n statistics, we teach about the normal distribution curve. Basically, any normal distribution of content can be divided into six classifications or parts; all of which are statistically significant. All six are reflected in the model below.
The four important parts which I learned about in change management theories are defined the Early Majority and the Later Majority; two standard deviations from the mean. These make up about 95 percent of the population under review. The other two are extreme ends, which make up about five percent.
These ends are the ones that are more than two standard deviations from the mean but fall within three deviations. One side of this fringe are early adopters of any “crazy idea”, while the other extreme are the laggards or the very late and very slow, if ever, adopters.
What is extremism?
Statistical extremes can be defined as either ends of the normal distribution curve. I will attempt a definition to both ends when it relates to people and communities. Human-type extremism is when, humans as actors, begin to believe that “only we are important in this world, and the views and values of others (different from us) are irrelevant and we do not need to care or know them”.
Such a philosophical position within modern community living is an extremist view. The reason is simple: if everyone follows this model of reality-perception, we will all become isolated individuals and, as the saying goes, no man is an island! All communities will break up into an ‘unholy trinity’ of I-Me-Myself.
In short, “I” becomes the centre of my universe of thinking and finally only me and my views exist as reality; all else is non-reality! Both ends are extreme positions about any topic; but, these are actually quite normal people who exist at both ends of any normal curve. They need to be re-educated to appreciate the majority and their norms.
Malay friends and Malay race
I have had Malay friends from the time I remember growing up in Sungai Petani, Kedah. I made some very good Malay friends since I was 14 years old in 1965. Many are very close friends. We are like brothers until today, 50 years later. At university, I also studied H106 – Malay Culture and Society – as a subject in my undergraduate programme at Universiti Malaya.
During the rest of my life, until today, 50 years later, I have lived, breathed and grown up with Malays and Malay culture in the workplace, and in my lived life. I have lived 30 years in a location which is a 90 percent Malay community named after our first prime minister – who is also from Kedah!
Therefore, for example, at my oldest son’s wedding dinner, I had about 30 percent Malays in the room of about 450 guests. Even our closest Malay family friends from Sungai Petani, three generations of them, made the time and journey to attend my oldest son’s wedding dinner!
What, therefore, I have observed about Malays but which I cannot still fully understand or explain is as follows:
Individual Malays will give honest and transparent views about most things when you know them well;
As a group, most Malays ‘do not usually express their real worldviews about truth matters,’but instead only repeat the common or popular narrative, if they do at all;
Some exceptions to the above are some personal friends who express themselves publicly and even dare to put the same in writing. One of them wrote the book, \’Sensitive Truths in Malaysia: A critical appraisal of the Malay Problem\’.
There are others like him, who when called upon will publicly declare their positions without fear or favour. They will come forward and help moderate any dialogue on any relevant topic of importance, without being over-sensitive;
\’OPs\’ are Royal Military College (RMC) Old Puteras or alumni of the once best school in the country; but the school is now almost totally destroyed of the agenda of “training leaders in all walks of life” for a Bangsa Malaysia by 2020.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad was once guest-of-honour at our OP Association annual dinner at the Sunway Convention Centre, when we organised the biggest-ever dinner with about 1,600 people. There, Mahathir said, “The RMC was the best experiment in multiculturalism!” I fully agree, but he was simply describing a historical past; not of his doing, and not reflective of current day reality either!
Moderation as a spiritual value
Modern danger is any kind of statistical extremes; if we cannot agree to disagree, agreeably.
On any issue or subject there can be extreme views. But, the real and present danger is when we exclude all others while we “capitalise and personalise the pronoun \’I\’ Like Descartes, we think and say: “I think, therefore I am!”
However, as Seyyed Hossein Nasr put it: Descartes was only thinking, but he moved to being-ness and that is a quantum leap in logic! He personalised the universal worldview as only that of his personal interpretation!
Moderation can nevertheless become a spiritual value, and below are 10 commitments as my contribution to a moderation philosophy!
1. Love the other; and have no equal to the capital Other.
2. Love the other, as much as you love your own.
3. Understand, appreciate, and learn to celebrate with the other.
4. Respect public space, common interests and know the common and good word.
5. Be fully responsible to self, and all selfish actions, and take full responsibility for all unintended consequences!
6. Know right and wrong in all public spaces and seek right-doing always!
7. Learn, unlearn, and relearn being rational and reasonable but not emotional at such times.
8. Reflect on all matters from sun-up to sun down and do not let emotional anger go to bed with you!
9. Avoid generalisations where possible, and never entertain any “us versus them logic”.
10. Learn to commit all emotional anger or hurt to the capital Other and learn to forgive others.
May God make all of us moderate middle Malaysians, or 3Myers!
