Love is Love: Racism

After reading the comments on Tun Dr Mahathir's recent post (https://web.facebook.com/TunDrMahathir/posts/10157361019858652?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARByk3Cdo0A0eP9tjm_dmSTy-iwAdCWd--3NhDhBRp9V6lEn4Yxt-0bTKJJxTZCEGpxkL0eqgIp_NyM0wXZw-v1q6-tJM7TVL2f0rLytR5GuEUMc1P4HkEOG8L7WW5h7TtRv3LtfdHLZDmufcWLn5mE9bRVFPvy45hie8TRn5_j69XwgHavzAjVhOGcC_ruvSf8SeKyjtlCTpgpjrmNN1EZ8I1lXq6rOe8-XWr4ipRQ7Wn_LKU5OgMxXpOWqxc9XqsAJKLqHdnd6dRw32yUOTWKjESsBO34cRv8DNuwAIgtOjFLVOBIUsfU6thgGPHbv4d6dxHc4V76fbQ&__tn__=K-R), I could only say racial sentiment in Malaysia is real and intense. No doubt it’s because Malaysia has been playing racial politics for the last six decades and still on-going. As if racial politics is no longer dispensable and is part of Malaysia’s DNA.

Look at how racialism has blinded us as a nation, as human beings, who are actually born out of no apparent difference but are segregated from each other because of the labels we give ourselves. Maybe it’s not because of the labels we give ourselves, but the labels the pioneers forced upon us.

From a bigger perspective, by taking the history as an example, look at how nationalism had split the world apart. Only after two World Wars and with the deaths of billions, only we human realised the goodness of unity, peace and harmony.

But I guess it’s human nature where we always wanting to be better than others, well-off than others, and even some people would find pleasure in tormenting others for self-satisfaction.

Thus, the problem isn’t about racialism or nationalism or any kind of group-centric idealism because within every group, we would still further split ourselves into smaller chunks wherever and whenever possible and needed. Apparently, such splitting or segregation isn’t made for the benefit of the group at large, but for us individuals to reap the most out of others. In other words, we converge so “we” and thus “I” could be benefited as much as possible, rather than we diverge so that “they” and thus “them” could be benefited.

Converging is safer and easier because we could have control over the benefits we wanted to reap, and at the same time, the benefits would be a direct effect to our act. We people like it, because it could be observed as the direct result of our actions.

Whereas diverging is deemed riskier and more difficult to be acted upon, thus, we are more reluctant to act for the good of others because the act of benefiting others is seemed to have no direct beneficial impact on us. Surely, this is said under an ideal assurance that the others would do the same back to us, where the benefit is forthcoming but not immediate.

However, in reality, not everyone would have a similar angelic thought as you of wanting to benefit others without expecting anything in return. This makes the act of diverging even riskier, thus making it relatively uninviting. Hence the spiral effect where all of us would eventually resort to the act of converging where it is better for us to act for our own personal interests even if it is at the expense of the others.

I reckon only in an idealistic world could complete unity be achieved where we see no distinct features between us as human beings. And by saying that, I’ve unwittingly fallen into the trap of segregating myself from the animals which some people might think we are of no difference from the animals, but to my mind, we are different 🤔 you see, the wires in our minds once tangled, which could be easily done, would be difficult to be untangled when it should be so.

Racism isn’t something that could be easily eradicated if we people do not have the right mind to see the bigger picture. Racists are not to be blamed for they have not seen enough, nor were they given the opportunity to break free from constricted teachings and ideologies. They’ve been raised to be so, and they’ve been raised by people who hold the same beliefs of whom again were brought up the same.

I think despite the others, we should inspire the others by taking the first step first.

It’s never easy, but I think the scripture is perfectly right on this point where we should love unconditionally viz. act for the goodness sake of our neighbours as we would do to ourselves without expecting anything in return. The act of Love is an act of kindness and goodwill which is unconditional and unqualified, any less is mere act with motive and not love. To confess, I’ve not always been fond of people who say: “I would only love if I’m sure I’d be loved” or “I would only love those who love me” etc. That’s not love, that’s egocentricity.

Love is Love, can’t be more, nothing less.

Surely, it’s easy to say but difficult to put into practice. Whatever may be, life is a journey where we seek to be better not for our own good but for ours. And that’s love, and all of us should seek the same but in our own unique ways.