u/Big-Entrepreneur2748

First of all let me get the first thing straight: my country is in SHAMBLES now and I'm not here at all to say that my country is better than Malaysia. In fact in my opinion, it's THE OPPOSITE. If we're talking like overall, Malaysia is far better than Indonesia in terms of living situation, education, safety, transportation, you name it.

BUT, as the title mentioned, if I could vent here about one thing that I don't understand, if you're a Muslim, you're constantly under scrutiny of having to be a perfect Muslim. To a point where everyone acts like they're angels and prophets. Hey, don't get me wrong, many Indonesians (whatever their religion is), don't necessarily practice their faith perfectly, lots of Muslims still don't do prayers, or Christians don't go to church, etc. But we have this one thing, like an unspoken agreement, which is that 1) A religion is between a person and his/her God. 2) Faith is something that a person will have their own journey and process. We are all humans here.

A counter argument for this is usually the classic "But nothing is wrong with reminding someone." I can't disagree with that, but IDK, I feel like lotta people have been hiding behind that "I'm just reminding" excuse, that allows them to judge or to deem someone as a bad Muslim instantly if they don't do, say, or present themselves the way those people want. There are couple examples of this:

1. I just saw an influencer posting photos of herself, wearing A PROPER HIJAB OUTFIT, nothing revealing, very cool and casual. But she got people judging her that she should be in the "RIGHT" path as Muslim. I was like what??? I kept looking back at the picture and saw ZERO strain of hair, I didn't see anything revealed. She looks amazing. So what was expected from her here? I don't get it.

2. You can't eat in Ramadan month in a daylight, to a point where you can get arrested and fined??? For this one I kinda am lost for words here.

In conclusion, nationalities aside, I guess I am grateful that the way I grew up, I believe that everyone goes through their own journey. You can't judge a person and force someone to get to your level of faith. I grew up believing that my relationship with my religion, is between me and my God. And my relationship with other people, is to be kind no matter who you are, what faith do you have, or whether you currently have strong faith in your religion or not. I grew up knowing, that my journey as a Muslim, should be a journey that is healing and soothing, it can be slow sometimes but never felt forced, and that if I make a mistake, I can always come back to Him and pray.

I know lots of people who might still be struggling with their faith, yet they are the kindest, most accepting and understanding people. On contrary, I know people too, who pray all the time, claim themselves to be the MOST FAITHFUL people, but they can't accept differences in human beings, will hurt people with their words and arrogance, and judge others as if they are sinless themselves.

This is just my view. Feel free to disagree or to let me know if I might misunderstand something. Lastly, I wanna say that this is not a generalization. Meaning not all Malaysians are like that. And same goes to Indonesians.

For context, I am 25F, currently living with my parents and working in a small company with very little staff in a role that is not bad just not exactly my passion. The salary is basic (entry level) and I live in Southeast Asia. And I can safely say that our family is upper-middle class, where I would not say that we are rich rich, but thankfully everyday is enough, never have to worry about food on the table or roof on top of our heads.

The situation is: The company that I'm working at is closing down, therefore I would be unemployed in a couple months and I have no options but to start looking for jobs. And it's been so difficult to get jobs and to add to my worry, the current economy situation is so bad, gas, electricity, food, and everything is getting more and more expensive. I know that I am living with my parents currently, but I don't know if it's a first born syndrome, but for the love of god I am scared to be unemployed.

So, I have been having this big dilemma. I have two options in front of me. Option 1, there is this company, very similar with the one I'm currently working at, very small and new company, few staffs, and same field, same role for me. And let's just say the the boss has agreed to take me as one of his staffs. Option 2, is the uncertain. Meaning I don't take job in the Option 1, go to unemployment, and keep applying for jobs where in the meantime, I can do things that I really love or passionate about (doing my hobbies more as I never have enough time or energy with work before), and getting a better chance to actually be working in a role that I love and in a better company. With Option 2, everything is uncertain, just more freedom.

Some would say, that "Oh you're still young, go out there and take chances!" which I agree. But the uncertainty is making me too anxious right now. On the other hand, if I take the job in Option 1, it would be like just moving to a new company with no career advancement whatsoever, as the role and pay is gonna be similar. But, certain.

I guess if I can add more context on why I am scared to change my path, my current job is in IT. And yes, not really my passion, but I have a good understanding and enough skills to be in the industry. What my dream job is? Something that has to do with art. Specifically, photography, films, or writing (journalism). Surely, one of the most dangerous field of work to get into, am I rite?