Accepting Minority as a Form of Self Love and Self Acceptance

 

Lately we often hear issues about being a majority and minority in this country, Indonesia.  So many comments, defense, and support against each party. This feud surely takes a lot of energy and emotion.  Perhaps because we feel that we share some common ground, we support these parties – either the majority or the minority.

For you who haven’t known me personally, I would like to share a little bit about my background so I can explain how the concept of this majority and minority works. I am an Indonesian citizen who lives in Jakarta, a Chinese descent, studied and raised as a Catholic, in a home of parents with Confucianism background, become a volunteer at a Buddhist foundation, and right now write and share in such a universal concept of spirituality.

With my background, am I a majority? Or am I a minority? I am actually a majority and minority at the same time. How could that be?

I become a minority in my family when we talk about religion. But, when my family went to church with me, for example, then I become the majority and my family become the minority. If go a little bit further, as I live in Indonesia, me and my family become the minority because we are of Chinese descents.  But even when someone who considers him or herself as a majority in Indonesia goes to…  let’s say.. to Ambon or Bali for example, then he or she is no longer the majority there. They have become a minority in an instant. Even more if they go to countries like South Africa which majority is Christian or India which majority is Hindu. Pretty complicated, but it’s easy to understand, right?

Each person is a majority and minority at the same time. When you are a quiet person in the classroom and you like to read books all by yourself, you become a minority at school. If you are an animal lover and are a vegetarian, you become a minority among your proud carnivore friends. If you like spirituality,meditation, yoga, believe in reincarnation, go to tarot reader, and you like this kind of “woo woo thing”, you have become a minority – even here in this world. But, the unique part is, either you are a majority or a minority, each and every one of you must be wanting to live happily and do not want to suffer.

Each of us knows what it’s like to be a minority, and how uncomfortable life can be as a minority.  Every person must have a side where he or she does not have the courage to express something that most people wouldn’t agree of due the fear of rejection. Even more with the trending issues lately, a lot of people must have been worried about rejection of their thought or even their mere existence.

However, by understanding that the position of being a majority and minority will always change,  it would be better if we could accept and understand our friends who are different from us, isn’t it? By accepting that other people has different opinion,  beliefs or background with a big heart, that is what self love and self acceptance in action is all about.

People who don’t accept others completely are those who haven’t completely accept themselves – not admitting “the other part of them” which they refuse to see in themselves, but then have to see in other people. When we feel content and enough with ourselves, no other people can bother us anyore. How do we expect other people to love us when we do not love them, or even ourselves?

For those who consider themselves as the majority, it’s not cool to brag about it. For the minority, do not be discouraged. We all are majority. We all are minority. One step at a time we will find the courage to express our opinion freely. And we can consider ourselves as equal and important as others. Imagine a world full of people with love and tolerance, we no longer need to worry about rejection and we can  live and thrive together, happily.

Let’s embrace differences and be ready to accept much more love around us.