The wisdom of traditional workers<\/p>\n
Profesi Wong Cilik: Spiritualisme Pekerja Tradisional di Java
\n(The Little Man's Profession: Spiritualism of Traditional Workers
\nin Java); By Iman Budhi Santoso; Yayasan Untuk Indonesia, Yogyakarta,
\n1999; 274 pages.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Have you ever imagined the work of a graveyard
\ncaretaker or a circumciser? How much do court servants, coconut
\ntree climbers or turtledove baiters earn? How do jamu (herbal
\nmedicine) vendors, roadside barbers, well diggers or blacksmiths
\nmake a living?<\/p>\n
The above jobs are traditional occupations in the Javanese
\ncommunity. We may not know or care about them. We may never have
\nthought about their existence. It is logical. They can be found
\nonly in villages, or in peripheral urban areas, far from the
\nattention and view of people leading a \"modern\" lifestyle. If
\nthey are visible they are often seen as part of an exotic life.<\/p>\n
This book describes 18 traditional professions. Apart from the
\nabove-mentioned there are the traditional midwives, tea pickers,
\npedicab drivers, wood sawyers, market porters, slaughterhouse
\nbutchers, household servants, mountain guides and retired
\nsoldiers. Iman Budhi Santoso, the author, is known as a
\nYogyakarta-based poet who likes to go on roving journeys. He once
\nworked as a plantation supervisor, moving from one area to
\nanother. His experiences since the late 1960s constitute the main
\npart of this book. He witnessed and felt the life of traditional
\nworkers. He talked and lived with them.<\/p>\n
Apart from knowing their world, what lesson can we learn from
\nthese traditional workers?<\/p>\n
First, although all the activities are classified as work, it
\nis not mere commerce and business. The greater part of it is
\ndedication. Many among the traditional midwives are guided by the
\nurge to help mothers give birth. Whatever time they are called
\naway they are ready to help. Dedication to humankind is the main
\nthing for these women. Most of them do not know work hours or
\nholidays.<\/p>\n
Second, the midwives, the circumcisers, the masseurs and the
\ncoconut pickers mostly have no fixed rates. It is up to the
\ncustomer.<\/p>\n
Third, these traditional workers are imbued with the principle
\nof work distribution. A worker plowing the rice field will
\ndecline an offer to climb a coconut tree although he is
\nunemployed and capable of doing it. They do not want to take
\nsomeone else's livelihood.<\/p>\n
Fourth, there is a kind of professional ethic in their
\ncircles. The traditional midwives, for instance, refuse
\nabortions, be it the result of illicit love, an abundance of
\nchildren or whatever.<\/p>\n
Their work philosophy, full of the humanitarian, is the
\nspiritual and religious meaning of their work. They see their
\nskills not as theirs but as God-given. God makes use of them as
\nintermediaries to light the candle of love and mutual help, not
\nto vie with and beat one another.<\/p>\n
It is on account of this that some among the traditional
\nworkers carry out their work as part of their spiritual conduct.
\nThere are many abstinences and preconditions they must adhere to
\nin the context of their beliefs. A turtledove baiter releases one
\nof his favorite turtledoves every year. It is to inform the world
\nof turtledoves beyond that he does his work just to make a
\nliving. He does not intentionally imprison the birds to torture
\nthem their whole lives.<\/p>\n
The same spiritualism can be found with the caretaker of a
\ngraveyard. He is not just a guardian of graves and remains, but
\nhe is a middleman for people to communicate with the souls of
\nancestors in the invisible world. Therefore, he must pass through
\nseveral spiritual roles to arrive there. A blacksmith does not
\nwant to forge weapons. It is the task of a craftsman. A
\nblacksmith cannot prevent arms from being used for evil purposes.<\/p>\n
The author was apparently lucky to see, observe and talk with
\nthese traditional workers. They were often religious and had a
\nstrong sense of humanism. His descriptions are sometimes very
\nidealistic. Readers with different experiences may detect some
\nnostalgia in descriptions of former conditions.<\/p>\n
Now, a great many of those professions have undergone a
\nsubstantial transformation. Some have become commercial. Must the
\ncircumcisers and the midwives not have certificates? A renowned
\nmasseur may have no fixed rates, but many people know what the
\nminimum fee is.<\/p>\n
Barbers are increasingly marginalized by the technology of
\nbeauty parlors. This is implicitly admitted by the writer by his
\nfrequent use of the adjective \"still pure\" for the traditional
\nworkers.<\/p>\n
It is also no coincidence that the majority of people in
\ntraditional professions are low-ranking workers. Although they
\nare rich spiritually, economically they are clearly below
\naverage. This is apparently a problem too. A traditional worker
\nis clearly a little worker, a little man. But are all little
\nworkers traditional workers in the sense that they are totally
\nimbued with spiritual conduct? Does a retired soldier also have a
\nprofession? These are disturbing matters in this small book.<\/p>\n
Apart from those considerations, this book is very
\ninteresting. It is a kaleidoscope of life in which old values,
\nsolidarity, tolerance and mutual consideration are pushed aside
\nby new values full of business calculations of profit and loss.
\nIt gives a great number of illustrations and mirrors for us who
\ncontinue to fight in the hectic market competition. That is if we
\nare willing to read them and reflect on them.<\/p>\n
-- Hairus Salim HS<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-wisdom-of-traditional-workers-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }