Diversity and Its Importance
Diversity occurs in all walks of life. It is a social construct that informs our persuasions, worldview, prejudices and cultural inclinations. Diversity gets inculcated in individuals through informal settings like families, religious meetings and social interactions in the course of life. Without a proper understanding of the identity, culture, religious biases, gender, age and other aspects of diversity, it becomes challenging to coexist with such people and have meaningful interpersonal or professional relationships. This paper will elaborate my diversity journey and what has informed my dispositions particularly as Hindu growing up in Bangladesh. It will also describe how I have made deliberate changes as an adult through dropping some of the socializations and embracing new mindsets.
Hindu Culture and Religious Biases in Bangladesh
My ethnic or racial heritage is primarily defined by my Hindu culture which got embedded in my religion. In Hindu, we believe in the existence of many gods and goddesses which is different from other faiths in Bangladesh like the Islam. These gods and goddesses are worshipped in various forms which makes it difficult for other religious groups to understand our worship. Unlike most countries where color is used as the basis of racial differences, in Bangladesh, caste is seen as the race. Among the Hindus, many conflicts emanate solely on the different ranks. There are four castes with different characteristics, beliefs, and ideologies which tend to be the bond of contention. Among families in the Hindu communities, the father is seen as the head of the family given the mandate and responsibility of controlling the affairs of his family. Men are therefore the primary decision makers, and it would not be surprising for the men to make a significant decision without prior knowledge of the wife or children. Gender inequalities are still rampant among the Bangladeshi people. Notably, the family unit consisting of a male father, a female mother, and children is highly esteemed such that transgender marriages are highly condemned. Resultantly, these transgender individuals are highly prejudiced and suffer a lot in my country since they are despised, disregarded and neglected. In fact, most of the gay rights seen in the US are unheard of are inexistent among the Hindus.
Social and Economic Constructs in Bangladesh
I grew up in Bangladesh, and from my analysis, the people there are emotional, friendly, and social. However, there are prevalent conflicts that have been in existence because of political and religious differences. The worst situation is that at the moment, the elected politicians are so selfish that they are not working for the people but are seeking ways of enriching themselves. Also, the Muslim religious authorities are heightening the conflicts by increasing the religious differences between them and people of other religions like Hindu. As such, peace is treasured since there are times it is quite difficult to experience it. The socio-economic groups in Bangladesh consist the rich, upper middle class, middle class, and working class. These economic groups provide the basis of social constructs associated with prestige and honor. For instance, the wealthy and upper middle class who are seen as the cream of the society in an economic sense, are highly esteemed. Notably, most Bangladeshi people are middle class and working with the other group consisting only a small percentage. The socio-political influence that is important to the Bangladeshi people is the money factor. Those with a lot of money are highly esteemed and revered while the low-income earners looked down upon.
Religious Prejudices and Perceptions
The primary religion in Bangladesh is Islam which is about 90% followed by Hindu. Other religions like Christianity are there but by a small margin. The growth and penetration of other religious groups are slow given that the Muslims deny them the freedom they need to practice the religious rituals and activities. Additionally, the persecutions and suffering associated with Christianity are some of the things that make the religion to have fewer followers compared to Islam. Apparently, there are significant prejudices rampant among the religious groups. For example, when growing up, as Hindus, we would not welcome people of other religions in our homes. Interestingly, I also subscribed to those religious biases, and I would look at other religions as a threat and thus avoid close interaction with them. In the Hindu temple, non-Hindus are not welcome especially during the worship sessions. However, if they are interested in knowing what happens or participating in the worship session, they would be allowed in the outer courts of the temple. The reason behind this restriction is that non-Hindus would defile the sanctity of the temple which is the dwelling place of the gods and goddesses.
Personal Growth and Changing Biases
I received many messages both spoken and unspoken from those similar to me and those different from me. For example, although there are many differences between different castes and religious groups, people try to help each other, and many of them think how they can improve the society and how they can live peacefully. People who are similar to me taught me to believe in my culture and do all that is within my power to preserve my heritage. These individuals informed my biases and showed me that we are more important and better than other groups. People different from me gave me an opportunity to understand their culture, beliefs, and practices. It provided me with an opportunity to know how other groups of people are pre-disposed.
The Journey of Change
I must admit that I have changed a lot and I have chosen to modify and replace some of the biases I had embraced in my upbringing. For example, I think quite differently about people of different religious groups, races, economic classes and also gender. I believe that each individual is equal and no one should be discriminated based on these categories. Also, I consciously dropped the ideology that made me believe that my culture and race is the best, but I have come to appreciate and respect the inclinations of other groups since there is a good motivation as to why they do things the way they do.
Remaining Biases and Challenges
Although I have changed significantly in terms of the biases I have, there are some that are still there, and I am working towards changing them, but I have not yet. For instance, since I grew up seeing men as the head of the family demanding women to submissive to them, I saw that as a negative thing. Thus, I see men as controllers who want to impose their bidding on women. As such I am defensive, and that affects my interaction with them. I find myself considering my friends on the basis of their religious affiliations. In fact, when we do not agree on a matter, I tend to pin it down on their religious inclinations. It is not surprising that these biases affect how I interact with those different from me. The social constructs I was exposed to as I grew up have influenced my interaction with the opposite gender. The communication is quite guarded to those of a different gender from me. I find myself interpreting their action with the gender prejudices inculcated my cultural heritage. Additionally, most of my friends are affiliated religiously the same as I am. As much I have nothing against other religions, my interaction is not as smooth as with those of my religious groups.
Awareness and Personal Growth
While completing this assignment, what has surprised me most is how strong the biases are and the potential impact they have on the social interactions. I have also realized that dissociating myself with the negative prejudices about other groups different from mine is not a natural process. While I know and believe that all human beings are equal and should be treated as such, I have caught myself at times treating people of different gender and religious affiliation against my beliefs. I am also shocked at the realization that how one is socialized becomes a conditioned response that dictates how a person reacts in a given situation. As such, it becomes challenging to behave differently. I know that for me to be more accommodative and reduce the prejudices, I should make conscious and deliberate choices. Further, I should interrogate my persuasions and behavior and align them with what shows my appreciation for diversity and also my respect for others that are different from me.
Section II: Current Situation
