Religion has been my great intellectual curiosity for the last six years.
The person who has been most influential to how I view religion today (and I admit it is an ever-evolving process), is Professor Kwok Pui Lan. I will lay all my cards on the table and admit I have a deep aversion to religious institution.
… yet I am still a person of faith. One who deeply resonates with the Sikh tradition and a Christian of sorts.
This often put me in an awkward place with those around me as I end up being the odd one who cannot help but ask provocative questions in both groups, perhaps to understand my own world.Those of you who are curious, and live in a world of intellectual integrity know that this inquisitive process can be a lonely experience, especially when your questions are not welcome. But Professor Kwok has always made me (and I suspect other students), feel comfortable in my questioning.
Earlier today I sat with her and she said that our questions are uncomfortable, only when we try to silence them. But, our question about life arise from our contexts from which we come. When we have one way of looking at how to do things we grow afraid of how we may be stepping outta our monolithic communities. But, if we take the courage to step out of our singular or even binary ways of life, we can see the hybrid-nature of the world we live in. When you have the courage to step into that world of ideas, you will actually have something worthwhile to say to the contexts to which you are a part.
…and I just thought that was dope as hell. Hopefully you did too.