Maintaining Unity in Diversity

Thinking globally accompanied by real actions at the local level became the spirit of many people and institution for their self-actualization. This spirit erodes discourse and old mindset about self-understanding. Global thinking will make one’s mind open and feel not the most veritable ones. Furthermore, the global mind is used to underlie simple actions at the local level, in other words, people can do real action in their local surrounding. Thinking globally and acting locally are important because both make our mind be wiser and not quickly ignited by provocation. Stube-HEMAT with its global networks is trying to work based on actual issue in global and national level.

A Communication Forum for Interfaith teacher and lecturer in Yogyakarta is one of the real action to respond local need. On Saturday, November 5, 2016, Sartana, M.Pd, the coordinator of the Forum published an open invitation to anyone who is willing to attend and it was uploaded on social media by a teacher and lecturer, Subkhi Ridho. The event took place at PIRI high school, Jl. Kemuning No. 14, Baciro, Yogyakarta. It began at 2 p.m and was attended by 15 participants of teachers, lecturers and student activists.

This forum discussed several agendas which reasonable to be pondered, such as; the thought of people which are still easily ignited by provocative news, dispute among community, also finding method that can be done to maintain diversity. Now days, provocative news is deliberately uploaded and spread by certain parties to provoke public. Sometimes public is provoked and they begin hate each other, get angry and spread hatred to others. However there is still an optimism that not everyone can be provoked and many community groups are smart enough to respond to any news by check and re-check.

The forum admitted that society is consisted of various groups which have different views and thoughts. Such conditions were prone to be splitted. Now, people should be educated to realize that diversity was not the enemy. Differences on doctrines both internal (same religion) and external (other religions) were usual. Also, there was something interesting, sometimes in one religion consist of various views.

Maintaining Unity in diversity did not mean to refer to one group but aiming to lead based on constitution and laws. The difference and gap are not the reasons to hate each other. Everyone who attended the event agreed to start a new way by sowing kindness through any media any time. Now, the important thing is to sow kindness and hate no one. We are all brothers.

These were the results of communication forum for interfaith teacher and lecturer of Yogyakarta. Each participant is challenged to be creative to find new methods for fostering tolerance and society’s solidarity. (YDA).