I really don’t know if I’m at the right position to write this down. But the news on what happened in Indonesia lately is really starting to piss me off. Indonesia is slowly turning into a chaotic country, where the differences between people that has been the characteristic of Indonesia, that had always being drilled into every individual’s head since the first time they step on school, that Bhineka Tunggal Ika, were just gone. I have the rights to criticize every parties, because I am the product of the Bhineka Tunggal Ika myself.
I keep on asking, what to become of you, Indonesia?
I remember when I was around 10, elementary school. My teacher kept on telling me, in social science, religion study, ethic and moral education, even history, that Indonesia is a country based on Democracy. That every person has the same rights, the same responsibility. Oh trust me, it all written in the Basic Regulation year 1945, the mother of all regulation in Indonesia. We even have Pancasila, which to be honest, I think 90% of most adult, running their own shows in the country do not remember any of its’ five beautiful points.
Indonesia was pretty good back then. We were peaceful. Well, at least looked like we were peaceful. We do have a dictator-kind-of-president. I remembered my dad told me that the president remind the same since he was born and I thought it was pretty normal for a man to become a president that long. Well, at least in my head, things were lots better back then.
I was born in a multicultural family. My dad is Javanese and off course he’s Muslim. My mom is Chinese, she’s Catholic. My grandparents from my mom were Buddhist and her brothers were Christian and the other had no religion (he was practicing some voodoo lalala thingie). My mom and dad had an interfaith, interracial married, which like most of interracial married back in the 80’s, were being mocked and rejected by most people, including my grandparents. But they did not give up hope. My dad was trying to proof to my mom’s parents that he could make my mom happy. He had decent job, bought a house, made the furniture himself (thought I do have to admit he had no sense of style at all). My mom was contacting the “Father” in church because she really wanted to get married there. Finally, they were married in both church and KUA. My dad got to taste ‘bread’ and ‘wine’ of the church and my mom got ‘mas kawin seperangkat alat sholat’ – which is very pretty (off course she never took it out from the box). The ice melted when I was born. Me. The cute little baby.
My mom and dad had an agreement over their child religion. If the baby was a boy, he’ll follow my dad’s religion, if the baby was girl, my mom took the responsibility over. Off course, being a girl, I went to church every Sunday with my mom (or else she would cut my pocket money). However, being all curious small me, I preferred to be a ping pong ball. I was (and still am) curious of all religion existed in the world. I went to catholic school in the morning, took a Muslim praying class (ngaji) and learned to do the prayer (sholat) from my dad by night – I managed to pass Iqro 2! I went to Buddhist temple and read most of my grandma and uncle book over their way of life. I do have to admit, I enjoyed it and it has shaped me in a way, I become the possibly liberal girl you’ve ever known concerning religion.
I read bible and Quran at the same time. Comparing them side by side and open a discussion over religion with whoever wants to discussed it with me (mostly my dad and my uncle from my dad’s side). I think I know some of Muslim basic rules, more than a Muslim themselves – like why you have to wear loose clothes and headscarf, and there are both religion and scientific reason behind it. Why Muslims are not allowed to eat pig, and I just can’t stop eating them even though there’s a line in the bible telling all catholic who concern enough to read not to eat it either. And about an act of Muslims that I condemned so much, Polygamy – stop telling me that because of Muhammad S.W.A conducted it, then YOU, prophet wannabe also allowed to do that as well. First of all, human CANNOT be fair, especially if it related to things under your belly. Second of all, look who he’d married and do correlate it with the situation back then? Got my point? Ups… getting shifted. Sorry.
Anyway, what I want to say from my essay above is why do lately, people just couldn’t get along with one another, especially in term of religions and race? Why do people kill for God? He does not teach you to kill. He teaches you love. He teaches me love. But the point is… all religion teach you the same. LOVE. GOOD DEEDS. FORGIVENESS. Why do things like church banned, killing over other religion, burned stuff, happened? I know you try to defend your religion, but isn’t religion the connection between you and the highest being?
Do we really want to make him sad by doing things He does not want us to do? Do we really have the rights to tell people what to believe and how they want to believe? Are we all perfect enough to kill for God? He’s the one who give us life; he’s the one who can take it as well. He does not need us to fight for Him. He just wants us to do what he taught us, LOVE for others.
