Six Months Later, I Only Have More Questions

Every Monday, I used to write an entry in my diary counting another week since I left home. Each Monday gave me a small moment to reflect on what I'd done and seen to that point and what I had coming up. More recently, the Mondays have been breezing by. I lost track around the 16th week. Even so, when January 2nd arrived, I felt the significance of the halfway point. Six months abroad and six months to go. I've explored five countries and fifteen cities. I've made countless connections. After all this time, the feeling of profound gratitude has not faded. So, as belated as it is, here are six questions that I'm keeping in mind as I experience the second six months of my Watson Fellowship.

1. In Singapore, I began to question the role of government and policy in establishing and maintaining peace. And, as I continue to read headlines from home, I find myself questioning the value of democracy. I wonder if it's possible to have a preference for small or large government without knowing who the leader of that government is and will be. I grapple with the weight of words and internet discourse regardless of the constitutional change it may or may not lead to. More than anything though, I've seen that the minds of the people are influenced by, but not dictated by, the political content they absorb rather than the people they are geographically near. So, my broad question is: how responsible is the media for religiously-motivated hate and, especially under capitalism, is it naive to imagine a news agency that successfully promotes peace? What would that look like?

   

   
   

2. Malaysia is a country with 34.3 million people, over 60% of which are Muslim. Islam is the official religion of Malaysia and, according to a few of my contacts, this has prevented a fair distribution of resources to other religious communities. I was shocked by the Islamophobic rhetoric I heard from locals and tourists in Malaysia. Their comments were rooted in stereotypes of Muslims as controlling and dangerous. When I responded with anthropological curiosity, asking for an example or why they believe what they're saying - the illegitimacy of their claims became clear. The ever presence of religious discrimination is shocking and raises questions about the cause. If exposure to diversity is clearly not enough to establish mutual respect, what are the necessary components? Understanding through dialogue? Education and improved religious literacy? What else?

   
   
   

   

   

   
   
   

3. In Dublin, I've been learning so much about the value of friendship. My stay in Dublin will be a little longer than two months; my longest stay in one city by far. Not only am I observing deep friendships between members of Dublin's diverse religious community, but I am also being welcomed into that circle. As I wrap up my time here, I'm starting to reprioritize giving myself the time required to build meaningful connections in my locations moving forward. Friendship and companionship, after all, are the foundational elements of interfaith advocacy. How, though, will I maintain these friendships as I continue to move through the world? In our digitized world, how can I utilize new resources to stay connected to all these different parts of the world?

   
   

   

   
   

4. What is the value of interfaith dialogue, in and of itself? Many of the organizations that I've worked with have prioritized dialogue and conversations with the logic that humanization, then companionship, then compassion are the steps to a better, fairer, more equal society. Others have prioritized charity or political policy. These organizations have similar shared visions of a more equitable society but their tactics are different. Would combining these strategies be effective? Is one tactic more effective than the other?

   

   
   

5. What is the value of optimism? I like to think of myself as someone who believes that optimism is a powerful force for bettering the world, or at least a force for bettering one's own life. Is the value of positive thinking only that it leads to positive action? What is solitary optimism?

   
   

   

   
   

6. Historical wounds and healings inform the current social moment - always and everywhere. In Japan and Ireland in particular, understanding both recent and distant tensions in history is essential to understanding a community and be an effective advocate within it. Moving forward, how can I arrive to new places more informed and more prepared about historical contexts?