I was watching the new Petronas webfilm. As usual, it was absolutely touching... It shows a story of two kinda suspicious looking Indian men going about doing very suspicious work, and well, everyone who encounters them are all fearful, not that I blame them as well, we do live in a place where many bad things happen, but in this case, these two suspicious characters are actually great guys helping out at a charity home. This video is absolutely good at reminding us not to judge a book by it's cover and that we should try to look for the positive points in everyone and give them a benefit of a doubt at least...
And yes, personally, I have had that experience myself, some of the friends I have look like gangsters and are not very nice to look at..(I mean not so handsome or good looking) and these people are among the nicest people around actually... and sometimes the people who are so charming, handsome and decent looking could actually be the crooks around...
So we really should not discriminate... as face it, some of the world's worse serial killers were all charming men... hahah, but no, I do not have anything against my good looking friends... they are just as awesome...
I for one strongly believe that we Malaysians
should respect each other’s’ differences and embrace similarities, especially now, in light of the Deepavali celebration, as after all, the festival of light serves as a reminder to us to
have compassion for others..
We are lucky to be living in a beautiful country with a lovely potpourri of cultures, race and religion and we should maintain it that way for our kids and their future generation. Personally, I raise my children to be kind to everyone, and my youngest daughter is the perfect Malaysian..
I am Chinese of birth, and my husband is a Javanese Malay... our daughter was raised as a baby by our Indonesian helper but when she was in pre school, I send her to my Indian neighbour to baby sit... and now, my daughter would proudly say that she never discriminates, and she mixes with every one and some of her best friends are Indians...
So, let the light shines within us and let us continue accept and respect each other as both individuals and as Malaysians as only greater harmony can be achieved through greater
understanding and compassion....
Yesterday was Deepavali, and my husband and I would spend every Deepavali at his classmate's home where the most 'Muhibbah' Deepavali celebration can be...
It is also the same for Chinese New Year or Hari Raya, where my husband's closest friends/classmates for over 45 years of every race is present to celebrate the festivities together...and that is the way I love it....and that is also the way I wish the rest of Malaysia could be....
It is also the same for Chinese New Year or Hari Raya, where my husband's closest friends/classmates for over 45 years of every race is present to celebrate the festivities together...and that is the way I love it....and that is also the way I wish the rest of Malaysia could be....
When we are together, we are stronger, we complement each other and each individual, race and religion has their own strength, so let us work together to try to achieve a truly united Malaysia....
Yes racism or discrimination is really bad. I hate it. It doesn't matter where you're from. I'm married myself with a Kurd from Syria, but he lived in Sweden ever since he was 5. I am Dutch. We match really well together. I love to hang out with people from different backgrounds. It's not about how you look like or where you're from. Its about your heart!
ReplyDeleteI agree that sometimes, people who may seem to be angels are the ones stabbing you from behind while those who you think could be wicked are the real genuine ones around. I think it's true for every other country out there that we should have more respect for one another's differences and be level-headed in discussing certain things. Racism is a disease that births discrimination. Given the current state our world is in, this should've been gone a long time ago.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that we should respect our differences, regardless of color and race. We should focus more on what is common to us. That way, we would live more peacefully with our neighbors. Sometimes, we find good friends in people we least expect.
ReplyDeleteRespect is one of the things we uphold. When it comes to strangers, so yes, how can we give respect if we do not know these people? Then perhaps we could be proper. Being proper means we treat people the right way. As an observer of people on the streets, another thing to avoid is to assume. Assuming can be dangerous. Wrong conclusions may breed racism. :)
ReplyDeleteIt is in our nature to discriminate and we can never evade that, but we can always control and we can teach ourselves comfortably. I always give chances to people, like letting them express their real color before I could jump to my conclusion in that way I'm not being unfair. It is distressing because there are still people who discriminate people by what they see outside.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more... we should really not set any boundaries.. there must be no race, no sex or status in society...discrimination is a global phenomenon and it is very unfortunate that this problem still exist
ReplyDeleteThis post of yours is so beautiful. I hope that many people gets to read posts like this. I don't mean just the looks of people, I don't believe that's a huge problem (not where I live at least), but the respect and acceptance.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I really agree with you. We shouldn't have so many preconceptions. Just respect each other and get to know other people. I hope that will improve and people will look further than just the looks!
ReplyDeleteTrue! We should treat each other fairly not according to appearances. Do not judge a book by its cover says the famous quote. When I was in Malaysia several years ago, I learned to adapt to their multi-racial community. In that way, I am also able to teach them my culture and it will be vice versa.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to read and get a glimpse of other race's culture and celebration. I have to agree with you that racism has no place our modern world. And that racial discrimination is like moving backwards, a disgrace to all civic achievements and breakthroughs we had as a human race.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful piece. I'm so glad that you shared a glimpse of Malaysia's culture and how inspiring it is that you are embracing it. I wish racism never existed. It's sad that no matter how much we condemn it, it's still happening. The best we could do is to start it within ourselves and you've done a great job with that. ;)
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