Feeling Good. Feeling Bad

Feeling Good, Feeling Bad

Done badly, behave badly, think badly is contagious. It makes me feeling bad, forcing me to think badly about that person. Done well, well thought is also contagious. That person makes me feeling good and happy as when I sing, remember that beautiful German folk-song of Robert Stolz: ‘Auf der Heide bluh’n die letzten Rosen’. Ha, ha. So said the Choir Conductor to me.

January 2011

My Visitor

My Visitor
There were no beautiful views of mountains, landscapes, lakes or rivers. Yet, on that very spot where I was seated, there was a wonderful wood before me with very strange beautiful ferns, bushes and trees, so fresh and green. with inhabitants and creatures. I was in a charming rustic village. I saw, met the lovely village maiden in pink, so tiny, so pure, so tender, so lovely, so modest, others are in white or blue. I opened my parcel and spread it out on the ground. What a joy to see this wonder, this village while enjoying my picnic.

Then came a dark, joyful, daring big fellow, sniffed the air. Welcome to this feast I said. Seeing a very rich feast before him, he tasted, climbed up, inspected the dishes and exited and joyously carried he a heavy, big lump of food without asking for permission, stumbling back into the woods, without saying goodbye and thank you, excited, so happy to share this welcome prize with his brothers and sisters. Thank you Mr. Ant to visit me and for sharing my food with you.

How grateful and happy I was for having seen, visited this charming world on a little plot of earth before my feet, my eyes. Just weeds, says someone.

January 2011

Cancelled To Becoming Rich

Cancelled to Becoming Rich

“Dad, have you got “Dibawah Bendera Revolusi” (Writings, speeches of the late President Soekarno)?” so Boy asked. It was advertised and priced US $ 4.000.- in the internet for both books. I can place it in the internet.”

“Well do it.” said Opa Johan. “ How nice it would be if it could be sold that much. Calculated at a rate of Rp. 13.000.- a dollar, we would have Rp. 52.million. We suddenly would become rich.” He said to his wife.

“Four hundred dollars for Boy’s efforts, two hundred for An and two hundred for you to repay my moral debt. Ha, ha, ha”. teasing his wife.

“Then have the remaining on deposit with an interest rate of 48% a month. Every month we would earn about Rp. 1,4 million after tax without doing anything. Then send a draft of Rp. 600 thousand to aunt Nora who’s now 80 years living in Palembang. And if necessary, we could provide the woman vagrant with a sum to start a little business. Wow, a common government official doesn’t even get a salary of Rp. 1,4 million. Moreover as I think of those who are fired because of mass unemployment.”

“What, if the books invite a robber in disguise of a buyer as though eager to buy the books?” his daughter in-law warned

After a week, Boy said: “It’s just that the books are supposed to be worth such a lot, so many adds are in the papers (for weeks), in fact there’s no one who would buy them.”

“So, I’m cancelled to becoming rich.,” said Opa Johan to his wife.
It doesn’t matter though, as we don’t become poorer.” His wife comforted.

“Except to becoming richer in grey hair and an increase in years. Ha, ha, ha.”

I then remembered the Dutch saying: ”Zich blij maken met een dode mus.” Don’t gladden yourself with something, hopes which turns out just to be a dead sparrow, an empty dream.

From Bisnis Indonesia, August 21, 1998

January 2011

A Wise Trainer

A Wise Trainer

“Is it O.K. if one exercises regularly every morning to keep one fit and healthy?” asked a member to his trainer at the Monas Square Park.

“Certainly not.” he said. “Suppose one exercises regularly and in the right, required manner, even using the newest, best equipment, when one doesn’t eat regularly and haven’t got sufficient nutrition, or eat too much fat, or suffer from lack of sleep,… the benefits would be wasted. We have to observe all our daily activities with care if we want the health benefits of regular exercise. If we neglect one or some of them, our efforts would be in vain.

“Thank you,” I said in my heart. What a wise man. In fact he told this invaluable advise to his member. I didn’t know them, yet I indirectly profited from this conversation, how to keep one, myself, fit and healthy.

So many fine, invaluable thoughts, do we hear, as “pearls”, we did not expect we could pick them up so easily without any effort, any payment, instead of having to find them on display in a bookstore and pay a high price for the book.

