Victory over one's self

Victory over one's self

Beyond the rituals of prayers, alms giving, feasts and
greetings, tomorrow's Idul Fitri is a day of victory for Moslems
who have fasted the past 30 days of the Ramadhan month. It is a
victory over one's self and considering that our biggest enemies
come from within, rather than from outside ourselves, there is
every reason for Moslems to celebrate this victorious day.

Ramadhan is about restraint, the exercise of self-control.
Refraining from eating, drinking and abstinence from the
pleasures of life, between dawn and dusk, has not been difficult
for most people to observe. Many of us now work in airconditioned
offices, some drive (or are being driven) within the comforts of
airconditioned cars, and our work often keeps our thoughts away
from hunger or discomfort.

But keeping one's emotion, temperament and anger -- and all
the other enemies within us -- for a whole month has not been
easy. This is why during Ramadhan we were told to say additional
prayers and praise our Creator even more. Bringing one's self
closer to God is the best way to survive the rigors of our daily
activities without losing our self-control, especially with all
the temptations.

Tomorrow, on Idul Fitri, another important religious ritual
will be observed: that of seeking forgiveness and giving
forgiveness to others. We do this first with those within our own
family, and then extend forgiveness to friends, neighbors,
colleagues at work, and our adversaries. If Ramadhan has taught
us to come to terms with the enemies within ourselves, then it
should not be difficult for us to reach out to those whom we
consider enemies. The ritual also stresses seeking forgiveness
first before someone comes and asks us.

This brings us to the next point. This year's Ramadhan in
Indonesia has been marked by the absence of differences among
Moslem leaders on when Ramadhan began and ended, an issue which
in the past often caused confusion among the faithful. The exodus
of people from cities to their home villages has also been
remarkably more orderly -- thanks to better management and
coordination -- in spite of the increase in the number of people
flocking home. But in the life of our nation, Ramadhan has not
been free from dark spots. Looking back over the past 12 months,
we can find many incidents that have tainted the life of our
nation. Many, if not all, of these could have been avoided had
everyone lived up to the spirits of Ramadhan and Idul Fitri by
showing self-restraint, and seeking and giving forgiveness.

As Ramadhan ends today and as we celebrate Idul Fitri
victoriously tomorrow, we should make a commitment that the
spirits will live on with us, to take us through the next 12
months.