Tolerance is Love.

    Love, tolerance, acceptance. They’re not hard terms to understand, but for some reason, they seem impossible for our culture to put into action. Hate has become the standard.
    When I saw this online article about Rutgers student Tyler Clementi, I could just feel my heart breaking. This college freshman was full of potential. He was a gifted violinist who had his college career and the rest of his young life ahead of him. But what defined him? Not his musical ability, not his grades, his friends, his personality. No, Tyler was defined by his sexuality. On September 22nd, Tyler ended his life because he felt the violent torment of intolerance.
    Why does our society target people who are different? Why do we name-call, bully, alienate, and estrange? We have forced so many young people who are gay or questioning into the shadows, and make it as difficult as possible for them to have happy, normal lives. They become limited by both social rejection and legal discrimination. But what do we gain from our hate?
    In my opinion, tolerance is a huge step on the road to a convalescent society. Studies have shown that gay or questioning teens are three to four times more likely to commit suicide than others. If we could learn to accept, I believe that those troubled youth may not have to see this world as the cold and uncaring abysm that drives them to suicide. It is imperative that we learn to tolerate. Tolerance is love.