We all have prejudice

When I took an Inter-religious Class, my professor said that all people have prejudice. At first, I did not believe it. People describe me as a peace-loving individual. I always try to put myself in others' shoes. I always try to understand others. I advocate for peace, something which has been very close to my heart. How come I also have prejudice? I asked myself.

A few minutes after he said so, I came to realise a moment whereby I was prejudiced. It reminded me of the days I could not sleep because a particular group made lots of noise until midnight. When I was studying in the study room, the same group also spoke in high volume, which made me lose concentration. I did not make generalisation. But seeing people of this group behave similarly in almost all settings and everywhere unconsciously made me ask myself, why was this group noisy and inconsiderate? I still befriend with them. My interaction with them has always been positive. It is just I disliked it when they talked too loudly too late at night, or in the wrong place where everyone was studying.

Several years after this bad experience, I met other people from this group who acted very differently. They were more quiet and more mindful of volume. Finally I met people who can counter the stereotype people usually have about this group!

Ever since taking this class, I have been recollecting some prejudices I used to have (and the ones I still have). Due to my lack of encounters with local belief adherents, I used to believe that flower offerings were intended to worship ancestral spirits or were related to occultism, something I had heard from several friends. I am grateful that my work at the SETARA Institute made it possible for me to meet local belief adherents, whom I become best friends with. My personal interaction with them has taught me a lot. It clarified the philosophy behind flower offerings, one of which is a means to express gratitude to God.

Earlier this year, I was invited to a religious session. I used to have some concerns or negative thought about the session, but I accepted the invitation. It turned out to be an enlightening experience for me, which changed the way I feel about this religious session.

'Prejudice' carries negative connotation. No one likes to be described as prejudiced. Yet, to overcome prejudice starts with admitting that we all have prejudice. It takes self-reflection to discover our own prejudice we are unaware of.

Once we are aware of it, we can make efforts to counter the prejudice by flourishing our relationships with a particular group we have prejudice toward. Prejudice can come from our unfamiliarity or lack of encounters with the Other, which makes us believe in how the Other is portrayed or labelled by the media (or people in general). It can also come from our bad experience in the past. Instead of avoiding, getting closer to the group will make us understand them better. It is no longer what people say about the group, but what we ourselves feel about the group from our direct interaction with them. If the prejudice is derived from our own bad experience in the past, then having more encounters with different people from the group can also help counter the prejudice.

In a sharing session about religious pluralism and interfaith dialogue, an elementary student asked me, "how if we keep meeting people who do not counter our prejudice against them, but instead reinforce the prejudice?" A very good question! Maybe this means we just need more encounters. Keep making friends with more and more people of different faiths (and generally people of any groups). Someday we will meet other people who will counter the prejudice.

Thanks to Dr Paul Hedges, one of my all-time favourite professors, for all the teachings that continue to inspire me to be self-reflective!