Soul and beggar<\/p>\n
From Republika<\/p>\n
I completely disagree with the editorial on Jan. 29, 2003
\nentitled The state without soul. A soul is God's secret, created
\nby Him, the Almighty, and exists only in living things.<\/p>\n
If Singaporeans now call us "beggars", it probably means that
\nwe should not be too demanding. Anyway, what is Singapore
\ncompared to Indonesia?<\/p>\n
I have known the term "beggar" for many years now, and unless
\nI am mistaken, in the early 1960's there was a song by Tommy Sand
\ncalled Beggar from Texas. Despite its oil -- remember the movie
\nGiant with James Dean -- there seemed to be a lot of beggars on
\nthe streets of Texas, so consequently, I don't think we should
\nlook down upon ourselves if we are called "beggars".<\/p>\n
In 1973, I traveled with Christian Hoffman, a German engineer
\nfrom Mannheim, to survey the 150 KV transmission line network
\nbetween Semarang and Purwokerto in a VW Variant sedan (left-hand
\ndrive). He was at the wheel. In Tegal, he stopped and rolled down
\nthe window to ask someone for directions: "Hi, beggar, where is
\nthe direction to Purwokerto?"<\/p>\n
"This way, sir, go straight ahead. Turn right at the traffic
\nlight, drive straight," the man who had just been called "beggar"
\nanswered proudly.<\/p>\n
Hearing the word "beggar" addressed to someone on the street,
\nI felt disturbed. I asked Christian, "Why did you just call him
\n'beggar'?"<\/p>\n
He answered with a smile, "I don't know his name."<\/p>\n
I was quiet, but in my heart I said, "Shame on you!"<\/p>\n
F.NURJAHMAN, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/soul-and-beggar-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }