Title
DARING ENOUGH TO CHANGE THE WORLD
Making a Difference Starts with the Self
Improving the Self Starts with the World
You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change
the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can
change yourself. That is something you have charge of.-
Jim Rohn
Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true
wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself
is true power.- Lao-Tzu
To me, social activism starts with the self. By accepting
our responsibility as social beings, we must understand
that intertwined with our desire to “make the world
a better place” we must make it clear that our vision
of a “better world” incorporates the sentiments
and realities of those around us. This can be done by ensuring
that as we press for social change we do our best to maintain
social accountability and stability. As an American nurtured
on the beliefs of democracy and freedom, I have been inculcated
with the belief that we must fight to protect the rights
our forefathers fought to provide us. But after becoming
a resident of Singapore and of the region, I have come to
realize that social activism while it may provide us the
opportunity to change the world, it makes no difference
if in the process we create the conditions we sought to
eradicate. After working with NGOs in Singapore and in the
Philippines, I have come to realize how important it is
for us to proceed beyond the overly simplistic answers to
what is always inherently a complex situation that includes
others. Through educating and exposing ourselves to the
situation of others, not just in Singapore but also abroad,
we become socially responsible global citizens, and as our
world becomes more and more intertwined, this is becoming
more and more of a necessity. As I proceed in my academic
career as a student and proceed to becoming an active member
of our society, these are the lessons I intend to take with
me.
My Experience in Singapore
For the past two and half years, I have been lucky enough
to have the opportunity to live, work and study in one of
the most ethnically rich, culturally diverse and socially
dynamic nations in the world. As one of the most politically
stable and economically vibrant nations in the region, Singapore
continually proves itself as a bastion of good governance,
transparency and efficiency. It is a nation in which its
leaders are truly paternal, harboring the best intentions,
sincerely and unfailingly protecting the interests of its
citizens. As a result Singaporeans and residents such as
my self have developed a profound respect for its phenomenal
accomplishments politically, socially and economically.
However, such progress and respect have not been accomplished
without a fair share of sacrifices, pitfalls and mistakes.
Thus part of the nation building process is citizens learning
to engage themselves with the system and help guide society
away from the temptation of simple answers that the nation
may encounter along the path of progress by shedding light
on the complexity of our everyday lives.
One of the most fulfilling activities I have engaged in
thus far in Singapore is volunteer work. Interacting with
my faith in Catholicism and exposing myself to issues affecting
one of the most marginalized communities in Singapore—the
migrant community—I have been volunteering with the
Archdiocesan Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants
and Itinerant People (ACMI) among other organizations geared
towards serving the migrant community. Working for ACMI
has exposed me to some of the common issues internationally
facing organizations aimed at serving the community. Among
these issues however was one I found most interesting: How
do we serve this community best while balancing our responsibility
to uphold political and social stability?
This issue intrigued me deeply given the history of the
Catholic Church in Singapore and its former controversial
role with regards to issues such as migrant’s rights.
Referring to the famous “Geylang 16” case in which
Catholic volunteers working in similar roles such as myself
back in the 1980’s were accused of attempting to undermine
the Singapore government by converting the most marginalized
communities to disenchanted and dissatisfied critics of
the republic, somehow along the line I had the privilege
to speak to some of these former “social activists”
who were thrown in jail and interrogated by the Singaporean
government for their activities. After being accused sabotaging
the government and instigating a “Marxist plot”
to overthrow the government, many of these volunteers were
apprehended under the National Security Act and interrogated
for months in types of situations some may argue as tortuous
and inhumane. When I asked some of these former volunteers
why they had been targeted by the government it turns out
the type of work they did was not very different from some
of the work we were doing at ACMI! What astounded me though,
was when I asked some of these former political detainees
how they felt about their experience and the Singaporean
government, some confessed that although they may harbor
some resentment, ultimately they understood where the government
was coming from and why the government acted so paranoid.
As a small nation of such political and social complexity,
the fear at that point in time was that individuals who
intended to interact with the government could tip the delicate
balance that is so essential to social stability. While
Singapore has learned to loosen up and allow its citizens
more political space to engage the government, social activists
such as myself have learned to be increasingly sensitive
to the needs of society as a whole and not just the individuals
or community you intend to serve.
