Pemerintah (Terjemahan Bebas) Oleh Frederic Bastiat

Saya berharap ada seseorang yang mau memberi hadiah untuk sebuah definisi yang baik, sederhana dan pintar untuk kata “pemerintah”.

Sungguh sebuah sumbangsih yang begitu besar bagi masyarakat.

Pemerintah! Apakah dia? Dimanakah dia? Apa yang dilakukannya? Apa yang seharusnya dia lakukan? Yang kita tahu hanyalah bahwa dia adalah pribadi yang misterius, pribadi yang paling banyak dituntut, yang paling disiksa, yang paling kelabakan, yang paling dipuja, yang paling sering dituduh, pribadi yang paling sering dimintai, lebih dari pribadi manapun di dunia.

Saya tidak berkenan mengenal siapa pembaca saya tetapi saya berani bertaruh sepuluh banding satu, jika dia sedang ingin menciptakan surga, dia pasti berpaling pada pemerintah untuk mewujudkannya.

Dan jika pembaca adalah seorang wanita; saya yakin dia sangat ingin agar semua keburukan kesengsaraan manusia disembuhkan, dan dia berpikir hal ini akan dengan sangat gampang dilakukan, jika pemerintah menanganinya.

Tetapi sayangnya! Pribadi yang sial ini, sebagaimana Figaro, tidak tahu harus mendengar yang mana, atau berpaling kemana. Ratusan ribu mulut pewarta dan suara dari berbagai podium berteriak secara bersamaan-

“Himpunkanlah buruh dan pekerja”

“Lawanlah kesombongan dan sikap tirani para kapitalis”

“Buatlah penelitian tentang kotoran dan telur”

“Sediakanlah rel kereta keseluruh pelosok negeri”

“Airilah seluruh dataran”

“Tanamilah setiap bukit”

“Ciptakanlah kebun percontohan”

“Dirikanlah bengkel umum”

“Didiklah anak-anak”

“Latihlah orang muda”

“Bantulah yang lanjut usia”

“Kirimlah penduduk kota ke pedesaan”

“Samakan pendapatan setiap usaha”

“Pinjamkanlah uang tanpa bunga bagi siapa yang ingin meminjam”

“Angkatlah yang tertindas dimana saja”

“Kembangkan dan sempurnakanlah kuda tunggangan”

“Sokonglah kesenian, dan dukunglah musisi, pelukis dan asitek”

“Lindungilah perdagangan dalam negeri, dan ciptakanlah armada perdagangan”

“Temukanlah kebenaran, dan tanamlah benih akal sehat di kepala kami. Misi pemeirintah adalah mencerahkan, membangun, mengembangkan, melindungi, kesucian jiwa para penduduk.”

“Sedikitlah bersabar, saudara-saudara” kata pemerintah dalam nada yang memelas. “Aku akan melakukan apa saja yang memuaskanmu, tetapi untuk hal itu aku membutuhkan sumber daya. Aku telah menyiapkan perencanaan untuk lima atau enam pajak yang baru, dan tidak semuanya opresif. Engkau akan lihat bagaimana rakyat akan dengan senang hati membayarnya.”

Kemudian munculah seruan itu. “Tentu saja Tidak! Dimana nilai kebaikan dalam melakukan sesuatu dengan sumber daya? Kenapa? Hal tersebut tidak layak mendapat nama “Pemerintah”! Karena engkau membuat pajak baru, kami memberhentikan pajak yang lama. Kamu harus menghentikan;

“Pajak tembakau”

“Pajak minuman keras”

“Pajak atas surat”

“Bea dan Cukai”

“Pajak paten”

Di tengah huru hara ini, sekarang negara ini telah lagi dan lagi berganti pemerintahan, karena tidak mampu memenuhi semua yang diminta darinya, Aku ingin saat ini menunjukan sebuah kontradiksi. Tetapi apalah aku ini, bukankah sebaiknya aku menyimpan hasil pengamatanku ini bagi diriku sendiri!

