Intertwined

Different colours and textures of threads woven together - that's how I'd describe my family.

Born from an Ambonese father and a Chinese mother, married to a Moslem Javanese man - diversity has simply become a daily reality to me.

In my family you'd find different shades of skin colours - white, black and everything in between.

Different ethnicity and race - Ambonese, Chinese, Javanese, Menadonese, Balinese, you name it.

Different religions - Christian, Catholic, Moslem, Hindu. If you trace our family tree far enough, I wouldn't be surprised if you find Buddhists too.

And that's how I've come to learn a thing or two about tolerance.

Tolerance - is a value we need to demonstrate in our daily actions. When it becomes a slogan, something we merely preach about, it evaporates into thin air.

Tolerance - something I hope Darrel will absorb, given the diverse nature of our family.

Tolerance - a message we ought to pass on to our next generation.

In the hope that a decade from now violence in the name of religion, ethnicity and race will be something unheard of in this country.

After all, like every other important things in life, tolerance starts within the family. Shall we begin?