Understanding the Meaning of Diversity

I am a muslim. (Alhamdulillah) born muslim, growing up in a muslim environment, went to muslim majority school, have a big happy family that all muslim and surrounded by many of muslim friends. I never know the difference between being majority or minority. For me both are the same, human.


It all change when I start to see the world. Traveling to different places, seeing many types of people, making new friends. As a hijabi, people are easy to distinguish my beliefs based on the attribute that I wear. They know I don't eat pork, don't drink alcohol or wear provocative clothes. Eventough I never experienced any mistreatment, but there are times when I feel insecure "Why are they starring like that?" "Smile, show them muslim is nice" "Dress nicely to avoid misunderstanding" and other unnecessary fear. Now in my workplace, I met more people that not like me. Raised with a different way, live in a different environment, eat different food, went to different school. Basically lived their life differently.

By that I realized the world didn't worked as I taught. Now I know what it feels to be different, thrive to be welcomed, make effort to understand other people perspective and more careful in voicing an opinion in case it might be offensive for some people. But differences also taught us new things that we never knew. Stories of the way other people raised, the way they see the world, the way they build themselves better and other wonderful things that we might never had a chance to do it in our life. Like seeing the world through other people's eyes.

"Different is absolute and perspective is made individually. All it takes is love and respect to makes this world a better place for us to live in."

As for Indonesia, Selamat Hari Kesaktian Pancasila. Semoga kita dapat menerapkan makna dari Pancasila dalam kehidupan sehari-hari kita. Hidup berdampingan dalam perbedaan yang indah.

Yes, I still have hopes for a better (and tolerance) Indonesia.