"I do not want the peace that passeth understanding. I want the understanding which bringeth peace."
-Helen Keller-
When i was in primary school, things seemed great. Malaysia was united. Well that's what the textbooks said. And i believed it wholeheartedly. Really. But as my understanding progressed, Malaysian life didn't seem to fit the description. Sure we are better off than some but we sure leave a lot to be desired. Things just were not where it should be. Nope the textbooks were definitely wrong about this one. So much for OneMalaysia.
Malaysia is my home. It's our home. And it really pains me when we fight over such petty issues. Use of a word??? What??!! Come on... Do we really have to make it such a big fuss??
I believe a lot of this stems from the lack of understanding between us Malaysians. Why is that so?? How do we gain that?? The government raves about how 'racial tolerance' is the key. Is it?
The free web dictionary defines tolerance as
1. The capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others
hmmm... sounds great.
But what usually comes to mind and what i believe most Malaysians understand is..
2. capacity to endure something, esp pain or hardship.
The fact is that this encourages Malaysians to think that
'others' = something which is bad and needs to be endured
hence, we have peace that passeth understanding. For the sake of peace we'll just tolerate these 'people' right?
But no. It isn't the way. OneMalaysia is a beautiful concept. But as it is it will forever remain as that - a concept. Most people scoff at the idea. Yes it may just seem like some political propaganda and it may be exactly that. But it doesn't matter. It's still something worth fighting for. Why not try to make it reality.
I believe it is mostly a personal thing. You can only understand if you want to understand. And that is where we start. One thing i'd like to see though, is BN taking the initiative and be truly one. No more UMNO, MCA, MIC etc . Just one party. Chuck aside tolerance for understanding. For how can the nation be one if the ruling party has so many division-like sub parties. Otherwise OneMalaysia would seem so hypocritical.
I pray that God will help us understand. =)
