Musical magic

Musical magic

From Forum Keadilan

I am sure all Indonesians can sing by heart our national anthem, Indonesia Raya. But I am not so confident they are aware of its philosophical meaning.

A line from the anthem is: Bangunlah jiwanya, bangunlah badannya, untuk Indonesia Raya (develop their minds, develop their bodies, for great Indonesia).

This contains a valuable philosophy and reflects what could be termed magical power. Composer W.R. Soepratman meditated and lived an ascetic life before writing the national anthem. And it is correct that the people's mental state must be developed before their physical development.

But the reverse seems to be true in the implementation of national development. The physical has been emphasized over the spiritual, which has been neglected. The result is moral decay; corruption and illegal fees are rife today.

That is why we all need to reflect on the philosophical message in our national anthem, and translate it into a consistent pattern in our lives.

MOEGONO

Solo, Central Java