Urgensi!!!

Bulan ini, aku mendapat giliran berbelanja untuk komunitas. Maka Rabu kemarin, aku dan Yan pergi berbelanja ke Carrefour Cempaka Mas. Kami berangkat naik Transjakarta dan pulang dengan taksi karena belanjaan yang amat banyak. Untuk menuju ke arah Senen, taksi harus berputar dulu agak jauh. Jalanan macet sekali. Waktu itu sekitar jam setengah lima sore. Di suatu perempatan, karena jalanan yang amat macet itu, kami harus berhenti agak lama. Tempat itu ternyata merupakan tempat mangkalnya anak jalanan dan banci-banci. Tiba-tiba satu anak jalanan mendekati taksi kami dan mulai meminta uang.

“Oom, gopek Oom.”

Aku hanya diam. Aku sebenarnya ingin memberikan sedikit uang, entah seribu atau limangelem misalnya. Sempat juga terlintas untuk memberikan salah satu snack yang kami beli tadi. Tapi, itu di bagasi belakang. Sementara itu, si anak terus merengek di kaca mobil sampingku. ratus, tapi ini bukan uangku. Ini uang komunitas. Selain itu, aku takut kalau-kalau ada banci yang justru menyerbu ke taksi kami. Lagipula, siapa yang menjamin kalau uang yang kuberikan digunakan untuk makan, bukan untuk

“Oom, gopek Oom. Ah, Oom pelit. Pelit!”

Seorang banci lewat, menggoyang-goyang alat musiknya yang terbuat dari susunan tutup botol. Aku menolak memberi juga, dan banci itu hanya mengumpat,”K****l”, lalu pergi. Bagiku, menghadapi sikap-sikap seperti banci ini lebih mudah. Tak diberi lalu pergi. Tapi, anak ini, bagaimana aku harus bersikap. Dan, ia terus saja merengek di balik kaca. Aku hanya menatapnya tak berdaya. Aku tak tahu juga harus berbuat apa.

Oh, begini kejamkah hidup? Aku dibuat tak berdaya menghadapi kemiskinan dan kenyataan, tapi juga tawaran berbuat baik. Tawaran itu datang kini dan di sini. Tapi aku melewatkan kesempatan itu. Orang macam apa aku ini, membuat terlalu banyak alasan hanya untuk menghindarkan diri dari sikap menerima tawaran itu. Akankah nanti aku dianggap sebagai orang yang tidak mau memperhatikan Tuhan karena tidak memperhatikan yang terkecil di antaraku???

MAGiS 08: Pratice Makes Magis

From 8th to 9th of July 2008, I got the chance to accompany the participants of MAGiS 08 Jakarta on their recollection. They are from three nationalities: Germany, Taiwan, and Indonesia. Before those days, they had had an experiment by living among the marginalized in Ciliwung and Bantar Gebang, Jakarta. Upon the experiment, they were to make a reflection, in which I was asked to accompany them. I wasn’t there when they had their live-in and I haven’t been in those places too. From their sharing of experiences, however, I could imagine the lives of those people of Ciliwung and Bantar Gebang. I believe it was a great experience for them to get the chance to live with those people, to taste their bitter life and to sense the difficulties and hardness they face. Some of the participants were really shocked to find out that there are such lives in Indonesia, something they don’t find in Germany and Taiwan. In many cases, however, this kind of shock is important to help us realize our surroundings, especially regarding the life of the poor.

For the recollection, together with Br. Mario, I gave them some points from the Gospel and some questions to help them digest their experience in the light of the Gospel so that the will of God might be found. It was really edifying to listen to their sharing and reflection. With any respect, I am impressed that they went into the depth of their experience, in spite of the fact that they are young students, with all their concerns and interests. Some of the insights they got did touch me. For example, the phrase “Practice makes magis” which is a parody of an advertising line “Practice makes perfect”. These phrases attract me for it is concise and eye-catching yet very deeply meaningful. Another example is a reflection that for one of the group, the magis circle is the place where they most easily find God. That’s a wow. Never thought so before. Indeed, God is present in the companions, friends, not just in the poor.

Their reflections revive in my mind the experience of the live-ins I had before: among the villagers in Boro, Yogyakarta, with the construction workers in Palembang, with the earthquake victims in Yogyakarta, with a fisherman family in Navotas, Manila Bay, and with the indigenous in Mindanao. I feel once more the feeling I had, and recall the tremendous experience I had.

For me, the poor teaches me to be generous and to leave everything to God. It’s true that God is the only one they have. It is in that sense that I recognize the face of God in the poor. This chance of accompanying the participants of Jakarta MAGiS 08 experiment helps me to treasure more such experiences.

This is the first time for me to give a recollection. And, I’m happy to be given chance to share what I have, as someone who had a similar experiment before. I am happy too to be together with the youths from many countries, who show a zeal and eagerness to give meaning to their lives. They are men and women searching for meaning.