For every good act we do in life, does it only matter when others can visibly see it? Does helping flood victims in Kelantan or Terengganu only count when Khairul Aming posts on Instagram for all to see and react to? For generations, people believe that a change is counted only when it is done in front of others. The society we live in today cares more, praises you more, and validates you more if they can visibly see your contribution on social media. To some extent, it takes away the value of doing good out of your own genuine will, it disincentivises individuals from asking themselves “Will this benefit the people in need and make me feel good about myself at the same time?”. Instead, what’s deemed more important is, “Will this make people hold me in a higher regard? Will this make me accepted and validated in society more?”. In both scenarios, the questions asked still revolve around a person wanting to benefit the people around them and elevate themselves, but there is a fine line that differentiates the intention out of the acts that they’re about to commit. There’s nothing wrong with having social media boost your motivation to do good, but for those who don’t have the privilege of a large virtual audience to see their contribution, what’s left for them?
For a Muslim, is someone’s faith only reflected by the amount of daily or optional prayers she does in a day? Are you only considered a good Muslim if you consistently attend usrah sessions in your local Muslim community? Or if you’re still struggling with wearing the headscarf consistently in public, is that reflective of the scale of connection you have with your Creator? Or if you’re seen ‘celebrating’ Christmas, Deepavali and Chinese New Year, does that equate you to be less religious than someone who only mingles with those who celebrate Eid? Being a good Muslim is not limited to how you portray yourself on the outside, it is also inclusive of your mindset, the way you regard yourself and how you treat others.
For a political leader, does your contribution only matter when it is captured in front of a camera? If a news article has still yet to document a noble project meant to help your community, does that mean giving a donation to your local orphanage or homeless shelter in secret go to waste? Many acts of kindness are exchanged yet they go undocumented.
For as long as we can remember, we are too judgemental and skeptical towards one another. We jump on the next opportunity to criticise others when we think they are not ‘religious enough’, not ‘open-minded enough’, or just not doing enough. Who’s to say that a Muslim who struggles to wear the headscarf ultimately has lesser religious connection with her Creator? Who’s to say that if visibly, in society, someone does not act the way the majority is acting, that person deserves to be frowned upon, or alienated by their race? Being overly cynical towards one another is a disease.
If it’s true that our intention is to see our community improve – to see your best friend escape that cycle of depression, to have your family stop passing on that generational trauma, or to have your local ministers direct their attention to others who are in more need of that financial assistance – we need to be forgiving and understanding of each other. I am not trying to discredit those who have been patient for years and are now feeling the heat of frustration as though your voice is unheard. Efforts to make your voice heard or to elevate the struggles of your local community is a continuous fight. Problems come and go everyday. Voicing out these problems and shedding light onto them is the right step to having them addressed by respective stakeholders. The quest to find a solution and benefiting others goes both ways. We need those who are brave enough to step forward and those who are understanding and empathetic enough to make a change. If only Malaysians can start being more forgiving and understanding towards one another while these matters are being addressed, less people will feel left out, underappreciated or undervalued.
Instead of having another round of shouting between members in the Parliament, hating a Malaysian Society for cancelling a flagship event due to unforeseen circumstances, bringing down a woman who is passionate in leading simply because of her gender, judging others for dressing differently than you, using people’s past against them every time they try to do better, why not redirect that energy?
Redirect it to having civil and productive discussions, ones that actually have contingency plans and actual data backed by rational reasoning to solve every issue – individually or nationally. When UKEC decided to organise the Malaysian Healthcare Reform Forum in Dublin, Ireland to address the structural barriers faced by medical professionals in Malaysia, it sparked hope in the right direction. It can potentially give doctors the credit and pay that they deserve, given those in power try to listen. Redirect it to caring about what we can collectively do as a society to make all our lives easier. If you want others to understand and accept your values, why not portray some form of respect and openness to them too? Whether you like it or not, the political leaders we vote for, the decision to volunteer at a soup kitchen, the posts we repost to our friends, the cynical remarks or flattering compliment we decide to utter to the next person– they all matter. All the things we do lead to the next chain of events.
We all wish to see change in our community – be it creating more friends who are more interested in getting to know you for you instead of awaiting your downfall, having your Malaysian Society host more wholesome events, having your family appreciate you for the effort you put in your studies, having your working siblings receive the pay that they deserve, or perhaps having your local government provide more petrol subsidies and cut more taxes instead of engaging in an endless popularity campaign. What is the change you wish to see?
In all honesty, who knows whether we’ve reached the border of that said change? That the outcome we’ve been hoping for may just be one conversation or one conference away. When you think about it, try reflecting on your life decisions and values on a quiet Sunday morning. To be silent is to conform, to be aware is a step ahead, but to actually be part of an incoming reform by engaging and understanding your surroundings from an empathetic lens, that is the catalyst generations of Malaysians have been waiting for.
Usrah: An Arabic word that means family. Conceptually, usrah refers to a group of Muslim individuals having meetings revolving Islamic religious activities such as Quranic topic discussions, etc.