Aku telah kehilangan karakterku selamanya! Aku telah dilihat sebagai seorang manusia tanpa hati dan tanpa perasaan-seorang filsuf yang kering, seorang individualis, seorang plebian, seorang borjuis, dalam satu kata, seorang ekonom praktis. Tetapi maafkan aku, seorang penulis yang baik, yang tidak akan berhenti mengatakan apapun, bahkan untuk sebuah kontradiksi. Bila aku salah, tanpa keraguan, aku dengan rela untuk menarik kata-kataku. Aku akan senang jika kamu telah menemukan sebuah makhluk yang begitu pengasih dan tak kenal lelah, yang disebut pemerintah, yang punya roti untuk setiap mulut, kerja untuk setiap tangan, modal untuk setiap usaha, dana untuk setiap proyek, minyak untuk setiap luka, obat untuk setiap penderitaan, nasihat untuk setiap kesusahan, solusi untuk setiap kerajuan, kebenaran untuk setiap orang pintar, diversi bagi mereka yang menginginkannya, memuaskan setiap keingin tahuan, koreksi untuk setiap kesalahan, membebaskan kita dari kebutuhan akan pertimbangan, kebijaksanaan, pengalaman, keteraturan, cobaan, pandangan jangka panjang, dan aktivitas.

Bukankah akan luar biasa jika kita menemukan definisi dari makhluk yang luar biasa ini. Oleh karena itu adalah hal yang luar biasa jika seseorang bisa memberi hadiah bagi siapa saja yang bisa memberi pengertian apa itu pemerintah dan apa yang harus mereka lakukan. Tetapi saya yakin sampai saat ini pengertian yang benar itu belum ditemukan karena lagi dan lagi pemerintah digulingkan oleh rakyatnya justru karena dia tidak mampu memenuhi tugasnya, yang dicapai justru sebaliknya.

Aku takut malah sebenarnya dalam hal ini, kita sedang berada dalam ilusi paling aneh yang pernah terjadi dalam pikiran manusia.

Manusia dikutuk untuk selalu menghadapi masalah, untuk memenuhi kebutuhannya. Ada dua cara memenuhi kebutuhan ini. Pertama adalah dengan memuaskan kebutuhannya oleh hasil kerja orang lain. Memenuhi kesenangan pribadi dengan kerja keras orang lain. Inilah asal mula perbudakan, dan penjarahan. Perbudakan telah berakhri, puji Tuhan. Tetapi satu lagi yang masih tetap ada, kecenderungan kita untuk hidup nyaman dan melempar masalah ke orang lain. Hal ini tetap ada dengan sebuah bentuk baru yang menyedihkan yang menunjukan dirinya dalam kehidupan bersama kita. Sang penindas tidak lagi bertindak memaksakan kekuasaannya secara langsung terhadap korbannya. Sang tirani dan sang korban tetap ada, tetapi ada satu pribadi perantara yang muncul diantaranya, yang adalah pemerintah, yang adalah hukum itu sendiri.

Oleh karena itu kita semua menaruh klaim kita dalam satu alasan bohong dan mengaplikasikannya untuk pemerintah. Kita katakan padanya, “Aku tidak puas dengan proporsi antara hasil kerja dan kenyamananku. Oleh karena itu, untuk mencapai keseimbangan ini, aku ingin untuk mengambil milik orang lain. Tetapi ini akan terlalu berbahaya. Bisakah kamu memfasilitasi hal ini? Bisakah kamu mencari bagiku tempat yang baik? Atau mengecilkan industry sainganku? Atau mungkin pinjamkan aku modalh yang kamu bisa ambil dari kompetitorku? Bisakah kamu sekolahkan anakku dengan biaya public? Atau berikan bagiku hadiah? Atau mengamankan bagiku sejumlah uang ketika aku mencapai usia lima puluh tahun? Dengan cara ini aku bisa mencapai tujuanku dengan cara yang mudah, karena hukum telah melakukannya untukku, dan aku akan memiliki keuntungan dari penjarahan, tanpa resiko atau kehinaan!”

