KUALA LUMPUR – All countries across the globe have some uniqueness in their own way, and Malaysia is no exception. In fact, Malaysia is extraordinarily special because of one particular asset. This is its diversity – of races, religions and cultures.
As a result, the people of this country exude a unique character that those in other places may not have. For Rev Hermen Shastri, the general secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia, interacting with one another is a key virtue in a multicultural nation like Malaysia.
Though we are born into a particular context, we grow up having neighbours and interactions with people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds.
“Asia is the cradle of civilisation,” he said in an interview with The Vibes for the third episode of its Humanity Beyond Religion series.
“We are talking about centuries of living together and seeing humanity as a melting pot of cultures, ethnicities and religion.
“Our concepts as Malaysians are all different. We see people worshipping differently and we see people interacting with each other with no boundaries. And that is good.”
Humanity Beyond Religion is published every Sunday, starting on December 20 last year. The five-part project features views on this topic by eminent thinkers from different religions.
Rev Hermen emphasised that although most of the interactions reap positive stories, there is a handful of negativity that every person has to be wary of. In such cases, we need to decide what is real and how to respond or overcome it with a human heart.
The only way we can approach humanity is through humanness – a common humanity that we all experience, he said. And, we have a language that helps us define that common humanity.
He gave the example of the quaint, unassuming Malaysian query: “Sudah makan?” (Have you eaten?). Malaysians say it in Malay, Tamil, Chinese, Iban or Kadazan. It is by no means confined to any religious injunction or teaching, but is an honourable, inborn way of greeting one another that we have all inherited.
Apart from that, Rev Hermen is of the view that regardless of whether one believes in a Creator, all human beings are connected spiritually. This is because everyone has a purpose, meaning and destination on his or her own spiritual path.
Respect must be given to everyone to walk down the spiritual path that they have chosen for themselves.
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other,” Mother Teresa was quoted as saying.
Asked what is a good remedy for human beings to practise, to resolve differences, Rev Herman said interfaith and interethnic relationships would be an excellent start.
Even today, in some cases, couples in intermarriages struggle due to pressure from their families pertaining to race and religion. As a result, these couples and their families may end up in a tense knot. On the other hand, families that manage to deal with such a situation in a creative way usually see their environment become healthier.
As for Rev Hermen, being in an interethnic marriage himself has taught him the meaning of such a beautiful union. Married to a German, he finds that his daughter is in a unique position, whereby she seems to understand Asian customs even though she has only experienced life in Germany with her relatives – compared to living in Malaysia, where she was only recently exposed to what living in a village here is like.
“Although my daughter has not experienced kampung (village) life, she loves the song Balik Kampung (Returning to My Village) by the late singer Sudirman (Arshad), and of course, she took the trouble to understand the meaning of the song.
“But why is it that she is finding this song so attractive?” he pointedly asked.
It is because of its beautiful lyrics, he answered in an instant, which simply signify going back to one’s family, roots and existence. Furthermore, Balik Kampung has become a song that embodies every Malaysian’s aspiration, wherever they may be.
“Malaysia is ‘balik kampung’, and I think it’s a very powerful slogan to show that the human heart has this capacity to transcend race and religion.
“But sadly, in many places, race and religion are more of a roadblock, and there are too many traffic lights that make it difficult for people to communicate with each other.” – The Vibes, January 3, 2020
Watch out for the next edition of The Vibes’ special series on Humanity Beyond Religion next Sunday. The five-part series, featuring eminent thinkers of major religions in Malaysia, runs every Sunday until January 17
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