The Tolerant Bird
Tolerance is easy to understand but difficult to put into practice, yet it is an essential need for society in order to live harmoniously. It is a measure of our collective ability to recognise others, to understand our differences, and to listen without judgment. Tolerance is an exercise in rationality over emotion.
In his work, A Letter Concerning Toleration (1689), John Locke, the founder of modern liberalism, made tolerance the founding principle of freedom of conscience. Later, the French philosopher and writer Voltaire also defended tolerance as a cornerstone of modern democracy, an expression of humanity and a fundamental law of nature.
At a time when our tolerance is constantly being challenged, this work invites us to reflect on this precarious balance: who is truly free to be tolerant, the crocodile or the bird? Can one be tolerant when in a position of weakness, or is tolerance the privilege of the strong? In the apparent calm between the crocodile and the bird, tolerance reveals itself for what it is: a fragile balance and, at times, an act of courage, crystallised in the disproportion of their strength.
This artwork is part of the Tolerance Project.