Adalah hal yang pasti kit asemua meminta hal yang sama dari pemerintah; anda sebagaimana terbukti, pemerintah tidak bisa memuaskan satu pihak tanpa menambah kerja pihak yang lain, sampai aku bisa mendapatkan sebuah definisi resmi dari kata pemerintah Aku merasa berhak untuk memberi pengertianku sendiri. Siapa tahu mungkin bisa mendapatkan hadiah: Inilah dia:

Pemerintah adalah suatu kebohogan besar dimana setiap orang berusaha hidup dari kerugian orang lain.

Tentu saja banyak dari kita tidak setuju akan sentiment negative ini. Tetapi ilusi yang begitu besar dari masyarakat berusaha membenarkan dirinya. Tetapi apakah kita ini jika kita berpikir bahwa penjarahan untuk memberi menjadi kurang derajat penjarahannya karena untuk memberi; kejahatan tidak menjadi kurang jahat walaupun itu dilakukan secara legal dan dalam kerangka aturan; itu tidak menambahkan kebaikan umum, malah menghilangkannya, karena kita menggunakan sebuah alat yang mahal bernama pemerintah. Sebuah alat penjarahan: pemerintah, dan setiap kelas masyarakat datang padanya dan berkata; “hai engkau yang mampu mengambil secara adil dan jujur, ambilah dari masyarakat, dan kami akan mengambil bagian.” Sayangnya pemerintah begitu tergodanya akan godaan setan ini, karena dia terdiri atas para PNS dan Pejabat- para manusia, yang  sebagaimana manusia lainnya, menginginkan dalam hatinya untuk selalu mencari kesempatan untuk memperbanyak kekayaan dan pengaruhnya. Pemerintah tak pernah pelan dalam mengambil keuntungan yang didapatkan dari bagian yang dipercayakan masyarakat baginya, karena bagian yang begitu besar akan diambil untuk dirinya sendiri; dia akan melipat gandakan agen-agennya; memperbesar lingkaran kekuasaannya; dan akan berakhir dalam proporsi yang menghancurkan masyarakat. Demikianlah hasrat jahat kita semua, menciptakan alat jahat ini bagi diri kita sendiri. Saya yakin pembentukan pribadi pemerintah seperti ini telah, sebagaimana pada masa lalu, dan akan menjadi lahan yang subur untuk kekacauan dan revolusi. Ada rakyat di satu sisi dan pemerintah disisi yang lain. Yang satu punya hak untuk mengambil dari yang lain. Apa yang menjadi konsekuensinya? Pemerintah punya dua tangan, tangan untuk mengambil dan tangan untuk memberi, tangan yang kasar dan tangan yang halus. Pekerjaan tangan yang halus, tidak bisa dilakukan sebelum tangan yang kasar. Tangan yang mengambil harus bekerja sebelum tangan yang memberi. Tetapi sialnya, pemerintah bisa mengambil tetapi belum tentu bisa memberi. Ini terbukti dan bisa dijelaskan dalam sejarah bagaimana tangan mereka yang begitu punya daya menyerap, yang selalu menahan sebagian, dan sering kali seluruhnya, dari apa yang mereka sentuh. Tetapi satu hal yang pasti, yang akna selalu terjadi, pemerintah tidak pernah bisa memberi bagi masyarakat lebih banyak dari pada yang bisa dia ambil. Oleh karena itu, adalah hal yang begitu bodoh bagi kita untuk datang padanya dengan sikap seorang pengemis. Adalah hal yang  sangat tidak mungkin baginya untuk memberi kebaikan bagi seseorang yang adalah bagian dari masyarakat, tanpa melukai masyarakat secara keseluruhan.

Sehingga, masyarakat punya dua harapan, dan pemernitah punya dua janji: kesejahteraan yang berlimpah dan tanpa pajak. Janji dan harapan yang saling bertentangan, tidak akan pernah terwujud.

Nah, bukankah ini penyebab semua revolusi? Karena antara pemerintah dengan segala janji yang tidak mungkin dia laksanakan, dan rakyat dengan segala harapan yang tidak mungkin tercapai, dua kelas yang kemudian saling berhadapan.

