Spending time in Southeast Asia is so much more than weather and food. It is so much more than different languages and scenery. It is so much more than culture and religion and spirituality. If I had to say what it has been all about for me, it would be balanced acceptance.
What the heck does that mean? (I can hear you all thinking this!!)
Bali is a Muslim country officially. But there are many Hindus here. Buddhists as well. Heck, there are even Christians. And Catholics! There are also Atheists and a variety of other religions.
There are also several cultural groups. Balinese culture is specific to this area. Indonesia is comprised of roughly 17,000 islands spanning an area the size of the US. In my mind it was this small far away place. Bali itself is not big. It is one of 34 provinces, all with unique histories, lifestyles, and ceremonial practices. Sounds a lot like the good ole US of A doesn’t it?
Well, it isn’t. Not even close. It is SO.MUCH.HEALTHIER. (In some ways)
I know I know, there is poverty here. There is pollution. There is crime. Welcome to humanity. Indonesia has all the struggles that every other place in the word has. What stands out to me as a first-time visitor and observer is the apparent acceptance and understanding of several religions, cultural practices and belief systems.
There is NO proselytizing, no threats of a lifetime in hell or purgatory if you do not change to someone’s religion. There is no insistence that you practice a religion at all. In the two weeks that I have been here I have seen a musical celebration that included prayer and dance. I have seen statues from Buddhist beliefs, I have seen Hindu welcome ceremonies and Balinese cultural practices all existing together. There are women who cover their heads and necks in traditional Muslim practice. They work side by side with their Hindu and Christian neighbors. They explain each other’s religions to people like me who ask a million questions.
They take part in each other’s celebrations as well! Everyone here has a strong connection to the spirit, the universe, the higher power, God, Allah, Buddha, or science. How do I know this? Because it is evident in everything they do. They also take part with authenticity and sincerity. They watch the ceremonies of other religions and cultures with respect and acceptance.
They do not fight over statues and religious displays. The all exist together here. The above picture shows a Buddhist sculpture around a tree. There are trees everywhere with part of the trunk or a branch wrapped in that fabric. It signifies a sacred and holy distinction about the tree it wraps. Those trees are not disturbed. Other cultures and religions do not criticize.
Everyone expects everyone else to practice the religion that they believe, and to be allowed to practice theirs.
There is a government requirement that you list a religion on your ID. There is no requirement to practice it, but there must be one listed. From what little research I have done the main reason is to make sure a person with no family has a proper burial. Also, some ancient beliefs that marrying someone from a different religion could be problematic. There is work underway to remove the requirement for listing a religion on your ID card.
I learned of this from one of Jack’s teachers. While there is no official law that says you must practice a religion, you have to list one. So, an atheist can choose from Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Catholic or Christian. As a Baha’i’ I am not quite sure what I would do.
This is the only part of the regular integration of religion that feels controlling to me. What I like about it, however, is that it keeps the higher power, the bigger picture, the spirit, a regular part of daily life. In our separation of church and state in the USA we have removed the ability to practice what we believe in a comfortable way. Let me be clear, I do not think we should use religion to control a country, but it would be nice if we all brought our spirituality, our bigger picture to the table and willingly listened to other versions of the same thing.
In my sleepless nights here in Bali I scroll local news and see all of the hate being spewed about religious structures on our State House Plaza. While I believe we are all entitled to our individual opinions and beliefs, keeping them to ourselves would go a long way in easing the tension. I am quite sure the major religions here feel that they are the true way to God and Source and Heaven. (Don’t all religions??)
They do not spew that to their “other believing” friends.
Bali itself is made up of almost as many ex-pats as it is native citizens. People move here. I can see why. I created a post on my Instagram of a team of CrossFit athletes eating their breakfast prize from a fun holiday competition in class. There were six people at the table, London, France, Australia, China, Poland and another Australian. And me, the American behind the camera.
I was the only one in the group who found this amazing. People are used to it here. Everyone is from somewhere and believes in something. No one is pushing a religious, social, sexual, moral or cultural agenda on anyone else. We simply get along. It has been refreshing and reassuring in ways I cannot quite explain.
And in this reality, I do not have to. I can simply “be”.