Same difference

Same difference

There are probably four positive faculties that distinguish
man from other mammals. The first is the fortitude to persevere
and overcome the greatest of challenges. The second is a
proclivity to acts of immeasurable compassion. The third is the
creative wonders which produce art and science. And the fourth,
is the social penchant to live within a community irrespective of
the racial or religious differences between individuals.

After last months' Idul Fitri, some among us will be
celebrating Christmas in less than a fortnight. Several weeks
after that comes Imlek, the Chinese New Year, and then the Hindu
commemoration of Nyepi. Year after year, the cycle of our life is
marked by events that anchor our faith and bring sanity in a
world of perpetual confusion. Events which remind us of the
significance of our existence. No requisites are required to
appreciate the meaning of these observances. In spite of the
diversities, deities and different ethnicities, the spirit of the
celebrations invoke a common theme: Goodness toward one another.

These commemorations may be peculiar to one particular
denomination but the richness of its theme transcends any human
barriers. From the pious to the atheist, all can benefit from the
blissfulness these occasions often radiate.

This is a fact incontrovertible to anyone with an open mind.
The Indonesian state has prided itself in the diversity if its
people, the richness of its culture and multiplicity of faiths
thriving harmoniously across the archipelago. In a way, we are
fortunate in not having endured significant wars of faith. From
the age of kingdoms and sultanates, most battles have been rooted
in "prosaic" issues of greed, power and empire. The archipelago
has not been a battlefield for bloody religious propagation.

But the harmony emanating from our rich diversity has
increasingly been tested. Since 1998 we have seen too much blood
spilt based on erroneous religious convictions. Communities have
been partitioned based on ignorance of faith. Terrorism has
spread by abusing differences in religion and using God as a
placard to justify any means to an end. Bigotry and ignorance are
forever busy. They are perpetuated by obtuse fanatics who either
have a hole in their head, or have their head in a hole.

In some ways we should feel sorry for these individuals for
their inability to look beyond the worm's eye view of the world.
They are lost souls because they looked for God too high up and
too far away. But our sympathy for their ignorance quickly turns
to revulsion when their methods utilize terror and murder.

Ironically, it is the most spiritual, not the pious, who are
likely to promote tolerance and celebrate the splendor of our
diversity.

Similarly, only those who truly value the depth of their
ethnic culture can appreciate the uniqueness of the 300-something
ethnic groups in Indonesia. The bridge across the cultural divide
is the very thing that makes this country so great.

Such pluralism, thus, is something that we should celebrate
and be proud of. It is, in fact, something worth fighting for.

They often label those who ascribe to tolerance as
"moderates". Well, we believe that it is time for moderates like
us to be more "fanatic" in upholding the belief of a multiethnic
society. To fight against those religious and ethnic chauvinists
who wish to disrupt tension in our country.

This means actually speaking out against those who propagate
hate. It is about standing firm to stop acts of prejudice. And it
involves all of us making a contribution to enlighten people
whose heart has been poisoned by ignorance.

We must prove together that this idea of unity in diversity is
a greater monument than any cathedral ever erected.