Q6(b). ‘Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.’ Mahatma Gandhi (150 words) 10
Answer
It is not easy to understand the reality as it is. Most of us see the reality as we are. Our vision is tainted by our biases, prejudices and self-interests. As everyone has their own biases and different interests, they see the world differently and understand it differently.
When people don’t see the world in the same manner, misunderstandings arise which lead to anger. The story of the five blind men who try to know an elephant by touching it and find it to be a rope, a wall, a fan, a pillar and a snake illustrates how people can find the same thing different due to their limited understanding.
If we truly understand, there is no reason to get angry. When we are angry, we wish to harm the person with whom we are angry and this reduces the possibility of any understanding. Only when we have tolerance, we can know the different perspective and develop true understanding about anything. (161 words)