Short story must teach strong morals

Sunday's (Nov. 16, 1998) short story entitled "For the sake of rice" in The Jakarta Post was quite painful and yet touching to read.

It portrayed how low a man may stoop when his life is driven by the pangs of hunger and poverty. He prefers to ignore and forsake his basic and foremost duty, as the head of the family, to protect and care for his near and dear ones, irrespective of the circumstances.

He is propelled purely by selfish motives. Even an animal with only five senses tends to care for his offspring before it thinks of itself. Hence, seeking a solution of convenience, knowing full well that it is against the established standards of morality is simply deplorable. Meekly surrendering to the problems, however serious they may be, is really a pitiable thing to do.

The information media have a very vast reach and hence have a tremendous impact on their consumers. People tend to believe what they see, hear and read. That is, the media like newspapers and TV, having an image-forming potential, possess the ability to make or mar the value systems of society. In addition, they can even send wrong signals about a society to the outside world.

As an expatriate and a well wisher, staying in this lovable country amid its hospitable people for the last several years, I have never found the people of Indonesia devoid of decent moral values.

A story, however realistic its theme may be, should never tempt the readers to settle for an easy, yet despicable, solution to their social problems.

Inspiring the people to stand up and face the difficult realities of life is the need of the hour. A story depicting the "never say die" human spirit of fighting against all odds would have been more welcome and timely under the circumstances prevailing in the country.

M. VISWANATHAN

Karawang, West Java