Solidarity for Humanity

 “Even it is just a few giving (alms), with the thirst and desire of your heart it will bring great benefits; whereas the bigger amount you give would not be useful if obtained improperly. Magnitude of benefit of a gift is not determined by its amount but the level of feasibility.”

Sarasamuscaya Sloka 184

Fossils and artefacts from the non-human civilization and civilization of human prove that the earth has gone through the ages. But Hindus have their own view on the turnover of the time. They believe that there are four ages that occur alternately as a cycle: Krta Yuga, Trta Yuga, Dwapara Yuga, and Kali Yuga (Yuga is Sanskrit word for era). They also believe that today we are walking on the age of Kali, the age where human being tend to think most about their selves, careless about others and environment. In other words, they say it as the eve of apocalypse.

I am a Hindu and I do belief in those things as well. Not solely because of my faith, but more because I have seen many things happened around me. I saw the changes of people’s way in treating the others. It is not surprising me anymore seeing a lot of violence on today breaking news. I realized that everything have changed, it is a must. But should we change for the worse just because it was written in that way? Through this essay I would like to tell you about an experience I had, that makes me sure that people could slow down the time.

Work for Change!

Since the beginning of 2010, I was involved in a social project entitled Healthy Food Healthy Living. That is a project that brings issues about healthy life style in the scope of relations with human and environmentally friendly agriculture. The centre of problem is most of Indonesian farmers still using conventional farming, which means they are using a lot of chemical substances and inorganic material. Not good for environment, bad for human itself. That was enough reasons to initiate a movement under the flag of a non-governmental organization named Vredesseilanden.

As the beginning of the project, we did a campaign trip first. The trip, which was planned on purpose of raise grant for funding our project in Indonesia, supported by an organization that gives its attention on youth empowerment named Zuiddag. The country target recommended by Zuiddag is Belgium.

 During the period October 15^th until 20^th we did presentation over the states of Belgium. The rule is simple, we roll out the problems in front of high school students, impress them, then make them sure to work for a day and donate their earning. The summit day, a day for working, we called it as WORK FOR CHANGE!. That was a big challenge for me and other eleven presenters to do presentation in hundred schools, and in front of ten thousand students. I felt more doubt because of language differences and I was afraid the students would not interest in issues we brought. Till I passed the first presentation, then the second one and I have changed my mind.

The students, they are appreciated us even we have never known before, though they understood the contents of presentation through an interpreter. The result was more than our expectation. October 21^st, ten thousand Belgian students got their own job for a day. Some are their dream job. The local government and some companies help them to get jobs: police, shop keeper, CEO of some big companies, football trainer, librarian, and even being major for a day. The greatest part of Work for Change was they fully donate every single Euro they have gotten as salary to help our project, help people from an archipelago they have never seen before.

Those Huge Words Begin with S and H

October 2010, cold weather, high wind, and that was my first trip abroad. It has been almost a year, but the moment still flash as a vivid memory sometimes. Now, I am sure about one thing. It was not about what job the students got nor the amount of money collected. It was more about the spirit they have shown up, spirit of helping.

I just added two new vocabularies in dictionary of my mind, solidarity and humanity. Solidarity is a form of universal canvas and humanity is colour spectrum that seen as simple white. As the key meet the lock. Click! Welcome to the world we are dreaming of.   

The Work for Change was change my way in facing life. We would never live alone on this globe, always there the outstretched arms to help us. Then stop thinking about the time, think about how we can fill the remaining time appropriately.

Tag: Ahmad Wahib for further reading about humanity and tolerance