Sempatkan diri untuk membaca janji para politisi: Beras murah, minyak murah, sekolah gratis, ini gratis, itu gratis, sembako murah, dll, seakan-akan segala hal bisa jatuh dari langit. Visi dan misi yang begitu panjang, seakan-akan membebaskan mereka dari sebuah kenyataan dasar hidup; kamu harus mengerjakan segala hal yang kamu inginkan.

Well, saya ingin bertanya bagi para pembaca, bukankah ini sebuah kekanak-kanakan, dan lebih dari itu, kekanak-kanakan yang berbahaya? Jika ini yang terjadi, kita akan selalu ada dalam revolusi yang tidak akan ada habisnya, jika kita tidak punya keinginan untuk terbangun dari mimpi dan sadar akan kontradiksi ini dan menghadapi kenyataan; “tidak mau memberi bagi pemerintah dan berharap banyak dari padanya”.

Saudara-saudara, sampai kapan kita akan berada dalam ilusi ini dan hidup dalam system. Orang yang hidup dalam sistem ini adalah orang-orang yang menipu diri mereka sendiri, karena mereka hidup dalam kontradiksi dan kekanak-kanakan. Kali ini saya ingin menawarkan sebuah sistem politik baru, dimana setiap warga negara bertanggung jawab atas dirinya, dan dihargai berdasarkan apa yang dia kerjakan. Yang pemerintahnya adalah pemerintah yang menyatukan warganya, bukan menjadi alat untuk menjarah satu dengan yang lain. Tetapi pemerintah yang mengamankan masing-masing atas miliknya, dan yang menegakan keadilan dan ketentaraman.

Saya ingin mengutip dari kata-kata president Amerika Serikat, Ronald Reagan dalam pidato pelantikannya: Pemerintah bukanlah solusi masalah kita, pemerintah adalah masalahnya. Bukan maksudku untuk menghilankan pemerintah, tetapi membuatnya bekerja, bekerja dengan kita, bukan diatas kita. Bekerja disamping kita bukan menggiring dari belakang.

Catatan: 2 paragraf terakhir bukanlah terjemahan langsung dari Frederic Bastiat, tetapi ditulis oleh saya sendiri :D karena harus cepat2 untuk presentasi. Sisanya murni tulisan Bastiat, kalu ingin yang lengkap silahkan baca yang aslinya dalam bahasa Inggris...

Property Ownership and Human Rights Violation (My Essay for IAF Accademy, Gummersbach)

My country has been experiencing many human rights violation, and the most recent is the tension about some religious group trying to deny the rights of other groups to exercise their constitutional freedom to worship and embrace any religion. But I decide to post this story which is closer to my hometown. In this area ( http://goo.gl/maps/erI6f ) people has operated their "tambang emas rakyat" or people's gold mine for years, but it is hard to get permission to professionally and legally own and exploit the land. So for many years people there has been operating under this quasi-legal system, without full recognition of their legality of ownership by government. This year, government decided to gave permit to a corporation, PT. Sumber Energi Jaya, backed by investors from China (and rumor has it that it was partially owned by one high local official) for exploitation of the gold deposit on that area. People then stood up to demonstrate against this plan and it was turned violent. Police used active bullet to stop the demonstrator. My friend is the leader of the demonstrator and the corporation sponsored crowd orchestrated their own demonstration in support of this “investor” and they burn his picture (http://www.mongabay.co.id/2012/05/27/tolak-tambang-emas-minahasa-dua-tertembak/ )  (second picture, my friend’s name is Iswadi Sual, as you can see his picture is being burned). At the end of May this Year, the minor conflict between people against police took place (again) and police open fire, and one the bullet misfired and hit two on their leg and a peasant; Franky Aringking, who just went back home with his cow, and hit him on his head. He was then rushed to the hospital and police official admitted him to hospital and guarantee for a surgery. His life was saved but now the left part of his body is permanently paralyzed and cannot be moved. I visited him yesterday (August 13, 2012) and shocked with the information that he can’t go home yet since police hasn’t paid his hospital bill, and he is waiting for it. Sadly no media report about it. I attached his picture, and wonder if it is a great idea to do a charity program to raise money to help him. You can still see the scars of the bullet passing through the right part of his head caused his left body can’t be moved.

