Matters of faith- The Malaysian Insider
June 10, 2010 — We are united by faith. By this I do not mean religion specifically, but the idea that we are a credulous people, who believe strongly that there is more to this world than meets the eye.
Whether it is to flock to a Malay man who claims that an old Chinese utensil he found can cure all types of illnesses, or the power of the Pontianak myth over us, Malaysians are ready to allow for the possibility.
Carrying huge kavadis up to Batu Caves with piercings and the willing acceptance of pain may seem unbelievable to the jaded western eye, but is a perfectly natural activity to us.
Mediums and Bomohs still exercise a huge fascination and, thus, power over us.
While the modern world exercises its rational pull on us, the multi-racial character of our culture and society have shown us that that the western way is not the only way. Whatever race you are, you have heard of Feng Shui, exorcisms and hungry ghosts. Banana trees are bad luck for gamblers, Casper-like tiny ghosts can be commanded to do our bidding, and rain can be kept away from the F1.
Success in business, marriage or the quality of offspring may or may not be due to hard work and discipline, but is impossible if we do not pay our dues to our faith. In the face of evil in the form of greed or corruption, we take solace in the surety of divine retribution, in this life or in the hereafter.
Miracles are a feature of every religion, and to the believer the power of prayer is limitless. In times of crises especially, we rely on faith and belief to see us through. This is because causality in faith is not logical, but a matter of belief.
Unlike modernity, faith allows us to hope, even when all looks hopeless. Modern medicine is a good example of this. Unlike faith healers and traditional medicine men, modern medicine makes definitive diagnoses and predicts the results of disease. Words like “terminal,” “last stage” and “four per cent survival rate” leave no room for hope.
But since no science is exact, there is always room for exceptions and experimental and alternative therapies. Even the power of prayer is recognised as at least a palliative remedy today. Alternative medicine may or may not cure us, but it allows us to retain that most important key to human endurance: hope.
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Our belief in the power of faith is so strong as to give it space even in the most modern of settings. So offices are blessed, launch timings of huge projects are at the mercy of geomancers, and skyscrapers omit certain numbers on their floor listings, driving westerners crazy.
This happens because while the origins of our major religions are ancient, we are a very young country, and an even younger modern economy. We are much more familiar with tradition than with modernity. Therefore, the traditional influences we grew up with are still more important than the ones we see in KL.
This mass migration called “balik kampong” we undertake irrespective of race is a sign of the importance all of us attach to the past, modernity be damned. The hold of our past is still stronger than that of the future, and will be for a long time yet.
On the surface, we are willing to live our lives as separate races, religions and entities, but deep down, we know we have more in common with each other in matters of faith than any outsider can fathom.
Having faith comes before the nature of that faith. Any kind of believer is preferable to the amorality associated with the atheist. We may not follow each other’s beliefs, but we understand where we are all coming from.
* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.
Whether it is to flock to a Malay man who claims that an old Chinese utensil he found can cure all types of illnesses, or the power of the Pontianak myth over us, Malaysians are ready to allow for the possibility.
Carrying huge kavadis up to Batu Caves with piercings and the willing acceptance of pain may seem unbelievable to the jaded western eye, but is a perfectly natural activity to us.
Mediums and Bomohs still exercise a huge fascination and, thus, power over us.
While the modern world exercises its rational pull on us, the multi-racial character of our culture and society have shown us that that the western way is not the only way. Whatever race you are, you have heard of Feng Shui, exorcisms and hungry ghosts. Banana trees are bad luck for gamblers, Casper-like tiny ghosts can be commanded to do our bidding, and rain can be kept away from the F1.
Success in business, marriage or the quality of offspring may or may not be due to hard work and discipline, but is impossible if we do not pay our dues to our faith. In the face of evil in the form of greed or corruption, we take solace in the surety of divine retribution, in this life or in the hereafter.
Miracles are a feature of every religion, and to the believer the power of prayer is limitless. In times of crises especially, we rely on faith and belief to see us through. This is because causality in faith is not logical, but a matter of belief.
Unlike modernity, faith allows us to hope, even when all looks hopeless. Modern medicine is a good example of this. Unlike faith healers and traditional medicine men, modern medicine makes definitive diagnoses and predicts the results of disease. Words like “terminal,” “last stage” and “four per cent survival rate” leave no room for hope.
But since no science is exact, there is always room for exceptions and experimental and alternative therapies. Even the power of prayer is recognised as at least a palliative remedy today. Alternative medicine may or may not cure us, but it allows us to retain that most important key to human endurance: hope.
Grab a Celcom Blue Bear(TM) and stand to walk away with RM10,000!
Our belief in the power of faith is so strong as to give it space even in the most modern of settings. So offices are blessed, launch timings of huge projects are at the mercy of geomancers, and skyscrapers omit certain numbers on their floor listings, driving westerners crazy.
This happens because while the origins of our major religions are ancient, we are a very young country, and an even younger modern economy. We are much more familiar with tradition than with modernity. Therefore, the traditional influences we grew up with are still more important than the ones we see in KL.
This mass migration called “balik kampong” we undertake irrespective of race is a sign of the importance all of us attach to the past, modernity be damned. The hold of our past is still stronger than that of the future, and will be for a long time yet.
On the surface, we are willing to live our lives as separate races, religions and entities, but deep down, we know we have more in common with each other in matters of faith than any outsider can fathom.
Having faith comes before the nature of that faith. Any kind of believer is preferable to the amorality associated with the atheist. We may not follow each other’s beliefs, but we understand where we are all coming from.
* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.
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