I'd rather be working

You know those t-shirts that say "I"d rather be [doing favorite hobby]?" Like I'd rather be sailing, be golfing, be hiking, etc.? Last night on the street I saw a Chinese-Malaysian woman wearing a shirt saying "I'd rather be working."

I think this pretty much sums up the famous work ethic of Chinese immigrants. Throughout my journey across the Chinese diaspora, I have consistently seen Chinese immigrants pull 12, 14 hour days, six to seven days a week with little complaint. Often their only complaint is that they miss China. I think many Chinese people view hard work as an act of filial piety, of loyalty towards one's family and ancestors. Even the poorest of immigrants send what little money they have to their families in China, or to construct temples and homes to pay homage to their ancestors. Sure, Chinese parents may spoil their kids -- especially their sons -- but I think this is closely related to the expectation and the responsibility of their children to pay them back, and to take care of their parents in old age (a topic worthy of a dissertation).

It's funny, going to Chinese communities, where on Sundays or other holidays all the shops are closed except the Chinese ones. For many Jewish-Americans, for instance, going to a Chinese restaurant on Christmas has become a tradition in of itself. Shops in Georgetown seem to close early, but I was noticing that the employees of one Chinese restaurant that closed after lunch simply began to work on the street stalls at night.

A mosque in Georgetown

At the end of the day today, I somehow found myself in the main mosque in Georgetown. There seem to be several small mosques around town, although given the multi-ethnic and multi-religious nature of Malaysia, none seem to dominate the town's architectural landscape as a church does in Latin America or a mosque in the Middle East. Hindu temples, Buddhist temples, Chinese ancestral temples, Anglican churches, and mosques are scattered around the town (Okay, no synagogues, but oddly enough there is a street called "Lebuh (Street) Katz").

I got into a conversation with the security guard and what appeared to be the mosque's PR guy. To make a long conversation less long, he seemed to say that Islam was very similar to Christianity and Judaism (assuming I came from a Judeo-Christian background), albeit a more pure, less adulterated religion that has avoided the corruption that comes with institutionalization and cultural adaptation . On the other hand, when the subject of gender equality came up, he admitted that what Muslim societies often practice isn't what Islam actually says. No surprises there. I did want to ask him, but didn't get the chance, why during prayer time all the women were off in a little cordoned-off room, whereas the men got to pray in the main prayer area. Separate, and certainly not equal.

I should say, though, that I am always impressed by the intense devotion of Muslims. Muslims are supposed to pray five times a day, and visitors to Muslim societies can attest to the (sometimes deafening) frequent calls to prayer, and the subsequent emptying of streets. The centrality of prayer, I think, sets Islam apart from the way most other religions are practiced.

On the subject of institutionalized religion, I remember reading something by some guy who practiced Sufism, a kind of mysticized Islam. I think the article was actually in reference to esoteric Christianity, but I'm getting off topic. The point was the guy said that mystics have always been persecuted, because they show that people don't need institutions (the Catholic church, for instance) to connect with God or higher powers.

Georgetown (snapshot)

I think I probably should have just started posting random snapshots I like when I started it. I have to a certain degree, not all the photos (or what I write about) are project related, but I have so many that I wish I had just posted without trying to come up with a justification. This sort of has to do with my next post and the fact that I go home in less than three weeks!