Patience behind the life of a 120-year-old woman
By Kosasih Derajat
LINGGAR JATI, West Java (JP): Most people want to live as long as possible. This hope is expressed in prayers when a baby is born, and at birthday and wedding parties. But how long do you really want to live?
The 1992 Guinness Book of Records, on page 164, lists Shigechiyo Izumi of Japan as the oldest human being: 120 years and 237 days.
But since a long, suffering life burdens others, we should also remember to pray for good health.
Kastirah, an elderly woman living in Lingga Mekar village of Kuningan Regency, West Java, has had the good fortune to experience both long years and good health. Her relatives and neighbors claim she is 120 years old.
There are no reliable sources to verify her exact date of birth. But it is evident that she can hear, see, speak and think clearly - a rare achievement in view of Indonesia's current average life expectancy of 65 years for women and 61 for men, figures which may creep up to 70 for both sexes by the year 2020 according to the Ministry of Health.
When I called on Kastirah during the Lebaran holiday in March this year she emerged from her room without requiring a cane or walker. She conversed with her guests and accompanying relatives in a solid, clear voice.
And after hearing Adzan, the call for the mid-day prayers, she excused herself and performed her prayers unassisted.
Cecep, her 30-year-old great-grandson, said that Kastirah has lived so long because of her great patience. This, he says, was especially evident when her late husband left her and married a younger woman, who was also her niece.
"When her husband took the entire harvest from the rice field to his new wife's house, and not to Kastirah's as he used to, she just said `never mind,'" Cecep related.
He recalled her words, "It was just garbage given to the young wife, while the pohaci (virtue) remains with me." Pohaci also refers to the goddess of wealth.
Kastirah claims to have once been a victim of black magic.
"I vomited blood after I refused to lend money to a neighbor," she recalled.
To ward off the magic, she said, "I didn't sleep a single night for three months. I sat outside the house when night fell."
Kastirah also has a traditional recipe to keep her eyes in good condition. She drops the juice of a green leaf called korejat into her eyes whenever she feels her sight failing. Korejat refers to the reflex when eyes react to pain. This occurs because the solution initially stings when it is dropped into the eye.
Kastirah may not be around for much longer, but her relatives don't consider her a burden. She is able to take care of herself and consumes less food than other members of the family.