Upik asked, “do you mean people would be more confident after reading it in a big book, very difficult to understand, rather than by having them just as clear and easy by listening to someone talking?”

I picked it up just by “reading” all what affect, happen around me, us. Not just by reading a lot of books. They are not spoken about at school, at the university or seminar. Sure, I don’t earn money by having such an occupation, yet it’s worth a lot more than mere money, or food. They’re my riches.

A very engaging pastime, except, when you have a hobby like this, people would think that you are lazy, loafing, idle, poor, while the reverse, opposite is true, ha-ha, ha, as Pak Arif told me this.

From Suara Karya, 31 Oktober 1997

January 2011

Enlightened Whisperings

Enlightened Whisperings

Isn’t it strange how people chase away a mouse the minute they see it, as if it were an enemy, thief or a plague? But the mouse in Walt Disney’s eyes was a friendly, human creature.

Pak Arif said the same thing. In the eyes of a gardener or farmer, weeds obstruct garden views, damage roads and stunt growth. In their eyes, weeds should be destroyed.

Delicate beauty

But if people would only look a little closer, the Almighty would pry his eyes open. He will heal the blind and make them see. He will drive away ignorance. He will bless dull-witted persons with brilliant minds. He will chase away arrogance. He will make them see a beautiful garden with flowers, stems and leaves.

From Jayakarta, the Jakarta Post, January 21, 1997

January 2011

Brain Gymnastics 2

Brain Gymnastics 2

Some villagers were to visit another village. So the story runs. On their way, the road divided into two roads. There were two brothers who knew the true road. One brother always told the truth, the other always told a lie. Only one question may be asked to only one of them. The villagers couldn’t decide which road was the road to be taken. So they returned and asked Abu Nawas for help.

On the same spot again, Abu Nawas questioned one of the twin brothers. After hearing his answer Abu Nawas then was assured which road was the right one.

“How could you know this?” the people asked him.
“Well, that’s easy.”

Can you guess what he asked to know which road is the road that should be taken?

This was what Abu Nawas asked:
“What would your brother tell me whether this road is the true road?” Suppose it was the truth teller - if this is the true road – he would say:“my brother (the lier) would say ‘this is the wrong road’.” Than that is the right road since his brother always lied.
Suppose it was the lier instead who answered, he would also say “my brother –the truth teller - would say ‘that is the wrong road’.” As he always lies. Then again, this is the true road, not the other.

So that certainly must be the true road.

If the answer was: “Yes, this is the true road.” Then the true road is not this road, it must be the other one.

January 2011

On Teachers

On Teachers

”Push the pedal accelerator to two.” Her brother scolded. What does he mean by “two”? Her instructor at the school for driving didn’t taught, told her that. Confused, nervous, she started again. The car rolled slowly forward, then, “greg” ran over the wheel of a bike which was parked at the road-side and she had to pay Rp.50.000.- for the damage. Her brother’s face was furious, angry and seems to say “how stupid”. Yes, sure, that’s the way how to teach a beginner from “being able” into “being unable”, killing one’s confidence and ardor. He forgot, that he too was just as stupid as she is now when he started to learn driving a car.

Dorna is another kind of teacher, master.
When he saw how well Harjuna fought with him during the Bharata-yudha war, he enjoyed the fight. Dorna rejoiced, is happy and proud of his favorite pupil, for, perceiving his excellence, brilliance in the martial art, his own excellence, brilliance is reflected.

Two old women choir singers failed the test to become a church choir singer. Their choir leader was so sorry for them. Oh, how difficult it was to teach them the most elementary, easy things as do, re mi and beat time, as difficult as teaching a dolphin play in a circus.

How happy they were as at last they succeeded to pass the test and not because of being pitied. But it was the choir leader who was happier and proud, for, he feels, it was he himself who was being tested and had success in teaching the slowest, least talented singers to become able to sing. Though he well knows that by stricter audition he would have a better choir.

“When someone fails, fails and fails again, perhaps the teacher is unable to make his students capable. Who can pride himself in teaching a clever, most talented person?. Mozart was even better than his teachers.” he said.

Then isn’t it great, when a teacher doesn’t fear to impart all his knowledge, ability to his students, or to be surpassed? What about a teacher who never taught as though he were a teacher?

From Berita Buana, 15 April 1993

January 2011