When engineers design electromechanical systems, they build what are called “tolerances” into them. The devices that control the operation of electromechanical systems are calibrated to stop them from reacting to some of the external signals they encounter. Driving, for example, would be a nightmare if dashboard instruments constantly flashed all kinds of warning signs because their sensors were receptive to every little disturbance.

There are some signals, broadly classified as “noise,” that engineers think can be safely disregarded for stretches of time without compromising the smooth operation of machinery. Every electromechanical system is designed to tolerate some level of discomfort. Control mechanisms kick in to filter out “noisy” signals only when continuing to ignore them would begin to distress a system or some of its component parts.

I am a trained engineer. In a previous life, I designed electromechanical systems. Because of that academic and professional background, my own mind has become accustomed to tuning out environmental signals that are not harmful enough to meaningfully interfere with my daily life. That principle has often helped me to overlook irritations such as slights.

As I have grown progressively wiser with age, the range of the noisy signals that my mind disregards has naturally widened. But in recent months, I have had to consciously stretch the bounds to significantly raise my tolerance level. The irritants that fill the air have increased sharply and rather quickly, and my old sensory mechanisms were not equipped to handle this overload. I needed sturdier filters.

Many of us are bewildered by how the world is changing before our eyes. The swirling currents are everywhere around us, mostly in the political, geopolitical, and sociocultural realms. Some things that I thought were unthinkable just a few months ago are happening now with regularity. Even more surprising is the level of acceptance that they have apparently gained within society.

I wonder how many other people are having to make similar mental adjustments in order to cope with this new world. To make our extremely polarized nation livable, that is probably what more and more of us will need to do. In my case, although I have widened the zone of accommodation, I will tightly hold on to my strongly held personal principles.

Because of my new modus operandi, I find Mahmoud v. Taylor to be an absolutely fascinating case. Recently argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, it involves a group of parents who sued the Montgomery County Board of Education for refusing their request for opt-outs for their children during class readings of books with LGBTQ themes. The plaintiffs contended, on religious grounds, that the denial violates their First Amendment rights. The County Board of Education countered that inclusion of those books is part of a broader effort to reflect the diversity of the county’s population, and that granting the opt-outs would be extremely difficult to do administratively.

During oral arguments, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson suggested that there are ways in which the plaintiffs could get around the issue. She said this: “If the school teaches something that the parent disagrees with, you have a choice. You don’t have to send your kid to that school.” Her view seemed reasonable at first glance, but a closer look revealed at least three major problems with it.

First, in most parts of America, children can only attend public schools that are located in the districts where their families live. It means the choice that Justice Jackson mentions doesn’t really exist. Second, even if some other public schools in nearby districts were to open their doors to the children of the religious parents, those parents would likely have to bear the responsibility of transporting their kids to those distant schools, a logistical nightmare. Third, some parents might be forced to send their children to private schools. Given the expensive fees they charge, such institutions are often beyond the reach of most families. So, if the Supreme Court rules against the plaintiffs (the decision is expected next month), about the only practical option left would be for them to homeschool their children. That is not feasible for most parents.

It is highly possible then that some devoutly religious parents in Montgomery County would, in the end, have no choice but to have their children exposed to those “highly objectionable” teachings in the public schools there. It would be a tough pill for them to swallow. But that is part of the price we all must pay at times for the chance to live in a free and open society. Sometimes we have to be willing to endure some amount of discomfort in order to accommodate, within reason, some of the preferences of our fellow citizens.

The one crucial thing that this new world demands of all of us is extreme sensitivity to the feelings of others. When our neighbors bend over backwards to accommodate our desires, the least we can do is to show them some gratitude and respect. Instead, our tendency has been to denigrate. Religious and cultural conservatives, such as the plaintiffs in the Montgomery County case, are routinely characterized as bigots for the beliefs they hold. When liberals champion certain progressive causes, people on the right label them as radical lunatics.

Most of us are wired nowadays to make judgments based on who is doing the talking, rather than what it is they are saying. Things that should not be unreasonable to any objective person are quite often rejected out of hand due to this prejudice. We should perhaps take a bit of time once in a while to try to understand why some things are important to some people, rather than being so dismissive of other people’s views all the time.

It is my fervent hope that some of the bewildering changes we are witnessing around us today are deposits from a fast-moving dust storm that will quickly dissipate. I would love to be able to return my mind to the shape it was in previously. It would be a great shame if this current environment were to become our permanent reality.