Understanding the Region and the World
However, social action cannot be limited solely to the
confines of the tiny island of Singapore. In order for one
to understand why individuals from all over the region would
venture out of the comfort zones of their own nations to
work and live in Singapore one must be able to experience
and understand the world outside of Singapore. As somewhat
of an enigma, Singapore stands as a politically and socially
stable nation in a region of unrest. From interethnic and
inter-religious violence to economic depression and insecurity,
the region is plagued with issues that unless we as individuals
venture to comprehend, we can never truly comprehend the
importance and necessity of social action. Furthermore,
we cannot be able empathize the plight of those we intend
to help if we fail to realize the depth and density of their
experience or appreciate how and why we are privileged to
live in a country such as Singapore.
One such issue that begs our attention is the issue of religious
fundamentalism. For the past two years, as a student in
the Department of Sociology at the National University of
Singapore, I have spent my time studying the separatist
claims in Mindanao, Southern Philippines. In 2003, I had
the opportunity with a research scholarship to visit Southern
Philippines to actually meet Filipinos in the war torn regions
of Mindanao and ask them what they considered the root cause
to their tumultuous predicament. Although I had spent months
upon end reading up on the history of the Philippines and
Mindanao, no amount of study could ever provide me with
the same type of knowledge and understanding of the situation
in Mindanao as I received while visiting the Philippines.
Again, as had been seen in Singapore, the issue of social
activism and social responsibility became interlinked. While
superficial analyses of separatist movements may take a
political economic stance and argue that the main motivating
factor behind the conflict was the competition over resources,
if one were to sit down and speak to those actually living
in areas affected by the separatist movements, they would
begin to realize that regardless of how much money is poured
into Mindanao, if the fundamental root cause of misunderstanding
and confusion perpetuated by a history of discrimination
and stereotyping amongst the ethnic groups is not addressed
conflict will continue to persist. Built upon this shaky
foundation, groups of dissatisfied and angry Filipinos in
Mindanao become “social activists” pursuing their
social agenda by any means possible, regardless of the social
consequences. While absorbed in their self righteous justification
for war, they shut themselves off to negotiation and communication,
thereby eliminating the opportunities for reconciliation.
However, to reiterate, this is not a distant issue or problem.
As a student studying the separatist movement in the Southern
Philippines, it saddens me to see how little Filipinos know
about their Muslim brothers and sisters and it saddens me
even more to realize how ignorant Singaporeans are of their
Filipino neighbors. As global citizens, we are caught in
the dilemma of being “part of the solution or part
of the problem.” Understanding the plight of others
in the region helps us stay away from overly simplistic
solutions such as stereotyping, discrimination and war.
In times of global insecurity that teeters on this imagined
rift between the Muslim and Christian “worlds”
especially since Singapore, as a multi-racial, religious
and ethnic nation in the region can be seen as the converging
point of these diverse forces, it behooves to stop, listen
and think, not just locally or regionally but internationally.
This to me is the crucial and most important element to
social activism and responsibility.
Social Action – A Combination of Responsibility
and Knowledge
Therefore, through my experiences as a volunteer at
ACMI and as a student of separatist movements in the Philippines,
I have come to realize how important it is for us to assess
our position in terms of how to we intend to approach social
problems. Keeping in mind that we are social beings with
responsibilities to other members of society, we must always
remind our selves that our actions should always be in the
interest of others and the social stability that sustains
us. In order to be attuned to the needs of others, we must
interest ourselves into the situations of others here in
Singapore and abroad.
As a nation privileged with economic well being, political
stability and social cohesion, we must never take for granted
that these gifts comes with a price. In the United States,
we are constantly reminded of Kennedy’s famous inaugural
speech, “Ask not what your country can do for you,
but what you can do for your country.” In Singapore,
this message is somewhat missing. Social action and making
a difference is our responsibility and our duty to not only
the Singapore nation but to our world. We must open our
eyes to the desperate necessity for a humane understanding
that crosses across all social cleavages--racial, religious
and most importantly internationally. As global citizens
we must step up to the challenge of understanding our world
since by understanding others, we can learn to understand
our place in the world better. And once we understand our
place in the world, only then can we truly make a difference.
