Blog, Politics

In the Pursuit of Prosperity

Every citizen wants to see her or his country to be a prosperous one. A country where it is cheap to attend good schools, affordable for all kind of food-goods-homes, easy to find jobs, low in criminal rates, efficient and convenient in transportation systems, low in corruption rates, easy to find justice, safe from floods or other natural disasters, easy to find places for enjoying self or with others, stable politically, strong in military power, and so forth.

We know that such a thing will not be materialized in our era, may not even in another hundred years after we are vanished. In fact history has taught us that such perfectly prosperous country would be soon destroyed either by internal or external forces. The more prosperous a country is, the closer its fate is to meet its doomsday.

Deli, Kahuripan, Kutai, Pajajaran, Majapahit, Mataram, Sriwijaya are some of the lost kingdoms in what is now Indonesia, cursed by their own glories. The same fates are with the Romans, Macedonian, Persian, Egyptian pharaohs, Aztec, Inca, Babylon, China dynasties, Indian kingdoms and many others.

Which one is better then, living in a prosperous country where everything is perfect or in a country like Indonesia, where more than 50% of its citizens are struggling to survive day by day? Unfortunately we have little room to choose. For those who have enough courage, they may move to other countries and start new lives there. It’s never been easy ones, but they take chances.

We know that there are no perfect countries, and that we need to accept and pay the price to live in there, whatever it is. Nothing is possessed without consequences. One day people may need to move to other planet to live better lives.

Countries pursue prosperities with different kind of approaches, some develop from within through people development and research activities for the advancement of science and technology, and others use colonialism and oppression approaches both in traditional and modern ways. Some use both.

Those who have stronger muscles tend to dictate the weaker ones, for their own benefits. Only few world leaders who really think and work for advancement of humankind, whoever and wherever they are.

The world has never been and will never be a perfect place for everybody. People need to fight to get their freedoms, to get justice upheld, and to get their rights back, and to be the master of their own futures.

These thoughts remind me to the famous Ramalan Jayabaya (Jayabaya Prophecies), who predicted the arrival of chaotic era that will eventually give birth to the Ratu Adil (Just King) who will then brings the country to its glories and prosperities.

Here are some of the verses:
One day when there are already carts with no horses. Besuk yen wis ana kreta tanpa turangga.
Java soil wears iron necklace. Tanah Jawa kalungan wesi.
Boat walks high in the sky. Prahu mlaku ing dhuwur awang-awang.
Rivers lose its deep pool. Kali ilang kedhunge.
Markets lose the crowds. Pasar ilang kumrandhang.
Those are the arrival signs of the era. Hiya iku pertandhane tekane zaman
The disclosure of Jayabaya prophecies is already near. Kababare jangka Jayabaya wus amrepeki.

There are many other conditions mentioned in the prophecies, which I think that many of them actually exist today, but I don’t think we are in that terrible shape that the time is come for the Ratu Adil to appear.

For those who want to learn more about Ramalan Jayabaya, there are a couple of good postings, such as at Passya's blog, Nurahmad's blog, both are in Indonesian, and at Ady Permadi's blog.

Well, instead of dreaming for the Ratu Adil to come, it will be far better to start or continue contributing anything we can to make the country be a better place to live. Prosperity starts with people's engagements and contributions, and will be finished by people greediness, and hence invest a lot on people and be careful with them.

, seorang pejalan musiman dan penyuka sejarah. Penduduk Jakarta yang sedang tinggal di Cikarang Utara. Diperbarui: July 17, 2007.

Leave comments

Type it first, then click "Login ..." or "Posting".

« Newer©2021 FollowOlder »

Treat me for a cup of coffee, or just pray for those who make your life better.