Differences

Take the four of us. There's Godaya (me), the Lawyer, the Architect, and Our Fearless Leader (OFL) – four friends who met about three years ago at a project and then got pretty close. We've been through it all. People getting arrested, drunk dialing each other, ego pampering in front of mirrors, fights, make-ups, heartbreaks, break-ups, the lot. But somehow, we manage to coexist without killing each other, despite the immensely different background and beliefs we have. And by which name some of us call God.

The Lawyer is from Jaffna. The only thing the rest of us (pretend to) hate about him, is him being a vegetarian. He believes in his Gods, is a properly practicing Hindu. Plus couldn't speak a word of Sinhala till recently.

Then there is the Architect. With biceps as big as his ego (or is it the other way round?), this guy is a properly practicing Muslim who again has faith in his religion. Pseudo intellectual, he is, as opposed to the lawyer who is actually quite smart.

Then there is OFL. This big oaf has a heart to match, and practices what he calls a OFL-cized version of Christianity. He's not a literalist, but has his faith. Out of the four of us, he is the (closeted) elitisit.

And then there is me. Godaya who studied in a Goday school, born into a Buddhist family, but not practicing any religion, and has no faith in one. Completely wild, and has a weird sense of humour.
Four completely different backgrounds, four completely different people, four different beliefs, three languages.

But somehow, we manage to stick together. For someone looking for solutions to the ethnic conflict, look no further. We understand the differences, and we respect them. That's what has kept us together. Simple things like when we plan on going out, checking if there are vegetarian options, or checking if the food is Halal. We make sure that everyone will be comfortable wherever we go.

This is not to say we are not insensitive at times. There was the time when OFL and the Lawyer were at Pilawoos, and OFL was attacking a piece of chicken. He notices the Lawyer looking on and in his (not so) witty tongue blurts out "Want to convert machang?"

The day this is written is the first day of fasting for this Ramadan season. And yours truly (who is known by the Architect as a pseudo-Muslim most of the time) is fasting today. It's something I've always wanted to do, and I'm finally giving it a try. But being tagged pseudo-Muslim, according to my editor dearest, might sound offensive to someone. But I don't think so. I understand that when the Architect says it, it's out of love, and not hate.

When you look at it deeply, you can understand why we manage to live (somewhat) peacefully. Even though we disagree strongly at times on different viewpoints, the underlying principle (which is unwritten, and unspoken) is respect. Respect for your fellow human being, respect for their beliefs, respect for their customs, and respect for them as persons. Understanding that neither of us are better than the other, and that at the end of the day all of us are equal. Putting our egos aside (and those who know us will tell you that we have MASSIVE egos), and embracing (both literally and metaphorically) each other for who they are.