Independence and memory of the nation<\/p>\n
Thomas Hidya Tjaya
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Fifty-nine years ago on Aug. 17, 1945, Sukarno and Hatta
\nproclaimed the independence of the Republic of Indonesia. They
\ndid so on behalf of the people of the country, who had the same
\ndeep desire for freedom.<\/p>\n
Even though poorly attended, the event itself marked the
\nbeginning of this country, paving the way for the making of a
\nnation that would be free from any form of slavery, which is
\ninvariably dehumanizing. Convinced that freedom was a natural
\nright of every nation and human being, the founders of this
\ncountry urged the people to continue fighting against the return
\nof colonization in all its forms, lest they forgot the price of
\nthe freedom to stand on their own.<\/p>\n
That was almost six decades ago. How people today embrace and
\nmaintain these ideals is worth reflecting on, particularly on the
\noccasion of Independence Day. Just as any anniversary always
\nbrings us back to the original event, so the ideals of freedom
\nexpressed decades ago need some focused attention on this special
\nday.<\/p>\n
The danger for humans living in history is that with the
\npassing of time, we tend to forget where we come from, who we are
\nand where we are going. Engrossed in daily routines, we readily
\naccept what comes to us and begin to forget the ideals we should
\nbear in mind for the making of our future.<\/p>\n
The tendency toward forgetfulness is particularly dangerous
\nwhen it comes to living together as a nation. When we forget what
\nwe are actually striving for, we tend to do things to meet our
\nown short-term needs. Government officials may keep their
\nattention focused on what brings them benefit and not on what
\npeople desperately need.<\/p>\n
When the general election comes along, they will do their best
\nto secure the status quo against the efforts of other politicians
\nwho try to jump on the wagon of power. In the meantime the needs
\nof ordinary people become neglected. As a result, people of this
\ncountry practically remain shackled under a different form of
\ncolonization.<\/p>\n
The freedom fought for and paid with the sweat and blood of
\nour ancestors is at stake. The heroic struggle for the whole
\nnation has turned into a disgraceful fight for personal and
\nlimited interests. No wonder the celebration of the great event
\nhas increasingly become lackluster, for precisely the spirit that
\nonce formed and animated this nation has virtually disappeared.<\/p>\n
It is very important, therefore, to keep our memory intact, a
\nmemory that continues to remind us of our common bond and ideals
\nas a nation. Such recollection will tell us about our journey in
\nhistory and about how we have come together and realized our
\ndreams. Johann Baptist Metz, a theologian, loves to talk about
\nmemory, which he sees as intrinsically linked to our nature as
\nhistorical beings.<\/p>\n
Living in history makes full sense only when we make the best
\nuse of our memory for the shaping of our future. Metz
\nspecifically emphasizes the kind of memory that remembers not
\nonly the successful but also the destroyed, not only what has
\nbeen actualized, but also what has been lost. In our personal
\nlives we tend to recall only good things that have happened to us
\nand push away bad experiences.<\/p>\n
Likewise in political life the government tends to constantly
\nremind us of its wonderful achievements, ignoring the many
\nfailures that have affected the lives of many people: justice
\nundelivered, abuses uncorrected, laws ignored and many others.
\nSuch a tendency is the work of a bad memory.<\/p>\n
A good and healthy memory will retain both the positive and
\nnegative sides of life. Ignoring and denying negative experiences
\nwill surely result in an unbalanced personality as well as a
\ndistorted image of oneself. To avoid this, one has to come to
\nterms with the experience of negativity and eventually embrace it
\nwholeheartedly.<\/p>\n
The recognition of both achievements and failures in our own
\npersonal history is necessary if we want to live a healthy life.
\nLikewise, a healthy nation can be measured by its ability and
\naudacity to embrace its past, both the good and the bad, the
\nbeautiful and the ugly. This way we can resist the triumphalism
\nof merely the positive elements, that is, our successes and
\nachievements. For we continue to carry within us not only what
\nstill remains intact or even flourishes, but also what has been
\ndestroyed and lost.<\/p>\n
Such memories are definitely dangerous, and Metz acknowledges
\nthis. When one recalls what has gone -- lives lost, properties
\nstolen or destroyed -- one's imagination doesn't simply stay
\nthere but rather roams around trying to find an appropriate
\nresponse to it. All this may lead one to particular actions. In
\nsuch memories earlier experiences break through to the center
\npoint of one's life and reveal new and dangerous insights for the
\npresent. Such memories are dangerous because they come, as it
\nwere, with future content.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, there is no way to deal with the past other than
\nto confront it face-to-face. In fact, the ugly face of our past
\nas a nation should serve as a reminder to all of us not to repeat
\nthe same mistakes. Never again! That's how those who have learned
\nfrom the past would express it.<\/p>\n
Thus, we should not let a kind of Darwinism prevail in our
\nunderstanding of history, including the history of our nation.
\nThat is to say, we must avoid selecting only certain aspects of
\nour history and treat the selection as if it were the whole
\n(hi)story.<\/p>\n
Rather, we should look into the history of our nation in a
\nmore comprehensive way. That is where we can avail ourselves of
\nour freedom, to free ourselves from the shackles of the past.
\nJust as a free and healthy person won't be haunted by his or her
\npast, likewise this nation should not be crippled by its own
\nhistory.<\/p>\n
Having the courage to humbly examine its own history and
\ntruthfully correct its own wrongdoings is a sign of a great
\nnation. The celebration of Independence Day is definitely a
\nwonderful opportunity to look back to the origins of this nation
\nand reclaim the spirit of the founders, as well as the ideals
\nthey set for future generations. In so doing we may begin to
\nrealize how much we have failed and how daunting the nation-
\nbuilding tasks that lie before us.<\/p>\n
The writer is a lecturer at the Driyarkara School of
\nPhilosophy in Jakarta and a graduate of Fordham University.<\/p>",
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