On Prohibitions

On Prohibitions

“Don’t climb the wall. What if you become paralyzed ever afterwards, as my father’s friend after his fall.” So said Ann to me.

“I’m always feeling fine climbing the wall when I’m cleaning the rain-drain from fallen leaves on our neighbor’s roof before. It’s for the sake of my trees, lest they should be cut down if he complains. But ever since our daughter said it, I’m feeling guilty when I’m still climbing the wall, making one become insecure and afraid to fall.” pak Johan told his wife.

“Why harbor such negative thoughts when she cares for your well-being?” said his wife.

“There’s no prohibition to sky-diving or rock-climbing, which is far more dangerous than climbing just a wall if one acquires the necessary knowledge, training. Well, A Soek, our servant when he was about seventy years, braved going down the well in the night without a rope and ladder to save a cock that had fallen into it, while we young boys didn’t have the nerve to do so. Which is the young and which, the old?” pak Johan replied.

“Since Ann warned you not to climb up and down the stairs to recover from your rheumatism, didn’t you feel guilty when you secretly disobeyed her? But I’ll exercise you so, that you’ll not only be able to run up and down the stairs, but climb up and down Gunung Putri hill and be two hundred percent cured, if you want to. Who is having negative thoughts?” said pak Johan.

“Except to protect, safeguard others from harm, perhaps to regulate the traffic, prohibitions - don’t climb, don’t touch, don’t play in the rain, don’t do this, don’t do that - make even children behave like timid, weak old men and give birth to a feeling of guilt, transgression, misdemeanor, without any wrongdoing. Suppose our grand-child wants to play with a match box, rather than forbid, scold or beat her, I will tell her how to use it safely, what harm can be done, or just keep the matchbox out of her reach.

“Were I a teacher I’d say: ‘Go on cribbing if you can do it successfully, but when I catch you, you’ll get nil or I’ll challenge them with an open test and the students can, may look up in their books and use a computer’.

“So suppose you want to come in but I don’t want it, I just lock the door, instead of writing a ‘‘No Admittance” sign, ha, ha, ha. I can’t force, prohibit others not to desire, not to love or hate, what they do desire, do love or hate, can you?” pak Johan teased his wife.

April 1999

February 2011