Hero's Day
10 November is Hero's day in Indonesia.
Usually, it's nothing special for me. But there is this thread in social media of some people badmouthing the President for wearing a costume of heroes at wartimes. And anger suddenly bubbled up in me. It's not about defending the President. Not at all. He doesn't need me to defend him. No, it's about how they take for granted their current lives and disclaim the struggle of our heroes.
We can freely living in this country not without sacrifice. Thousands of lives, since even 300 years before independence day, have lost. And how do we express our gratitude? By badmouthing someone? Disrespecting ex-fighters? Do they realize the extent of the sacrifice our predecessors had to take to bring this country to freedom? I'm sure they do realize. They just want something to throw insults to other people. Well, in that case, don't open your mouth if nothing good comes out of it!
I feel like there is generation gap now regarding how we address or respond to heroes and their struggle. The last link to heroes for me was my late grandfather, who died 23 years ago. He was in the navy. He never told me his life in the struggle, but one gripping incident made me thinking. And imagining.
The 1998 Riot.
I was still in school then. My family kept in tune to the radio to listen to the news. They didn't send me and my brother to school. Our mother told us to stay inside the house. She locked the gate and the doors. Our father, together with the men in the neighbourhood, put barricades at every road access to our settlement. The usual businessmen with shirts and suitcases became family defenders with machetes or iron stick or knives. Anything to defend themselves and their family. In those few days, we lived in fear.
And that was only a few days. It's nothing in the eyes of war survivors.
What about wars that last for years? Hundreds of years? How do people live in continuous fear and terror? They could die anytime. That is not living. Our current lives are thanks to our predecessor's service and loyalty to this country. And it becomes our responsibility. My family and I were among the lucky ones. There are many victims of rape (mostly women of Chinese ethnicity) and looting that happened during the Riot. The case for human rights violation is still ongoing. After the Riot, I learned to be grateful for what I have today and not to give trouble to other people. That's why I really hope that people feel gratitude for being able to live in freedom. And to not take it for granted.
Being grateful is a good thing, isn't it? Happy Hero's Day, everyone! :)
Usually, it's nothing special for me. But there is this thread in social media of some people badmouthing the President for wearing a costume of heroes at wartimes. And anger suddenly bubbled up in me. It's not about defending the President. Not at all. He doesn't need me to defend him. No, it's about how they take for granted their current lives and disclaim the struggle of our heroes.
We can freely living in this country not without sacrifice. Thousands of lives, since even 300 years before independence day, have lost. And how do we express our gratitude? By badmouthing someone? Disrespecting ex-fighters? Do they realize the extent of the sacrifice our predecessors had to take to bring this country to freedom? I'm sure they do realize. They just want something to throw insults to other people. Well, in that case, don't open your mouth if nothing good comes out of it!
I feel like there is generation gap now regarding how we address or respond to heroes and their struggle. The last link to heroes for me was my late grandfather, who died 23 years ago. He was in the navy. He never told me his life in the struggle, but one gripping incident made me thinking. And imagining.
The 1998 Riot.
I was still in school then. My family kept in tune to the radio to listen to the news. They didn't send me and my brother to school. Our mother told us to stay inside the house. She locked the gate and the doors. Our father, together with the men in the neighbourhood, put barricades at every road access to our settlement. The usual businessmen with shirts and suitcases became family defenders with machetes or iron stick or knives. Anything to defend themselves and their family. In those few days, we lived in fear.
And that was only a few days. It's nothing in the eyes of war survivors.
What about wars that last for years? Hundreds of years? How do people live in continuous fear and terror? They could die anytime. That is not living. Our current lives are thanks to our predecessor's service and loyalty to this country. And it becomes our responsibility. My family and I were among the lucky ones. There are many victims of rape (mostly women of Chinese ethnicity) and looting that happened during the Riot. The case for human rights violation is still ongoing. After the Riot, I learned to be grateful for what I have today and not to give trouble to other people. That's why I really hope that people feel gratitude for being able to live in freedom. And to not take it for granted.
Being grateful is a good thing, isn't it? Happy Hero's Day, everyone! :)