What makes you angry ? In front of what kinds of ideas, discourses or people is it almost impossible for you to remain nice and calm ? Answer this question and you will be on the way to identify your tolerance threshold.
Why it matters?
Taming your tolerance threshold is the key to learn intercultural communication and, more generally, the key to learn to communicate with people who adhere to radically different world views. In addition, exploring your tolerance threshold will help you to identify your own values. Let me share my tolerance threshold with you.
I reach it when I think about terrorists. It is not just that I believe that killing people is bad, it is unbearable for me to think that people are ready to kill in the name of god. This turns me on because I don’t believe in god and I don’t believe in life after death. The value of life is so high for me that I just cannot accept that some people, stupid people, can take the life of others to satisfy their childish belief that there is some sort of super mama above our heads…Too late, I’m gone! And in the meantime, I probably said things that my hurt some of you. This is why it is important to identify and to work on your tolerance threshold.
To do so, look inside you. Think about the last time, in a conversation or when watching the news, you felt powerful and unpleasant emotions. Write down what makes you really angry, as I just did for you. What did you learn about your values? What did you learn about the kind of people you have difficulties to communicate with?
Stay on Rhetorical Craft: I will give you tools and exercises to master the craft of communicating with people you are the less willing and able to communicate with.