation and the world that we want to live in, a world that
eradicates tolerance and celebrates all people?