By Ma. Soteya Apryll Arroyo Trasadas
(The author is an Ilongga based in Manila and is affiliated with Teach Peace, Build Peace Movement Inc, a non-profit and non-governmental organization with a mission to make every Filipino Child and Youth a Peace Hero. She wrote this article after attending the International Conference on Cohesive Society in Singapore back in 2019.
Who we are is humanity.
As we all live in a pluralistic world which takes into account multi-faith,-cultural,-racial (etc) society, it is then when we recognize the stories and journey of other people which best deserved to be untold, revealed and shared. Experiential learning enables us to see the different perspectives on living our life, which sometimes becomes only a reminder, yet takes a greater stance on how we become part of the said humanity.
I am humbled enough to share to all of you my reflection and take away during the International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS) 2019 in Singapore last 19-21 June 2019. As I listen, everything served as an inspiration for me to see the hows and whys of retaining the sole purpose of humanity as we also transcend ourselves in all forms.
To know one is to know none.
Unfortunately, we live in routinized violence which is a product of our own hatred, prejudice – something that is already inculcated in our system, process of normalization that causes detriment to human development; which basically needs to be transformed.
It is a reality that in the state of our growing up – politics, faith system, culture and other preferences affects the totality of our own self. As society sometimes dictates the way we think and behave towards other people. In which, unconsciously shapes on how we interact with other people most especially those we consider not identical to who we are. We then see more of the differences that we have rather than discovering the common ground that highlights the goodness in every human being.
Seek to learn to understand.
Go and learn. Experience as they say is the best teacher. Noting, through experience we realize that we do better when we speak to each other. This have been proven as I immerse myself in an interfaith organization and communities that we have in Teach Peace Build Peace Movement (TPBPM).
Identity is what we all have. A broken piece of one humanity that stands out independently and uniquely. The sum of all our preferences is what constitutes to our identity. Preferences, are not just there for nothing; it is something we embrace. Likening of oneself means living out our own preferences. However, something that one should not impose towards other people.
It is important that we educate ourselves without having compulsions. Giving emphasis on what we always teach ‘going an extra mile getting to know other people’ then we should not praise our own preferences, if you do so you will disbelief any others.
In the wisdom of Beliefs, peace is at rest.
Our differences are imaginary walls that divides us. It is what set us apart from those we consider ‘others’. Our differences should not be regarded as a problem but part of a solution, when managed properly and accordingly.
One of the things that made me fall in love with Singapore is the fact that they enjoy religious harmony – as they are blessed to have the existence of 10 various religions namely: Baha’i Faith, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism, Taoism and Zoroastrianism. Seeing all religions exists side by side harmoniously set forth a message that today’s connectivity is founded on a society where everyone should practice absolute respect for one another’s religion (preferences) and for the beliefs one regards as sacred.
Interplay of all -inters.
The very core of TPBPM lies at Interfaith, Intercultural, Intergenerational which puts premium on nurturing the foundations of human resilience – identity, community and purpose.
In Singapore every -inter is entrenched within all levels, institutions and policy making. Giving us an image that for the, it becomes a commodity to have a balance of individuality and community. Taking into consideration Philippine geographical setting and context, there is a great need to recognize that everything starts within ourselves and our individuality plays a vital role in shaping our future. Tolerance should be highly regarded as one of the key instrument to repair human infrastructure. We need to confront our own biases, reduce level of fear and accepts individuality.
The essence of being one human family should be instilled.
Dialogue, a quest for survival.
“We are one community that depend on each other for survival” a Dharma Drum Mountain precept. In our world today, we encounter different tensions affecting our cohesive society, such as security instability, climate change, exclusion, social media, ignorance and others – it is then high time that we seek to understand and resolve things altogether – through experiencing human interactions and dialogue.
It is through dialogue that we move towards that supposed constancy and having sense of consciousness that something is greater than ourselves, allowing room for inclusiveness to take place; reminding ourselves that we have other along with us. By then, we can put a meaningful substance and explanation to our identity as we practice relationship building and highlighting persistent sameness.
As we all live in a diverse world, may we not put labels to everyone as it diminishes the core reason of human existence. May we all live a life that continuously binds, illuminates the authenticity of positive human values which I think are instrumental in reducing moral poverty, and in attaining an inclusive, sustainable future.
To understand humanity, there is a greater need to look beyond ourselves – as we all move along the vision of realizing our interconnectedness, in a world where there are many communities, one shared future.
