Hybrid Hues '15-'17 AIIMS, New Delhi | Page 32

30 causticity to somebody's whims does not count as a negative in- fluence, let me tell you, but the fact that each person gets a fi- nite time in this beautiful process called life invokes an unspoken responsibility of letting them have their life whilst you have yours. It's as simple as that. Everybody gets to express their own ideas and follow what pleases them as long as they don't intrude or actively mar your life. Tolerance is if I have the freedom to say that the sky can fall and believe in it, while my fellow beings hear me out and believe in what they wish to. It's NOT a breach of tolerance if my opinion is criticized and de- bated on. But yes! It's a breach of tolerance if I am Not allowed to practice/have my belief and am forced to follow what you or the 80-90% of the crowd does. That is intolerance and what In- dia needs is to become tolerant and not to implement regulation of freedom of speech. It has to let people choose what's right and wrong ONLY after hearing out both the alleged sides. The practi- cality of this is slim today because not ev- erybody is even e d u - cated enough to un- derstand this idea. But we “ You can’t suppress somebody’s viewpoint. Not letting them have their idea is a felony! need to keep working to arrive at a point where the people are smart enough to know what to follow and what not to. You can't suppress somebody's viewpoint. Nobody's forcing you to follow it. But not letting them have their idea is a felony! How can educated people even think of that! It's a shame and pity if somebody thinks regulation of freedom of speech is needed rather than increasing the toler- ance in the country. Of course, there will be hardships in making people understand this but that does not mean we yield to crass force. We need to persevere. If m