CLASS; J S S 3 WEEK 3
TOPIC; UNITY.
Unity is the state of different areas or groups being joined together to form a single country or organization.
We have to act to preserve the unity of this nation.
When there is unity, people are in agreement and act together for a particular purpose.
Word forms: plural ˈunities
1. the state of being one, or united; oneness; singleness
2. something complete in itself; single, separate thing
3. the quality of being one in spirit, sentiment, purpose, etc.; harmony; agreement; concord; uniformity
4. a.) unification b.) a unified group or body
5. the quality or fact of being a totality or whole, esp. a complex that is a union of related parts
6. an arrangement of parts or material in a work of art or literature, that will produce a single, harmonious effect
b. a design or effect so produced
7. constancy, continuity, or fixity of purpose, action, etc.
CAUSE OF NATIONAL DISUNITY
The biggest single cause of national disunity today is bad politics.
Cultural, racial and religious differences are a given in Malaysia. Our demography guarantees diversity without our having to look far or search hard to find a name, face or tongue that is distinct from our own.
A plural society has more competing interests to manage than does a homogeneous society, and it needs a different style of handling. That is another given. Malaysians may have many bad habits, but as a society, we are not particularly predisposed to conflict or aggression. For that, we need a catalytic reagent. The stream of bad politicians and bad politics provides just that.
The socio-cultural divide has mostly been managed for political gain rather than harmony. Though never well managed in the past, there was at least a sense that all the political juggling would be worthless if stability were lost and the nation fell off the edge, as we did in 1969.
One heavily politicised topic is the education policy. It has always been a convenient issue for opportunistic politicians to exploit. The “single-stream” debate is one issue that has become the fast elevator to political stardom, whereas there are less divisive staircases to take to the top.
It is now embedded in the public consciousness that the SJKC schools are bad for national unity and that unity would be better served if they were abolished. In the deconstruction, the argument for this is twofold: (1) the common tongue proficiency in BM would improve for the non-Malays through the medium of instruction, and (2) the mingling of the races at the primary education level would bring about the kind of unity we desire.
How-To Maintain Unity
Here are practical and immediate ways to fulfill the imperative of “Love your fellow as yourself”:
1. Look for ways to help.
Maimonides (Character 6:3) writes that a person should be concerned about other people’s spiritual, emotional and material needs, just as one is concerned about his own needs.
Go out of your way to help others. Give a patient, listening ear (with cellphone off) when someone needs to talk. Make suggestions for someone who is trying to find a job or a marriage partner. Offer to grocery shop to give your spouse a break.
Make the commitment to practice one daily act of kindness. Put it in your day timer along with all your other goals, and track it to completion. At the end of the week, reflect back and take pleasure in having accomplished something important.
The key here is to be proactive. I was recently walking in Jerusalem and saw a man struggling with a map to find his way. Although he didn’t ask for help, I offered. I walked him in the direction he needed to go and we spoke for a few minutes. He was so appreciative, and I genuinely felt that I’d added a good drop into the global mix.
2. Give the benefit of the doubt.
You don’t know a person until you’ve been in his shoes. In other words, you can never really know. Everyone has their challenges; everyone is moving at their own pace. This is the meaning of the Talmudic imperative: “Be patient in judgment.
Do you keep a different standard of observance than the next guy? Don’t judge. The Talmud says: “Nobody knows whose blood is redder.” No one can judge the worth of another person because no one knows where the other is situated on the ladder of life – where he began and how many rungs he has climbed. Some people may be born smarter, and some with more talent in one area or another. But that doesn’t make one individual any “better.” Perhaps a thief, given his life’s circumstances, is making greater, more difficult life choices than the finest rabbi.
Try focusing on seeing others with a good eye. Assume that they’re “doing the best with what they’ve got.”
3. Focus on the positive.
We all have bad days where we’re tense or disappointed. Although I may feel like letting out a burst of criticism, I try to flip it upside down (or right-side up, in this case) – to take that moment of potentially negative interaction and use it to say something complimentary, endearing. Something that will build the other person and build our relationship. It’s just a matter of flicking the switch, a decision to unify rather than divide.
When someone helps you out, express gratitude and don’t assume the other person “knows” they are appreciated. Everybody (even the most “annoying” person!) has something positive. Give a genuine complement and encourage their good traits.
A corollary of this is to not speak negatively about others (Leviticus 19:16). Gossip is the verbal atomic bomb of relationships. It destroys marriages, businesses, friendships. Just because it’s true doesn’t mean you need to say it. Big people speak about ideas, average people speak about things, small people speak about people. Be big.
