MARCH 21 — When we take a hard, honest look at ourselves in the mirror, we realise we are not as righteous as we like to think or be. 

We may also realise in many areas of our life, we suffer from collective delusions and fallacious thought processes which we have ignorantly assumed to be normal.

There are many things in our life that just happened to us without our choice.  Consider the place or the ethnicity you were born into. Can the fact that you were born in Malaysia, Africa, Indonesia or United States be used against you? Is it logical that simply because you are a Myanmar national, Bangladeshi or an Indonesian, you therefore must be the subject of slavery or oppression?

I have asked myself this question many times since I was a child — what pride does one get out of being born in a particular ethnic grouping or in a particular country? Closer to home, I have heard slogans of “Hidup Melayu”, of some Chinese saying how hardworking and clever they are, some Indians boasting of how strong their family values are and so on. 

All these generalisations seem to hide the weaknesses and negative values each of them cling on to in the name of ethnic culture. On the other hand, negative racist generalisations also distract us from the positive values of these ethnic groups.

When we learn to rid ourselves of superficial thinking and start looking at the substance of things, we will realise it is the nature of the values that we believe in and practise that is more important than the ethnic grouping we are born into. After all, in every ethnic group, you will find a murderer, a thief, a cheat, an opportunist, and so on. There are also exemplary human beings in every ethnic group whose lives are an inspiration to everyone else. So, why would you want to limit your humane possibilities like the deluded snail in the fragile shell? 

However, when we allow our ignorant nature or our collective delusions to influence us, we start to behave in ways that become  hostile to peaceful and happy living in the long run. We are even prepared to visit cruelties on other human beings because we have allowed the delusion of ethnicity to become a reality.  Instead of being united in humanity, we become fragmented due to artificial social constructs and accidents of birth.

Consider the extreme cruelties and injustice which can arise from the sickness of racism, tribalism or feelings of racial superiority.  The “white supremacy” movement which was created to make Europe’s efforts to colonise and conquer the world seem like a “natural” process wherein “superior” white races would dominate “inferior” non-whites. This had resulted in the slave trade from Africa and other continents which were colonised by the Europeans. The mass extermination of Jews by Hitler is another cruel example of nationalism in the hands of narcissistic leaders. How can one ever make sense of the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia?.

Closer to home is the caste system as practised in India which tries to divide human beings forever into artificial categories. The Arabian Peninsula was torn into tribal warfare before the advent of Islam and even today, the conflict seems to be ongoing. Even China with its almost 90 per cent homogeneity of Han Chinese was not free from ethnic conflicts and issues. 

As the Quran correctly teaches, we learn whatever we can from the fact there are diverse artificial social constructs such as ethnicity, cultures, languages and colours (Quran 49:13 and 30:22). The purpose of being born into a social construct is not to dominate with arrogance or to be dominated without dignity. We should never allow our ethnic origin and culture to wall us in to the extent we do not allow humanity to develop. 

There will, of course, be people, including leaders who will narrate primitive and incoherent tribal emotions that existed way before the modern conceptions of race and nationality. It has become so subtle that pronouncements of such statement by no less than a university academic has been left unchallenged because it was couched in convoluted religious terms. The sickness becomes a dangerous disease when people are misled to believe racism has divine support simply because it exists. Another way of saying this is racism and tribalism may be promoted in a religious garb creating a paradoxical situation for the sincere believer. It also confuses the non-thinking individual.

Unfortunately, the racist mentality still exists despite teachings of Christian morality and Islamic mercy probably because it is strengthened by Darwin’s postulation of the “survival of the fittest” theory. Sociologically, Darwin’s theory simply implies strength of might or majority rules at the expense of the minority. Such a mentality is diametrically opposite to any spiritual teaching which holds each of us is a soul no less unworthy than the next one. The sacred texts also teach the body is nothing more than a temporary abode for the eternal soul and hence, we should not be taken up by the accident of form we find ourselves in. 

Ethnicity and nationality are, in the final analysis, artificial forms which may have a limited role in our lives. That, however, should not submerge the fact we all belong to the human species who ought to develop our sense of humanity.  

Wherever I may be born and regardless of which artificial ethnic group I am born into, the fact remains I now live in Malaysia. This is the place God has intended that I should journey my life. It is here  I must pass the test of a soul journeying this earth temporarily and the test of attaining the highest level of humanity I possibly can. 

In the final analysis, you and I will have to decide which belief, narrative, thoughts and ideas we want to repeat —the concept of racism and tribalism or the concept of humanity. The belief and actions, obviously, must begin with us.

* Jahaberdeen is a senior lawyer and founder of Rapera, a movement that encourages thinking and compassionate citizens. He can be reached at rapera.jay@gmail.com

** This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.