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.