Week 10 reflection

 

Week 5 deepened my understanding of Sejahtera, a holistic Malay concept of well-being embracing peace (aman), prosperity (makmur), and spiritual harmony. Unlike Western sustainability discourses fixated on environmental metrics, Sejahtera foregrounds inner harmony (kualiti hati) and ethical relations with others and nature. Prof. Kamal Hassan's lectures linked it to Tawheed (divine unity), making sustainability a spiritual imperative as Khalifah (stewardship) with accountability to God.

I was impressed by the contrast between Sejahtera and material-oriented models. For instance, the 360-degree Sejahtera model positions character (akhlak) over economic progress by itself in reaction to modern crises like greed and imbalance. This is parallel to the Falsafah Pendidikan Kebangsaan that aims to create balanced individuals toward societal harmony.

The discussion on localizing sustainability truly resonated. Sejahtera offers a culturally rooted solution such as community-led, spiritually inspired, and attuned to Malaysian contexts. It distorts top-down SDG efforts by foregrounding local values. In the future, I aim to integrate Sejahtera ideals into my group project, perhaps through initiatives promoting mindful consumption or interfaith environmentalism. This week was a reminder that true sustainability begins from cultivating inner peace to manifest outer change.