This kind of event is not the first time in Indonesia, and certainly will not be the last if my country doesn’t change the direction, you can read in this link (http://www.npr.org/2011/11/16/142346962/in-indonesia-anger-against-mining-giant-grows and http://325.nostate.net/?p=3773 you can google to find more terrifying stories ). Sadly many people blame that this is the result of capitalism, and ask everyone to return the holy creed of our constitution article 33, verse 3: “The land, the waters and the natural resources within shall be under the powers of the State and shall be used to the greatest benefit of the people.” My friend, Iswadi, even take more radical  step and join the leftist student movement and turn more radical in his socialistic view. I have been debating him ever since. What they don’t realize that this is actually the direct result of that particular sentence in our constitution, that government should have the right over property of the people. We give them the power to regulate economy so they can look after us, while blindly assume that they have to be for the people. Yet the history has thought us again and again, that when we give government power to overseen something, it will give them more temptation to corrupt. The only solution is we take that power back and return the power to the people by granting them their property right for the land they deserve, for the land they have taken care for years. Without this, Franky Aringking would never be the last victims. I am looking for fund to make a documentary about this to shed the light of this problem to Indonesian public and to show them why my country has been in the wrong direction for so many time and what we can do to change it.

On the Case of Morality of Killing a Drug Dealer

I don’t know since when the citizens of this country has turned into a mass of cold blood murder, but sometimes reading the online feed of readers’ comments in some online news website can chill me to my bones. When President SBY exercised his constitutional right to pardon three death sentenced drugs dealers, suddenly the whole people went frenzy, shout the same harmony like the crowd in the Coliseum: “no mercy! Kill them, kill them, why you pardon them, kill them!” I then stop and think, how far this nation has gone along playing barbarism. If you read this simple thought of mine, and if you support the shouting of the angry mob asking the emperor thumb to point down, sign of no mercy, I want you to continue reading and let us think together.

To begin with, I want to ask this question: “who is the most responsible person for an agony of a dying overdosed young man?” My answer is; that young man. But yes that young man will not be able to consume the drugs if the drugs dealer didn’t sale his drugs. Yet, I’m not asking the chain of event here, because if we have to ask the chain of event, can we also blame the parents who gave money so the young man can buy drugs? I’m here asking about the accountability, who is accountable most for this young man’s agony? You may argue that the drugs dealer is by intention selling the drugs, knowing that the young man may misuse it. But bear in mind, that the parents also have the knowledge that the money can also be used to buy drugs, and even can buy many other evil things, so can we say also the parents  is accountable? If it’s not, so then also the drugs dealer. In part, the parents are to be blamed, and I’m sure they get all their agony back, but to kill the drugs dealer for something that he is not one hundred percent accountable is silly. You can say that they have to be killed because they are selling something that will potentially harm many people. Ah, so now we will base our legal decision to take someone’s life by “potential”. What a great legal system, to take people’s life by something they will potentially do. My worst nightmare is maybe one day we will ended up arguing about killing HIV infected patient because they are “potentially” harm other people.

Or maybe we ought to kill this drugs dealer because the damage they have done. If they have done real damage, prove it based on the damage, not based on the ownership and distribution of illegal drugs. Those are two different things.

Now, assume we use the same standard, that drugs are lethal and dangerous so we have to kill everyone dares to sale it. But tobacco and alcohol kill more people then drugs, they create more damages. Should we also kill all people engage in those industries? In Indonesia, more than ten thousand people engage in that industry, should we kill all of them? Please be consistent with your standard, and answer my question. I agree that drugs dealers have to be punished, but to kill them? Have we thought deeper before we decided to kill someone?

