You're 70% conservative, 30% liberal.

You're 70% conservative, 30% liberal.

Salam u'olls,

The statement above is the result of answering few questions online through TIMES website. When I read the result, I was laughing so hard because it does reflects me a lot hehehe...

I know myself that I'm quite conservative but I'm not fully conservative. I have few issues that I'm quite liberal about it. :D

Now lets go on with the words conservative and liberal. For me these words are heavy in such a way that it is not easy to just label someone is conservative or liberal.

Is it as easy as to say that someone like me who treasure the concept of family or I am declaring myself as family-man will be label as Conservative?

Or to say someone like me who adhere and respect tradition as someone who is conservative?

Or to say someone like me who respect authority as someone who is conservative?

How about someone like me who thinks that some changes can be done and newer methods can be applied as someone who is liberal?

Or someone like me who asking the young voices to be heard as someone who is liberal?

How easy to label something that is out of our tradition to someone who is not from that tradition. There is no such dichotomy in our tradition.

We need to think more about the words that we are using. Some words are so full of historical baggage embedded to them that they have nothing to do with us. Therefore here comes the important of learning the meaning & symbols behind some key words.

Prof SM Naquib Al-Attas mentioned in his book Tinjauan Ringkas Peri Ilmu dan Pandangan Alam, “language is the instrument of the reasoning of its users.”

As language is part of our cognitive function, we must say that our chosen words are a reflective of our mind (aqal) which means it affects our worldview if we are using words that does not convey the correct meaning or haqiqah (real & truth). Thus, using a wrong term or word is absurd if you did not meticulously choose the correct word/term.

Therefore, I hope I myself will be more careful when choosing words as not to be misunderstood. I pray that I am able to speak and write clearly, real and true. Amiin!

Adios,

KA