The First Malaysian

[Datuk Seri Maharaja Dúryodhanã]

Thou shalt indeed find them most greedy of life, even more than the idolaters."
- Qur'an (2:96)

"We live in a world of things, and our only connection with them is that we know how to manipulate or to consume them."
— Erich Fromm

"Why is there no peace in the world? because a jolly few believe that it is better to live on a lifelong diet of wine, oysters and caviar instead of boiled rice and vegetables. And that they laugh at those who think unlike them."

And when the Serene One created the first Malaysian,
 for him were eyes wrought
that he could gaze with wonder upon Heaven-sent splendour,
 and God gave him a mouth so that his gratefulness ought
  to voice thanks and tribute to Heaven;

The LORD then made the waters of China and India
 to meet and ebb with trade
and there tin and gold would lie, lode by lode:
 for His chosen people God Himself this place made
  to be called Malaysia;

And the first Malaysian's eyes grew wide, taking in the land,
 and he sampled all that his home could offer,
he fondled rich goods, and learnt to consume richer foods
 yet no joy felt he, for before all dishes he could savour
  his own life would run out to an end;

And so to God, not with thanks did he approach:
 But in complaint, saying,
"LORD, why makest thou thine people to die now?
 for the spice in our life we find too sweet for dying."
  Such was the subject he dared to broach.

The LORD was wroth - but He kept His silence,
 yet to Him prattled on that Malaysian -
"A second stomach would be good, for we would enjoy more food!"
 Then sternly did God rebuke him "Insolent abomination!
  Leave now and damned be thy insolence!"

But staunch Malaysia persisted, and was made blind
 by the Devil who made a tempting offer:
Now the good things of life bred ill-fated strife
 between the will of the Almighty Father
  and the brood which He designed:

Satan said to Malaysia: "what a worthless bargain!
 See now your god and his duplicity
and there is no joy in it. Who would understand it?
 But look: here is a second stomach I wrought for thee
  if thou but pledgest half thine brain."

That feckless Malaysian could not his greed allay:
 and so he took up the devil's deal:
Lost were wisdom and courage so that Malaysia all could ravage
 for eating and eating again to excess, 'gainst God and nature's will -
  the very sin for which we suffer for today!

[rocha]

Enjoyed the storytelling but for me the metaphor falls short. Religion and Nationalism - what would we do without them... stop killing each other maybe.

[Datuk Seri Maharaja Dúryodhanã]

Jun 19, 2014 0:23:22 GMT -8 rocha said:

Enjoyed the storytelling but for me the metaphor falls short. Religion and Nationalism - what would we do without them... stop killing each other maybe.

Had you been in Malaysia you would soon learn that religion is big - in fact most Christians these days are not ethnic whites. I tried to explain Descartes to a Chinese Malaysian, who then thought that Descartes was some sort of god. You would also need to realise that Malaysia is also stragically located and is endowed with many great natural resources as well. While they are sufficient, they are not meant to be abused. For Malaysia, the metaphors are sufficient.
This poem was actually a social critique and isn't so much about religion or nationalism, but about that all-consuming greed which render them as little more than cliches and millstones:

"Malaysia's obesity rate highest in Asia"

Science Advisor to the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Zakri Abdul Hamid, said new findings from British medical journal, The Lancet, showed that 49% of women and 44% of men in this country were found to be obese.

What resources we have are being frittered away by our politicians and the feckless gluttons who acquiesce their misrule.

[rocha]

Maybe it was the setting but (for me) the poem seems to blame Malaysia's problems on a lack of religious discipline rather than man's own natural greed. I have been to Malaysia more than once and was not struck by the obesity of the population compared to other certain western populations (UK), however obesity is a growing problem everywhere...(excuse the pun). Greed thrives everywhere and is often actively encouraged in the west and this I agree is shameful. My country is run by idiots and yours by thieves so it seems.

[Datuk Seri Maharaja Dúryodhanã]

Jun 19, 2014 2:42:38 GMT -8 rocha said:

Maybe it was the setting but (for me) the poem seems to blame Malaysia's problems on a lack of religious discipline rather than man's own natural greed.

That is saying that man is by nature greedy, and that you are endorsing such behaviour when it has proven so destructive and inimical to progress and even unity in society. Even religion is not immune in Malaysia - the problem is that very few of us realise this.

Jun 19, 2014 2:42:38 GMT -8 rocha said:

Greed thrives everywhere and is often actively encouraged in the west and this I agree is shameful. My country is run by idiots and yours by thieves so it seems.

That is only because we acquiesce and bow to them. At least the Brazilians and Turks know better although history has shown that change comes from within, not through fads or revolutions.

[nrt]

Hi,

There are clearly two common aspects to every ones' nature that I think this poem touches on.

Because we are 'clever' enough to generate more food than we could ever eat, we get fat. This is in our nature, surviving on the edge as hunter gatherers for tens of thousands of years we developed an 'eat while you can' attitude and, because that diet was never rich in sugar and fat, our bodies cannot tell us when we have had enough of these, because there was never enough...