So you see, this argument of killing (yes, I always prefer the word “killing”, not “execution” because it is what it is, killing) drugs dealer is totally immoral and full of flaws. But why we keep doing it?
Even to the extent that we need to “kill them all”? Well, that’s human nature my friend. When someone makes a mistake, to blame is the easiest thing to do. We have done it since the dawn of human being. When God ask Adam for accountability, Adam blamed Eve, Eve then blamed
the serpent. Instead of saying that we have done a mistake, in raising our children and giving them proper education, prepare them mentally to face the world and not to spoil them with material things, we then started to blame. We blame drugs dealer, instead of the parents, we blame drugs dealer instead of our education system, we blame drugs dealer instead of society that since have lacked of proper moral judgment, when we are facing a mistake or big defects in our social system, have to start looking for someone else to blame, if necessary, kill them. If we don’t stop it NOW, and start looking to our self and ask “why is it happening?”, well, after we kill all the drugs dealer, don’t wonder if latter you will see the young people will always find a way to destroy them self, maybe by killing each other just for entertainment or “school pride”. Oh, yeah, I forget it is happening already.

My last suggestion is for this “politicians” who keep nagging around complaining SBY’s decision and acting as a saint: stop being hypocrites. You say that this is hurting people’s sense of justice.
Well, maybe you can start now teaching people what morality, accountability, and justice really mean. To kill someone based on blind emotion, “their potential harm”, or by unproven and abstract “damage” is not justice. It is not what civilized people do, it is what barbarians are. And since you have bigger “mouth” then me, please start educates this people, like what SBY has done. I don’t agree with many SBY decisions, but I support him for this.

Victory over "ME" (Khotbah Sabbath, 3 Maret 2011),,, baca ulang, rasa kita p diri ini munafik skali.....

oleh Juan Mahaganti pada 09 Maret 2011 jam 17:42

Two weeks ago, I was approached by Mr. Ephraim, informing that I will be the speaker for the coming Sabbath. So I directly prepared myself for this job. On that time, I was looking for a right subject to be delivered, and I know that for the whole week, last two weeks, all of our attention had been directed to only one issue. You still remember? Yes, DBL. And, as you remembered, that week is a wonderful week. Why? Because our team has gain a victory after victory. We even defeated our arch enemy, SMANSA, and one of another arch enemy, SMU Lokon, was defeated. And I believe also, our attention for the whole day (the day I will spoke), will be the FINAL VICTORY against Ebenheazer, that Saturday evening. The fact that we lost, but I know I was assigned for Saturday morning and we didn’t know the result yet, so I think, hmmmm, why didn’t we talked about VICTORY. And victory seems to be a good topic, because the fact that all of us love victory, don’t we? Who doesn’t? And I believe many of us on that day, was preparing our self for the final victory!!! The day that we always long for, when our team lift up the DBL trophy, mmmmm.

I don’t believe in accident. I believe that everything happened by purpose. So the fact that Mr. Trao mistakenly informed me about my schedule, was by purpose of God, so I can easily get my topic. So for that, Hallelujah! If Mr. Trao informed me correctly, I will be confused with my effort to find a topic.

First, let me tell you that all of us here are created to be a victor. I have a friend name Victor, but I believe people with other name also are the victors. You, you, you, all of us are created to be a victor. As you recalled your biology class, billions of “me” can be created, yet only one reach mother’s womb and come into being. And those wonderful being, those victors, are now sitting right in front of me. Latter in our life, we face a competition, and this competition can vary, started from a small thing, like winning a Playstation game, arguing whose football team is the best, dispute regarding something, marathon race, who is the best in the class, who get the biggest piece of cake, who is the most handsome, who get that girl/boy, who has the longest spit, who win the monopoly game, etc. etc.