4. Respect elders.
There was a time when society accorded honor to the elderly. Today, when one’s worth seems to be based on an ability to master the latest technology, the “older generation” simply cannot compete.
Judaism teaches that every old person has a special wisdom that comes with life experience. Humans are made up of two parts, physical and spiritual. As a person ages, the body weakens, thus enabling the spiritual side to exert itself to a greater degree. The Talmud delineates age 80 as peak spiritual strength – the prime of life!
Thus the Torah specifically instructs us to “honor the elderly” (Leviticus 19:32). On public buses in Israel, for example, the first row of seats is marked with a sign quoting this verse.
We even give honor even to one who no longer possesses full mental faculties. The tablets of the Ten Commandments, which Moses shattered, were kept alongside the new tablets in the Ark of the Covenant. This teaches that we must continue to respect the elderly, even when they are intellectually “broken.”
5. Share wisdom.
One of the greatest gifts you can impart is the gift of wisdom.
Rabbi Noah Weinberg writes: Whenever you learn something – from books, lectures, or life experience – do so with the goal of sharing with others. If it was fascinating, how did it change you? What did you learn about living? And how can you transfer that insight to others? If something is worth learning, it’s worth sharing.
Let’s say that your friend is struggling in marriage. If you have an insight into how to achieve marital harmony, share it. Invite your friend for coffee and, without being judgmental or intimidating, impart the wisdom that you know.
Ignorance is a terrible malady. Ignorance can cause untold suffering – mistreatment of children, wasted resources, and suffering in a dead-end job. All out of ignorance. Some diseases only a doctor can treat, but ignorance can be cured by everyone who takes wisdom seriously. When you reduce ignorance in the world, even by a little bit, you offer a great gift to mankind.
- Pray – There is possibly nothing more unifying that we can do than to be praying. We can pray for ourselves, that we would have an increased love for others. We can pray for each other. Jesus said we are to pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44). How much more should we be praying for our brothers and sisters at CCC – our home away from Home? Lastly, we can pray with each other at our family prayer gatherings and in our Life Groups. Praying with others is immensely unifying – reminding us of our unity with Christ and each other as we lift up requests and praises to God together in Jesus’ name. It also reminds us that we need the Spirit to empower us to maintain unity.
- Reconcile – Being ruthlessly committed to unity includes seeking and offering forgiveness to others within the body here at CCC. As Jesus said, “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift (Matt. 5:23-24).” Part of rightfully worshipping God is being right with one another and endeavoring for the sake of unity at CCC.
- Engage – Especially with the updated proposed polity coming out soon, one way to make an effort for the sake of unity is to engage in the process. Read it. Pray about it. Ask the pastors and others who worked on it to clarify things you don’t understand or have concerns about. But engaging goes way beyond our current polity discussion. Sometimes there are concerns about something within the church. The temptation is to distance ourselves, to “dis-member” ourselves from the body. But maintaining unity means voicing those concerns to the appropriate people, seeking to understand why something is the way it is, and offering a solution. And who knows, maybe the solution is you pressing in more deeply and serving as a part of the solution instead of withdrawing due to concern. When that happens, when we all partner in “the work of the ministry,” it leads to the “building up of the body of Christ (Eph. 4:12).”
- Encourage – This is our home away from Home, and until we are finally in our true Home, there will be things that aren’t ideal everywhere – even in the church. And we’re all tempted to almost exclusively focus on the problems. But, as one pastor has put it, “Which are we more aware of in our churches: evidences of God at work – evidences of grace – or deficiencies in our church? It takes real discernment to identify how God is at work in a church.” Encouraging each other – pointing out how God is working in and through others – builds unity amidst the imperfection that is currently, but temporarily, present in every believer and every church. So why don’t we all commit to letting no corrupting talk come out of our mouths, but only that which is good for building up so that it will give grace to those who hear (Eph. 4:29)? Write an encouraging note to someone. Say thank you to someone serving in a typically unnoticed role. Express your gratitude to those who teach your kids on Sunday mornings or Wednesday nights. Encourage people in your Life Group by telling them how you’ve seen them act like Jesus, citing specific instances they’ve shown generosity, hospitality, wisdom, love, courage, or a servant’s heart. Let someone know that you’ve been praying for them.
Remember, it took the blood of Jesus to unify us as a people (Eph. 2:14). Let’s do everything we can to maintain that unity by being people committed to praying, reconciling, engaging, and encouraging each other.