Then there is the side of out nature that 'tells' us to follow the people who seem to know way. Again very deep routed and easily exploited by the powerful or those possessed of too much self belief. Whole societies have been led to oblivion, or to great acts of destruction and genocide by leaders who seem to know the way. Whether they clothe themselves in history, religion, fame or a shiny coke can, we will follow them slavishly.

Only education, and the proper understanding that this can bring of ourselves and our relationship with others, can free us of the tyranny of greed and gluttony or blind faith.

I see that you have some of this in your poem; as the Malaysian, jumps from one leader to the other trying to find the one who 'knows the way' - I would only question your view point, of one looking in on this, as if from outside, because we are all guilty of this, there are no outside observers, we are all part of the same ocean.

[Datuk Seri Maharaja Dúryodhanã]

Jun 19, 2014 22:34:52 GMT -8 nrt said:

I see that you have some of this in your poem; as the Malaysian, jumps from one leader to the other trying to find the one who 'knows the way' - I would only question your view point, of one looking in on this, as if from outside, because we are all guilty of this, there are no outside observers, we are all part of the same ocean.

The problem is that in the face of all these things, Malaysians are still creatures of appetite and are bound to remain so - they have no foresight, no graces. That is why we have all the problems associated with backsliding development.

Jun 19, 2014 22:34:52 GMT -8 nrt said:

Only education, and the proper understanding that this can bring of ourselves and our relationship with others, can free us of the tyranny of greed and gluttony or blind faith.

Here is when you are wrong. For an average Malaysian, education is just a means to an end. What is that end? to indulge in life to an excess. I see no hope through education, I see no salvation in organised religion (Christianity and Islam are on the swift uptake). In fact, it is the simple-mindedness of our citizens which drives them to adopt these religions - Malaysia has long been a Muslim country, but I believe that non-Muslims in Malaysia are fast converting. When I was young, Christians were the minority among my friends but by the time I graduated a good half of them had converted to Christianity.

And, as I said, Malaysians are ruled by base greed, so recounting the whole chequered history in the development of Christian doctrine doesn't scare them. Few accounts of the Cathars, Crusades, or even the Inquisition exist in Mandarin and Tamil, much less in Dayak, Iban or Kazadandusun, so Christian missionaries are highly delighted because the terrible stories of Christianity's entire history can't be read by these heathens.

Frightening?

[jeannerené]

Read "The First Malaysian" and the following discussion. I will not add to the discussion because I do not feel I am worldly enough to do so. My travels and exposure to other cultures is very minimal, but hopefully that will change someday.

I straddle a line between atheism and agnosticism and strongly believe that we'd all be better without religion of any sort, especially organized religion. So for me, humankind has no one to answer to but ourselves ...

[Datuk Seri Maharaja Dúryodhanã]

Jun 21, 2014 22:42:36 GMT -8 jeannerené said:

Read "The First Malaysian" and the following discussion. I will not add to the discussion because I do not feel I am worldly enough to do so. My travels and exposure to other cultures is very minimal, but hopefully that will change someday.

I straddle a line between atheism and agnosticism and strongly believe that we'd all be better without religion ...

I've annotated my poem with hyperlinks which should show that the poem is not about religion, but is in fact a social critique.

To an American this seems to be like a religious poem, but for a Malaysian they know that religion isn't the real story behind it. This poem is first and foremost a political poem, not a religious one and it is not so much about impiety as it is about how pettiness, hedonism (for me, Christianity and Islam are enablers of decadence) and greed are slowly destroying my country inside out. I don't even believe in the devil to begin with, because to believe in the existence of one is to automatically believe that God is not omnipotent.

[jeannerené]

Jun 22, 2014 17:42:24 GMT -8 Datuk Seri Maharaja Dúryodhanã said:

Jun 21, 2014 22:42:36 GMT -8 jeannerené said:

Read "The First Malaysian" and the following discussion. I will not add to the discussion because I do not feel I am worldly enough to do so. My travels and exposure to other cultures is very minimal, but hopefully that will change someday.

I straddle a line between atheism and agnosticism and strongly believe that we'd all be better without religion ...

I've annotated my poem with hyperlinks which should show that the poem is not about religion, but is in fact a social critique.

To an American this seems to be like a religious poem, but for a Malaysian they know that religion isn't the real story behind it. This poem is first and foremost a political poem, not a religious one and it is not so much about impiety as it is about how pettiness, hedonism (for me, Christianity and Islam are enablers of decadence) and greed are slowly destroying my country inside out. I don't even believe in the devil to begin with, because to believe in the existence of one is to automatically believe that God is not omnipotent.

Datuk Seri Maharaja Dúryodhanã,

Sorry ... I did not make myself clear. I do not read this as a religious poem, but as you have pointed out a political poem, using religious reference to craft it. I do not believe in the devil either ... simply a creation of organized religion ... to control the masses and/or allow humankind to circumvent responsibility for its actions/inactions.