On Cloning

On Cloning

Science has succeeded in cloning a sheep, that’s to say give birth to its duplicate. Cloning man, create its copy will but have to wait some time.

“But what is it to me if they succeeded in cloning me, and so give birth to a younger, healthy, exactly the same me but isn’t the same me to me, while I am still suffering, sick and going to die.” So said a cancer patient.

And I imagined how happy I’d be, could I clone my mother, my dog that had died before to have them alive, young and healthy again, Yet, they are just living copies, not my mother or my former dog.

People would be prone, tend to cloning special persons such as Tyson for his strength in boxing, or some one as Einstein, Hawking for their brains, or Gandhi for his humanity, or Hemingway for his ability to write novels, or Picasso for his artistic talent.

“What about cloning a beautiful woman such as Liz Tailor, or Joan Collins.” said Si Buyung. “Or have a clone of the Bankok Durian without seeds or of a chicken laying a lot of eggs, having much flesh and almost without bones” as he remembered a boneless chicken dish.

And I saw the chickens in the desa (village) with their fine feathers, strong feet, wings, beak in order to be able to run fast, fly, fight, brood and to rear their lovely little chicks.

How sad, unlucky to be born as a clone with the purpose or to be an object for the sake of earning a lot of money, for the benefit, wishes of others. To be reared for fighting, for working, to exploit some one’s brains, talents, strength, to be slaughtered, killed to be served as food and many more with a patent right of the owner.

Only by the intervening of man, can cloning duplicate beings, creatures, favored according to our own considerations, interests, judgments, outdoing Nature’s way of creating the fittest by natural selection independently. Then some species might become extinct, while new species such as the almost boneless, weak, fat chickens that cannot fight and brood, or fruits without seeds, will replace the former.

Nature creates its creatures male and female, masculine and feminine, man and woman, to be happy together and rejoice in each other. That’s her gift in order to maintain, continue the race.

From Jayakarta, April 8, 1997

February 2011

Job Of This Age

Job Of This Age

Like a limb, a branch of a tree is cut off. But the tree doesn’t die, except it’s growing many new fresh branches out of it. Cut these new branches again and again, still many more new branches are sprouting without end.

I remember some one whose house was burned down and had lost all his possessions like in the story of Job who also lost his by catastrophe. He also crept slowly from down below and build himself a new, larger, stronger and better house than before and his business too flourished and improved.

I imagine some Job living in this age saying: “Suppose I lost my riches, my business went bankrupt and was deprived of my official duties. Why worry? Just with a little bit of extra exertion, effort, using my mind, I can rebuild, recover them again.”

Take his sight and he will say: “I will learn to see with my fingers and hearing. My inner eye is still sharp, and living in an inner world as bright as daylight I store my inner riches, which doesn’t need any room, any place, can’t be stolen, nor robbed without having to keep them in a save or in a bank.”

Make him sick and he speaks: “Thanks to my asthma, rheumatism, having an inherited proneness towards diabetes for instance, I will know what it does mean to be healthy.

To recover from these illnesses, I readily practice the physical health exercises, and unknowingly will I recover, improve my health to above the normal level. I now am doing my daily activities such as working, studying, exercising my eyes, my voice, watching TV, eating, drinking and even sleeping like something to enjoy.

When all my friends leave me, my children and even my wife, there’s still my dog. He is the last one who ever will be leaving me and that only if he has the heart to do so. Besides, even when I chase him away he still would return, though without having to take recourse to oaths of faithfulness.”

Well! Have him face a thousand and one difficulties, deceive, block, ruin him, he never loses his wits and never surrenders. Job is like that branch that was cut off and endlessly is growing many more new branches, as trodden grass that will rise and rise again.

So why worry when people (at that time) were crying anxiously: “We are facing an economic disaster, catastrophe, hyper inflation, political instability,…” Well, we‘ll say with Job who still smiles: “Why worry? The world isn’t collapsing. Why surrender?”

From Jayakarta, April 1, 1998

February 2011

Song Of MM*

Song Of MM*

Should I see myself as a fallen, sinful woman?

While I have got the honor of Adam.

Should I treat my child, his child as a child of dishonor?

While I received it as a blessing instead of a misfortune.

I don’t care of the honor for an honorable woman

Though people sing and praise me

And build me a statue

If no Adam wants me

But regards, treats me

As though empty air, a stone, a piece of wood.

*Maria Magdalene of our age

February 2011

Eve In Our Times

Eve In Our Times

Does it make a difference

Between a promise of faithfulness

In our youth or before the altar

Or unspoken in a kiss?

For you, Adam, no difference.

You wouldn’t have broken it.

But what is your promise, your oath

Even before God to me?

Though you would always stay with me

But stop loving me.

Better free you of your vows

Yet, still love me

And sing and dream of me.

Though not forever,

Though not sanctified before God

Though others would “imprison” you

Or block your way to me.

Your ring, your promise, your vow, give it to others.

But that you’re mine, as long as you love me.

February 2011

The Joy Of Being Forced

The Joy Of Being Forced

“What a joy to be forced to do what you most love, you most like. Forced to eat your favorite dish, forced to drink delicate wine, forced to go up the mountains, forced to see the undersea world, forced to hear, play music you most like, ... Without being forced would I do it gladly.” I mused. “It would gladden us when unexpected ordered, forced to do, what we really most wish.”

 

“Romeo would kiss his parents if he was, forced, ordered to marry Juliet” Opa Johan interrupted, “and what a joy, an honour when a lovely woman so loved, liked me that she forces herself so, that she couldn’t resist, do otherwise than rape and kiss me. Ha, ha.”

 

February 2011

Song Of Adam In Our Age

Song Of Adam In Our Age

So Eve granted me her warmth, her smile, her touch, her kiss, … and though not for as long as life, but just for a day, an hour, a minute or even a second, I would forgo all honor, renown, riches, and readily endure the greatest pains, miseries, and not, ever would regret. Is there a warmer, cozier couch than to sleep in her arms? Oh, God, am I so happy being Adam. Her treasures would otherwise have been in vain.

Her eyes are lovelier, brighter than the most precious stones.

Her whisper divine music.

When she comes I forget all

And I don’t care,

Whether tomorrow is Doomsday.

February 2011

Brain Gymnastics 1

Brain Gymnastics 1

I don’t know who created, devised this puzzle:

There’re three men standing in line one behind the other, A in front, B in the middle and C behind. They know that there are three white and two black hats. Each one is wearing one of these hats, but no one knows or can see his own hat.

C can see B and A wearing their hats.

B can only see A’s hat as he can’t see behind him.

A can’t see what C and B are wearing as he can’t see behind him either.

No one knows the colors of the two remaining hats that’s left.

When first C was asked what color his hat was, he answered “I don’t know.”

Then B was asked. He also said “I don’t know.”

Yet when A was asked afterwards, who couldn’t see any hat at all, he said, “I know the color of my hat.” How could he know it? Could you reveal this?

February 2011