Istana Negara

March 20th, 2013

Xi'An, China

Song of the Day: Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Mood: Tired

"Prime Minister of Malaysia, Bad. Martial Arts, Good!"

Before coming to Kuala Lumpur, my thoughts of Malaysia had been solely formed by one of the best movies of all time, Zoolander. In the movie, Ben Stiller's character is brain washed so that when he is trigger by the Song "Relax" he will kill the prime minister of Malaysia to protect the clothing industry's profits.

Sources: Chud.com, hark.com

As a result, the movie was banned in Malaysia. As a cultural aside, the Prime Minister wears traditional Chinese dress, even though he is required by the constitution to be a Malay.

Istana Negara Palace

In addition to the Prime Minister, there is a mostly ceremonial Ruler, who is chosen in a cool elective monarchy system. The Council of Rulers, which is comprised of the nine rulers of the Malay states, votes to elect a new ruler of Malaysia every five years. The ruler is called the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and he gets to live in a giant palace called the Istana Negara. The new palace at Jalan Duta was constructed in 2011 for hundreds of millions of dollars (USD). (Fact check for this section: wiki)

One of my newfound Malaysian friends drove me to the palace.

View from the top of the Patronas Towers

The Council of Rulers has created a civil way for power to be shared and transferred through creating rules such as no ruler can stand for election until all the other rulers have stood for election. The current ruler is the first ruler to reign twice (his first reign was from 1970-1975, 45 years/9 terms before his re-election.

Now, the order of rulers de facto follows a set cycle so people can predict who will be the next ruler. Even though the rulers essentially receive their position, there is a lot of competition among the state rulers. They feel a need to prove that they belong to be there and that they are qualified to be the supreme ruler of Malaysia. They compete for degrees from places like Harvard and other signs to prove that they are legitimate.

Insecurity

I find it fascinating that even kings would be so insecure that they need to chase degrees. I continually realize that I could spend my whole life trying to prove my worth to other people and even then, I could still not be good enough. I always admire people who are secure enough in who they are that they don't continuously fret over how others perceive them.

I even noticed a lot of insecurity among my friends at Yale. My friends were very talented and accomplished, yet they still carried insecurity that made them wonder if they truly belonged. For example, legacies, underrepresented minorities, and athletes often feel that they have to prove that they deserve to be at Yale and they didn't take the spot of someone more qualified.

One way we can move forward is to realize that life isn't fair. Each of us has advantages that have helped enable us to succeed and prosper.

Sometimes people take this to such an extreme that they think they are only a product of their environment. As anyone in charity knows, two people from very similar backgrounds can end up quite differently. Something must be attributable to the individual. As a result we should feel some pride in our achievements.

When we accept the privileges that enable us to succeed, we develop a sense of humility that enables us to treat others with love and compassion. When we recognize our own efforts and accomplishments, we cultivate a healthy sense of pride that gives us the self-esteem to feel like we belong and we are good enough. Taken together, those two points can allow us to be highly functional and caring.

Yet, they don't address my deeper need to feel fully accepted and valued. Luckily, I have an amazing family that makes me feel loved unconditionally. Yet, more than them, I find the most confidence in my relationship with God. God knows all my faults and shortcomings and still considers me worthy of his unconditional love. He wants me as part of his family. With that confidence, I feel empowered and although I still have feelings of insecurity, the fear of failure or rejection seems much less significant.

-----

Super quick explanation of my theology:

One core tenet of Christianity is that humans are sinful. The natural consequence of sin is death so everyone deserves separation from God. Since Jesus did not sin, he did not deserve to die. However, he chose to be a personal sacrifice and take our sin upon himself so that we could be redeemed if we ask for it. Thus, anyone who accepts Jesus as their personal savior is saved. My own effort or works would never be good enough to measure up to God. But, I can have confidence that I can have a right relationship with God because of Jesus' sacrifice, which can never be undone.