Musing On "Skip One Lunch, Save A Life"

Musing On ”Skip One Lunch, Save a Life”

So persuaded princess Anne for collecting donations, to save, aid people starving in Somalia and Ethiop. Meaning if you just skip one lunch (your lunch) and save the money, you could save someone starving there with the money. That’s a lofty thought and so simple for getting donations rather than with getting it through N.B. well organized “hurray-hurray” celebrations as “Live Aid“ through out the world and more successful perhaps, for suffering, starving people.

By skipping one’s lunch we not only save our neighbor but also would feel what it’s like to be hungry, suffering.

In Indonesia there are still a lot of people that are poor and hungry, only not shown on TV to be noticed by the world.

Suppose a family here too skipped one lunch, no, not one lunch but just skipped one spoonful milk each, our dog or cat might share in drinking milk, without having lost almost nothing of our milk share ourselves.

If each one skips just one stick of his satai (roasted meat on a stick) our household servant would equally share in eating very delicious satai.

Skip one outing to an expensive Japanese-, Korean-, American-, Seafood- restaurant and you could present your house maid an extra big bonus on Lebaran (Moslem Feast day).

Oh, there are such a lot of things we could skip then collect, gather the money saved to help the poor, suffering people. Imagine such things to skip as an expensive live show and just see it on TV instead, skip staying in a five star hotel and stay in a country inn, Skip flying in a plane and take the train, or bus, … And what about skipping not just once but many times. Oh what a huge fund could be raised. But alas, there’s no princess Anne who would urge us, Indonesians to do so.

From Suara Pembaruan, May 11, 1991

Memories Of A Volley Ball Coach 3

Memories Of A Volley Ball Coach 3

Before the final match against the predicted champions, the sport’s teachers were asked whether they would play a three or two winning sets match. Our sport’s teacher was absent. As I’m not our sport’s teacher I suggested a three winning sets so as to have the fight as long as possible, before we would be defeated. But their sport’s teacher decided for two winning sets to make short work of us. He had a girl’s and a boys’ team playing in the final at the same time. He, all the officials were convinced that his team would be the victor. They were runner up the year before, a very tall, excellent team. We’d never won from them.

“Nothing to lose! Let them never forget what’s like to fight you, some little David.” Something like that I said to them. They can’t wait to walk, enter the hall but ran, jumped (not stepped) down into the court some 1,50 M below like hunting dogs eager for the game. Each one played as though twice as strong their normal self. And beyond our expectation we were surprised to win the first set. Yet, my boys never thought of winning but a fight as long, as best as possible.

In the second set we were far behind. It was 8 - 13 to ever win this set. Their sport’s teacher, confident to take this set, then finish us in the rubber set went away to coach his girl’s team.

Our few supporters still cheered, while my boys fought vigorously and they - it was almost impossible - slowly, steadily overtook them and won 15 -13, so winning straight sets. How the boys cheered, shouted for joy. When their sport’s teacher returned it was over. This battle was worth more than a champion’s cup, even without it. It was unbelievable, for us and the spectators and the officials. We didn’t believe we were stronger than they are though. We couldn’t ever repeat it another time. That makes it so special. Perhaps their sport’s teacher regretted his decision. Had he but decided for three winning sets, than he would still have a chance, perhaps the outcome of the match might be more probable in his favor.

We later won the overall Jakarta Championships but that’s not worth mentioning, remembering it.

May 2009

The Choir Conductor's Opening Speech

The Choir Conductor’s Opening Speech

In the little town Betlehem
The Savior was born.
In the little church Bethlehem
Diasebad, our choir was born:
Members of over half a century,
Almost uneducated musically
Sharing this little concert with you

So, remember, if something goes wrong!
We’re still so young.
Not yet a hundred years old.

May 2009

War Doesn'h End Unless The Enemy Surrenders

War Doesn’t End Unless The Enemy Surrenders

It’s not a question about “who is right” and “who is wrong” but about “who is weak” and “who is strong”. Then the land, the territory is taken and occupied by the victor. There’s no world police who is so powerful and authorized to stop a war, to prevent a war, to forbid a state to intimidate, to punish another state, to violate, to occupy another’s country. Moreover it’s almost impossible to summon a strong state before a world court of justice if there was one. It’s more probable that a strong state would take the role of a world police, world judge instead of the United Nations.

“Anyone with a little bit of common sense would have known this.” So said someone who is N.B. not a man of politics or statesman.

May 2008

Memories Of A Volley Ball Coach 2

Memories Of A Volley Ball Coach 2

Boys of a secondary school (SMPK 2), more than 30 years ago were eager to play volley. They tried to be allowed to become a member of a well known club. They were neglected, got almost no attention. That’s a way of refusing, rejecting them, since they were too short for volley ball clubs, though they were of normal length. I said, “let us set up, start a volley ball club ourselves.” I took boys of normal height of this school.

