Q. What does the following quote means to you in the present context?
“the golden rule of conduct is mutual toleration, seeing that we will never all think alike and we shall always see truth in fragment from different points of vision” – Mahatma Gandhi
Approach: –
Directive
Straightforward question
Introduction
Explain the quotation in your own words
Body
Mention examples to elaborate the quotation in present context
Conclusion
Context specific
The given statement implies a constructivist view of truth which can have different meanings based on different perceptions and understandings. Similar study has been done by scholars such as Foucault and Derrida to find accommodative meanings behind the various discourses.
Gandhiji was a spiritual person who advocated truth (Satyagraha – insistence on truth) to conduct his personal and political life. A person can be tolerant only if he/she has the persistent audacity to see the instances of truth, rationality and mutual respect for different viewpoints.
Indian constitution also recognises the value of fraternity and pluralism as the bulwark of Indian society.
Today, when we see rising instances of the mob lynching, intolerance in society and the religious fundamentalism, the values of mutual toleration and satyagraha find even more importance.
In public service too, where one has to deal with diverse viewpoints and conflicting opinions, tolerance is a necessary value. E.g., in situations of communal tension it is the objectivity and tolerance that is needed to assess the situation without being biased
To conclude, globally, to address the diverse non-conventional threats among different nations and to deal with climate change, non-state actors etc we need accommodation and mutual toleration as the golden rule of conduct.
