Suara Keheningan | RP. Inosensius Ino, O.CarmUnder a bamboo hut came a man, suppressing his desire to become a hermit. His face showed nothing but a simple, almost comical expression.
He did not appear to be intelligent, let alone wise. Let's call him Ses. He sat cross-legged, surrounded by his fellow companions. Suddenly, Ses invited his friends into a moment of reflection, but what emerged was a burst of laughter.
All his friends laughed because Ses tried to talk about the philosophy of life, which was indeed real. The astonishment and humor were palpable because it was odd for Ses to speak in such a way. None of them expected that Ses could act so wise at that moment. In the midst of this serious atmosphere, Ses said: Joy comes, sorrow goes; sorrow comes, joy goes.
It was the year 2000 when this first wise remark came from Ses, a man who had rarely spoken seriously. His words were simple—yes, very simple. However, nothing spoken by anyone during that year lingered in their memories as much as the words joy, sorrow, and go.
This wordplay, reflecting the reality of human life, was profoundly real. It is not uncommon for people to find themselves in a deadlock of perspective simply because they fail to grasp the transformation of these words—joy, sorrow, and go—in life. In truth, there was wisdom in that humorous moment of 2000, a moment that was both entertaining and meaningful, and that remains relevant to life today.
Delving into the Wordplay of Joy and Sorrow
Life is colored by the word joy. In today's digital age, like has become a crucial word, eagerly awaited by many. The word like is often accompanied by share. These two words exist in the same logical circle: If you like it, you share it. However, like can also be misunderstood, just as Ses’s words above.The joy he referred to was joyfulness. Yet, like and joyfulness are clearly related in a cause-and-effect manner. When someone likes something, the recipient feels joy. This reciprocal reaction is always present in life. The Germans call like mögen or mag in its present tense, while joy is referred to as Freude.
Now, what about sorrow? No one likes sorrow, do they? Yet people always speak of the joys and sorrows of life. How many people reject the idea of sorrow in their lives? Perhaps the sorrow in question is not necessarily related to death, but rather to sadness or heartache caused by life's challenges.This interpretation is more frequently encountered in human experience than the meaning of sorrow as death or loss. This wordplay is fascinating to reflect upon. Why is it interesting?
First, humans rarely see life as a part of the wordplay that comes from within themselves, from others, or from the world around them. Within a span of 24 hours, someone might be unaware of when they engage in such wordplay. Wordplay can happen in connection with human emotions. When a person's emotions change, the words they use shift in meaning as well.
Human freedom often leads people to forget how to control their words or forget to play with words and focus on what really matters. Logically, if someone constantly talks about problems, those problems will remain and even feel closer to them. On the other hand, if one can play with words alongside their inner convictions, there will be a shift in their emotional state because the words have changed. Words are alive, and God created humans and the universe with words.
Few people realize that the direction of their life is shaped by the words they choose to use. I recall something written by David R. Hawkins: "...in this world of duality, man has been given a consciousness that can instantly detect what’s destructive—and signal it to his otherwise ignorant mind."
The Importance of Awareness When Facing Problems
Problems would never exist if humanity didn’t exist. Problems belong to humans, and it is humans who label them as such. At a certain level of consciousness, people realize that they don’t need to create problems, but why do problems arise anyway? Well, life is not only determined by oneself because of the freedom given by the Creator. On the other hand, human life is shaped by a supernatural process.
This process is often not understood by most people, which is why when problems arise, people are drawn into stress and despair. Wise individuals have written that when you ask to become a leader or a wise person, God does not grant you wisdom directly; instead, He gives you problems.
Through problems, one learns to sharpen their awareness to make choices—or in Hawkins' words, to detect what is good and what is destructive. No one grows more mature without recognizing many problems. There is no wise and great leader on this earth who hasn’t faced numerous challenges.
Calmness in facing problems, accepting everything as a realistic part of the Creator’s plan, is the pinnacle of personal maturity.
Ino, October 5, 2024.
