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.

The Art of Choosing

A short reflection on the movie The Dark Knight

Dark Knight teaches me what the very meaning of choosing really is. Life, as a series of choices, forces us to choose one choice among many choices. Then, one choice will lead us to another choices, one of which we have to pick once again. Choosing is, in fact, not as easy as flipping a coin and then look at what comes up, like what Harvey Dent does. Rather, it is an art of defining which choice that will do greater good, and picking it.

Through the whole story, we will see scenes of choosing done by those involved in the story: James Gordon, Harvey Dent, Batman, Joker, etc. James Gordon chooses to pretend that he is dead in order to set a trap on Joker and capture him. Dent chooses to purport himself as the Batman and be captured so that the people of Gotham will be pacified. Batman, in the end of the story chooses to the Dark Knight, a hero needed by Gotham, yet always chased. Joker, as we know, chooses to be a terror for Gotham, the evildoer and enemy. One interesting scene is when the prisoners and the people of Gotham are on boats, each group in one boat. Both groups are given choices, to blow the other boat or be blown. In the end, both choose not to blow each other. They throw the trigger away.

When we choose, we’d better be fully detached. Otherwise, our choices will be bias or even corrupted. We won’t be able to make a fair and unbiased choice. This is what happens to Joker and Harvey Dent. Joker is a person having very traumatic experience. His father was cruel to him and his mother. This painful experience forms him to be a cruel, tough, and evil guy. His choice to be the Joker, enemy of Gotham, is surely affected by his painful past. Harvey has a different story. He is onced the hero of Gotham, the White Knight. He captured many bandits in only a short time. He also put himself in Batman’s place, to be captured for the sake of Gotham’s people. He has a unique habit. When offering choices, he will flip a coin. He always wins because it is a counterfeited coin that has same sides. In this case, we could say Harvey always has a clear and discerned choice. These all change, however, after the burning set by Joker that take the life of his girlfriend, Rachel Dawes. He blames Gordon and Batman, for not saving her life. He turned to be an enemy. Coincidentally, one side of his coins is burned in that accident too. He will have to gamble, then, each time he gives choices. When Dent is not detached from that painful experience, he cannot choose with clear mind. This is actually what Joker plans for Harvey: even the best man in Gotham can fall into his side once his choice is affected by pain and sorrow.

We do have two faces, as what happens to Harvey after the burning. One is the face of evil, one of virtue. We have to choose one