How happy they were as they regained their dignity. The volley ball training session was almost conflicting with their school hours, I said, “run immediately after school time to the sport hall - some 3 Km at about 12 o’ clock - as not to be late and you already have a warm up.”

I myself can’t play volley ball and I’m not qualified but I managed to have them play reasonably well with a short two-hour session once a week.

We almost always won during friendly games but there was one team who was runner up in the Jakarta championship the year before who always beat us. They were very tall and the predicted champions of the next season. Then to prepare for this season, I asked the sports teacher of the champion school the year before, - who were now in the senior level - to play against us. We were beaten straight sets, scored almost nothing. I thanked the teacher for willing to play with us of the lower junior level.

When we reached the semi final in the Jakarta championship. I said: “I saw your next opponent play. Don’t be worried. The real opponent, the runner up of the year before is waiting in the final.”

But this was the worst match my boys encountered. It was a team who even were smaller than ours, and seemed so weak, they even came without their sport’s teacher in poor, faded sport shirts and without sport shoes. My boys attacked and they just defended and we couldn’t “kill” them and it seemed they pressed us nearer and nearer to the edge of the abyss. We luckily won but we never felt so beaten by an opponent before. I’ve the greatest respect for that team, (public school SMPN 77) I’ll never forget. When their teacher arrived after the “battle”, he said to our sport’s teacher: “Were I here before to coach my team we would have beaten your team.” Our sport’s teacher smiled, was happy they could survive to meet the coming champions in the final.

May 2009

The Papaya

The Papaya

How sweet, refreshing was the papaya and it didn’t look beautiful. It was almost green. And I saw the plant on poor soil with its fruits so high up above hanging on a very lean stem. No one planted it there in the garden and it grew up wild. It was lucky that it was unobserved till it got big, sweet fruits. How grateful I was for its goodness.

And there was another papaya, very beautifully colored. How pleasing, what a joy to the eye, but it wasn’t savory and sweet No one planted it in the garden and it grew up. It was lucky that it was unobserved till it got those beautiful fruits, so graceful. How grateful I was for its beauty. Was it wrong of the papaya that no one liked eating it? Should this papaya tree be cut down, even were the papaya not beautifully colored?

May 2009

Extraordinary, Brave!

Extraordinary, Brave!

When I was teenager in the forties I said: “only if I could pass the higher secondary school I would be content, happy” as it seems so far away and difficult to master it. But as I passed, I just feel it’s very ordinary. In the fifties I said “if only I could get my university degree I would be proud and happy.” But as I succeeded I don’t feel it to be a very extraordinary achievement. Now, in 2009 almost every young man, young girl has passed the higher secondary school A university degree is easier to get were it within one’s purse.

But there were still higher grades, of being doctor and they seem so high and very far away, especially as I think of those who compete and pass cum laude or even summa cum laude making you feel so very small.

And I mused that perhaps that that was not very extraordinary, beyond the brains of a normal person that one certainly also could reach, achieve it, perhaps it would take a longer time, ten years, more efforts. And I would readily do it were it really of much importance to me. Besides, the knowledge wouldn’t be necessarily less, it could be even more. And I thought of the comforting TV program ‘are you smarter than a fifth grader?’ And there’s no one, no successful person yet, who could claim him-, her-self to be smarter than a fifth grader.

“Just sour grapes, ha, ha” I said, to Pak Arif.

“I also wouldn’t be tempted to compete for the sake of winning the highest degree with flying colors, even were it my favorite subject.” He said. “They certainly are extraordinary talented, they’re praised and sought after as bibit unggul (superior seed) and N.B. supported with a scholarship (‘won’, they said) for higher study with bright prospects for the future. But I never would sacrifice, sell, waste my time, energy, joy for it. It is the knowledge that is important, not the superior grades, degree. I’m happy when I still could surpass myself.

“With internet in the future, higher study is welcome, open to anyone There’s no need for competition, flying colors, high, superior grades. We love Mozart, Beethoven, Gershwin, … for their beautiful works, not whether they got a superior doctor’s degree in music. They would never compete with each other. That’s so stupid, so degrading. Besides, they would never copy each other.

“To stand on one’s own, something like incognito, anonym, without showing off one’s successes, merits, achievements, honors, testimonials, that’s brave, daring.”

“Or proclaim, uncover one’s bad, wicked, criminal behavior without having to hide oneself, that’s brave ha, ha.” Si Buyung interrupted.

“And I remember invalids, who not with a plus of a high intelligence talent but with a minus, a handicap of having no arms, still could paint with their mouth or feet and N.B. without financial support stand on their own. What do you think?” said Pak Arif.

April 2009

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