Idul Fitri

I usually don’t do Lebaran sms, new year sms, and the like. I actually hated it. Last year I did some replies though, since I thought I just need to be nice to some people. It’s networking in a way, kan? But this year I wanted to do something different. So, here’s the sms:

Idul fitri adalah juga momentum refleksi dan kehangatan. Momentum refleksi untuk belajar dari kesalahan dan rasakan kesusahan orang yang harus puasa bukan karena pilihan. Momentum menghangatkan lagi hubungan antar-manusia yang mungkin lama tak digali: saling berkunjung, berjabat tangan, dan kirim sms ini. Selamat lebaran, selamat berfleksi, dan menikmati kehangatan lebaran. Mohon maaf lahir dan batin.

Isn’t that nice? Mmhh well, it’s a long one, though. Some people who are like the original me wouldn’t like it. But I like it because it’s so original and it expresses my feeling very well about lebaran. Well, it may not be original though, it’s actually two things I reflected from my last birthday. But, indeed, moments like this for me always mean to things: a moment of reflection and learning and a moment for humane relationships. I think it’s the most significant philosophical discovery of my life! No? :-)

The discovery I think was resulted from my reflection of my past. Maybe being 32 makes me think deeper about things, too :-). Coming out from the shithole in the end of last year made me more able to appreciate many things I could not appreciate, I guess. It made my eyes more open. Adding to that maybe the fact that a couple of months ago I found my old journals, where I wrote so many interesting things, some spontaneous thoughts about life that I found during my hiking journeys and during the discussions with fellow students activists in 1998. And I was surprised that “apparently” I was so naïve in a way and at the same time so kind-hearted ;-). I can be touched so much about the school chidren playing outside the house where we stayed in Sungai Penuh in Kerinci. There was even a note about me being angry at myself when I was walking in the rain to a café in a mall with a child renting an umbrella wearing a wet t-shirt (ojek payung we call it): how can I go to a café and spend an amount of money, which he could maybe get in one day, only for one cup of coffee? All that made me able to learn about myself, think more about things I care about and things I should care about, and thus to find another factor that helps me in my continuous learning about what life actually is.

I might not want to do a long sms anymore though. It’s only a sincere wishes to some people and a way for me to share my discovery :-). I will only do nice replies to people who send me that kind on sms, since I in fact usually don’t do that.

Now, the sms lebaran of the year for me is the one from bang Ichan: “Merryl Streep, Meg Ryan, Tommy Lee Jones, Ashley Judd, Robert De Niro, Michelle Yeoh, Monica Bellucci, Al PAcino dan Ichan mengucapkan selamat hari raya Idul Fitri sembari memohon maaf lahir dan batin..”