Tolerance
To be tolerant means to keep an open mind.
It is not a sign of meekness or weakness. Quite the opposite: it displays a level of confidence in the tolerant person.
In our martial arts, we train to keep an open mind on the mats by not foretelling ourselves the outcome of a situation before it has actually come about.
This allows us to respond to the needs of the situation for the best outcome, and even to adjust our response as the situation unfolds. For instance, we may deal with a situation where someone is angry or aggressive but, through an appropriate response, we're able to defuse the situation or deflect it without having to engage physically.
This can only come about if we remain as neutral as possible and don't become trapped by fear and other emotions, which can dictate our response and lead it down the wrong path.
