Beyond unity and harmony

AT a recent forum on unity and harmony in Malaysia held at my university in collaboration with the National Unity Department, I made a statement that came as a surprise to many including the other panellists present.

I declared, for the first time in my career, that unity and harmony are not important in nation-building.

After writing about nation-building and engagement with many Malaysians for 23 years, I have developed a theory that the key to building a family, a community and a nation is to inculcate three important ideas in everyone: wisdom, humility and respect for others. With these three traits in us we can build anything – a friendship, a marriage, a career, an organisation and even a whole society of different tribes, races and faiths.

Before I begin explaining my theory, though, let me share another surprising statement I made at the forum: In my entire career, I have never been in “unity” and “harmony” within my own profession of architecture, with the Malays of my race, with the Muslims of my faith, and with the country’s universities on educational issues.

As an academician, a responsible Malaysian and as a good Muslim, I read a lot, reflect much, and question many things, and all this has given rise to different perspectives on history, spirituality, politics and architecture. I believe that human civilisation grows with new ideas and thoughts that are usually not accepted by mainstream practices, attitudes or experiences.

Growth only occurs when something disturbs the normalcy of things. Thus, being in unity and in harmony with everyone may be a step towards regressive growth and not progressive growth. However, if we inculcate wisdom, humility and respect for others in all humans, we will complement each other and grow together. Being in unity and harmony is not a necessary combination one needs to grow, and it usually leads to a state of stagnation.

Firstly, we need to inculcate wisdom in dealing with information, attitudes, perspectives and knowledge that are in abundance and at the tip of our fingers in this 5G age.

Ignorance, stupidity and bigotry in combination with 5G speeds of information dissemination will spell the destruction of human civilisation. Here’s one different perspective on 5G information transfer speeds: It is a greater danger than the neutron bomb. Though the Internet at any speed perpetuates and encourages hatred, mistrust and the humiliation of dignity at all levels of human existence, 5G just enhances that.

In schools, universities and houses of worship, we need to inculcate wisdom. But what is wisdom? To me wisdom means patience, understanding, contextual appreciation and a spirituality of acceptance. I have seen too many goody two shoe statements by well meaning individuals reacting to the Prime Minister’s statements and actions without much patience, understanding of contextual appreciation or comprehension of history. We practise shoot first and never mind what the real question is.

I have always said that knowledge through PhD programmes and research is merely a structured form of arranging and sampling information, experiences and practices. The tables, charts and numeric results do not stand alone to be regarded as “facts” that require an automatic conclusion. Wisdom is required first, second and last to sift through these concocted forms of knowledge as the packaging of things in our lives.

Secondly, we must inculcate humility. What does that mean? Well, I have seen so many people commenting with no respect on the statements and actions of ministers as if they can do better. Can these critics actually do better? Can these critics hold a coalition of differing political entities together in a way that attempts growth?

Compromise, horse trading, and give and take are always foremost in such a situation. Unless the PM holds an M16 and shoots anyone who disagrees, there are no other ways to move forward except to compromise and make deals.

On our part, we need to know that we cannot play roles that are not meant for us. I, as a father, cannot play some roles that a mother can. I, the husband, can never play the role a wife needs to. There are ways to deal with sons but dealing with daughters is different. So too in dealing with a society, an organisation and a community.

Humility should give us the pause not to think beyond the capacity that we are used to and have experience with. Remember that the next time you make a comment on social media that will spread with 5G speed. Democracy and 5G do not create intelligence and prosperity in life, but having wisdom and humility will enable justice for all of us.

Thirdly, we need to learn to have respect for others. Respect goes beyond the Rukun Negara and “kesopanan dan kesusilaan” (courtesy and decency), although they come close. Respect means firstly, that if you wish to be treated with dignity by others, then you yourself must dish out respect to others.

The great Buddhist teacher Ajahm Brahm once asked the question “Who is the most important person in the world to you?” The answer was “The one in front of you”. This was one of the most important spiritual lessons I have ever learned. At any one time we have many people right there in front of our faces. It could be our mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, friends, the grocery shop clerk, a child, a cleaner and hundreds more. If we pay complete attention to all of them for that brief moment of contact and reserve any judgment about their physical form, race, faith and lifestyle, then we have learned what true respect for others means.

How we treat others reflects exactly the level and state of our own spirituality and soul. We do not need many pilgrimages to holy sites, much money given in charity or extra prayers; we just pay attention without judging to all those that we come across every day and every moment.

There you are, the fruit of 23 years of reflecting on building a family and constructing a nation. We do not need unity and harmony, just the right attitude of respecting others, being humble enough to know that we can’t do everything, and also to sift through information and knowledge with patience and understanding.

Prof Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi is Professor of Architecture at the Tan Sri Omar Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Studies at UCSI University. The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.