"Unbearable, insufferable, unsupportable, insupportable, unendurable, beyond endurance, unacceptable, impossible, more than flesh and blood can stand, too much to bear, past bearing, not to be borne, overpowering".
Intolerable Cruelty - Intolerable Behaviour.
Intolerable is a word we use too lightly in the light of the above definitions. If we accept the definitions & something or somebody transgresses any of them we should be moved to action. We should not tolerate the behaviour. We should be roused to do something about the situation immediately. We should stop the behaviour in it's tracks. We should publicly condemn the perpetrator/s.
I can think of many things I find intolerable - Abject poverty - Lack of basic human needs such as clean water, food, shelter,education, healthcare - Undemocratic regimes who treat people cruelly & unbelievably badly - Politicians who lie - Intolerance of minority groups - Ethnic cleansing - Gross financial disparity / unequal wealth distribution - I could go on....
The fact is that most people know these are intolerable. Most people also do little or nothing about it. Many people feel powerless in the face of power.
The thing is, that if one voice becomes many voices, then the power can slowly move in a different direction. If those voices spread through modern technology it can become a Movement. A Movement can accrue to itself more & more voices & more & more power. All it takes is a voice crying in the wilderness of the internet - "This is wrong" "This should not happen". Anyone can do it. It just takes someone to say out loud this cannot go on.
I wish everyone could realise their own potential for change. I wish everyone could be brave enough to put their hand up & speak - put their head above the parapet - stand up for what is right - speak truth to power - put aside their own self interest.
We are all tolerating the intolerable. Every day we don't speak out. We are complicit in the intolerable.
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