I’m an optimist and I’m naive. Some may consider this infantile, and it’s a little odd at my age. Others see me as someone who looks at the world through pink glasses. I’m in favor of the second attitude, although glasses are often not as rosy as before. Still, the glass is tinted with a filter, which is why whatever is happening, I always assume it will all be fine.

I’ve been the same girl for over 30 years, but some time ago I started to look at the world, people, life, much more critically. Seemingly still optimistic, as it used to be, but with a greater distance to what is good and with great sensitivity towards what is bad. I have children, so all the tragedies in the world that I hear about touch me much more than they used to. I often wonder if I can do something to make the world a little better as an individual. However, noticing the fleeing time, I also often think if there’s anything I can teach my children that would help to improve the reality in which they live.

I used to blame religions for the world conflicts, believing that they are the cause of disputes and hatred. Then, however, I understood that this approach was wrong because it discriminated against people who find happiness and sense of life in faith. It’s not religions, politics or diversity of cultures that are the cause of conflicts among people. It’s THE LACK OF TOLERANCE to what others think, or do, how they live and what they believe in that is the cause of all the evil in the world. And it can be said with all fairness that we won’t be able to repair the world alone. And yet, it is us – the parents – that have power to make great difference. How? Let’s start with teaching our children TOLERANCE. If today every parent decided not to spread prejudices, hatred, discrimination in their own homes in the presence of their children, in a dozen or so years we would have a completely new society full of happy people! It sounds like a utopia. I know, I read what I’m writing;) I see my naivety…

I’ve always had the same views. In the past, however, I reacted differently to good and bad information. I ignored those negative ones, and I looked for the second bottom in the good news. As a result, I had no influence even on my own reality, and I was still stuck in anxiety. Today I no longer ignore the lack of tolerance and the language of hatred. When I hear that my friends, relatives, or other people speak the language of anger and intolerance, I get very nervous. However, I try not to answer with anger. Sometimes I just kill them with silence, sometimes I answer calmly. It happens that I loudly repeat their words with the conviction that if they hear what they said from other person’s lips, they will get the content they’ve articulated and maybe they will feel irritated by their own behavior. When I hear the words of anger, hatred and lack of understanding, I realize that the same words spoken by influential people, those “in power”, lead to tragic world conflicts. Hatred is always triggered by lack of tolerance and anger. Therefore, we must teach ourselves, but above all, our children respect for all people’s diversity. I dream about the subject called TOLERANCE to be introduced to schools …

Recently, my son attended a movie trip with other students. They watched the movie “Wonder”. I’m grateful to their educators and the people who organized this trip. My son came back from the theater delighted. When he told me the content of the film with details, he added: “Mom, you would’ve liked this film very much, because you are a terrible optimist!” So I was pleased that he liked the film about diversity, the effects of hatred and about tolerance, and that he is such an optimist, just like me …;) I believe that although people don’t change, you can try to change their way of looking at others 🙂 Let’s start with our children. I believe that parents who teach their children tolerance and respect for other people are wiser parents than those who don’t. “Live and let live” is probably a good rule to start with.;)