In every competition, we have competitor or competitors. Our aim in that competition is to defeat that competitor, and to make sure the end result is we become the victor. We can use different term with this competitor. Some use the word, enemy. Other use the word “opponent”, or “antagonist” or “other side” or “other team”. However, allow me to change our mindset first. Have you ever heard an expression “I am my worst enemy”? Myself is my own enemy. Why I say, this statement is about changing our mindset, because for many of us, enemy is the word we used for others, not our own self. So, look at the mirror and say, you are my enemy. Now, let us contemplate for some minutes, think about all the problems that we have right now. Now, think about who cause that problem. Ok. Believe me, you will be tempted to find a scapegoat, oh, Mr. X have forced me to do this and that, or, Mrs. X is so mean and uncompromising and I was forced into this position. I was not supposed to get this treatment, she or he is the one who is the one to be blamed. But, try to think deeper, farther, and wider, who is the real source of that problem. Interesting enough, if you look at the real source, if you are willing to know the real truth, YOU JUST SIMPLY LOOK INTO THE MIRROR. I was in that kind of situation many time! First, I make a mistake, then I was looking for a scapegoat, and instead of finding a solution, I ended up for making more problems. Another problem (the bigger one) arise, instead of solving the problem, we find no solution, but find a new enemy or enemies. The funny thing is, we don’t realize that the real enemy is actually our own self, like Michael Jackson said, “I’m starring to a Man in The Mirror”. Take for example, I was assigned for a job, and I was careless, and I let my job unfinished, and I blame other (Mr. Eman) for not explaining to me the real situation and the chess competition couldn’t be started on time.

Why is it happened? The center of the problem is, we let our lives only lies on three person; first “my own self”, second; “I”, the third; “me”. There is a throne in our heart and we let no one else sits there, but the king name “”. It’s all about me, me, and me. Like a noodles commercial said; Mi mi mi mi terus, yang lain dong. NO, no place left for others, it’s only for me. My place, my position, my privileges, my own interests, my needs, my wants, my money, my desire, my pleasure. And that big me, getting bigger in our heart, and that king rule from his throne within my heart, and turn into a dictator like Marcos, or Soeharto, or Husni Mubarak or Muamar El Qhadafi. All of my deeds are only about one thing, to please the almighty king inside my heart, King Me.

What will be the end result? When you let this “ME” rule over you, you will see that you’ll get lost. You will now follow, what is “pleasing” ME, not pleasing other, or pleasing God. And that me, will be addicted to power, and addicted to what pleasing me, and when something, someone, some bible passage, some advice, stand between me, and “the will of ME”, we will be angry, jealous, irritated. So nothing is wrong for me anymore. Narcotics, if it is pleasing ME, no problem. Drunk, smoke, sexual desire, cheating, stealing, lying, if all those things pleasing ME, no problem. And now, who win? Yes, ME. But is it a real victory? King ME, inside my heart, commanded that, I have to win a competition. But my opponent is strong, so to fulfill the will of King Me, I have to cheat. Should I cheat? No problem, as long as the will of King Me was fulfilled. So I cheat, I win, but in the deeper truth, I actually lose. And by cheating I actually creating more problems that will culminates and getting bigger and bigger until suddenly I was shocked with the situation. What should I do? King Me said; Don’t blame “ME”, blame others, and by then we create enemy, and create more enemies, and create more problem, and we ruin our lives. Did I speak a truth? I have seen it in my own life. I believe I am the most sinful, unworthy, despicable, immoral human being by any moral standard. I was a sinner and I know sin and how to be sinful. And what I noticed, from every sin that I have committed, I never gain anything but a joyful sensation, that was temporary that actually will haunted me, gain me nothing, give me nothing but a worry heart, stress, disease, anything negative the word can ever described. I tell you, no sin that was enjoyable. It is temporary enjoyable but permanently distressing. It just like making a tattoo, a permanent mark of temporary foolishness. I have some friend who have tattoo, and I always like to tell them; “man, that tattoo is so good, it will remind you forever, what a stupid man you were.” But I can’t tell it directly. I just can’t. Young man, you can sometime see that sin is nice, but I tell you, don’t ever try it, believe me, it brings nothing but a deep stress. Lies cause someone to tell more lies. Narcotics, drinking and smoking create an addiction. All are a short term solution, that will create a long term problems. Free sex creates nothing but self-depravation, self-humiliation, self-depreciation, ended up with stress, disease. Some foolish may say that life is too short to be passed by being pious and good. But I tell you, if you live a sinful life, first you will live shorter, then you will live it with full of distress until you fell it to be too long. In conclusion, life in a sinful life, a life when you let KING “ME” rule over your heart, is a problematic life. A life in emptiness. A life without passion and hope. A life full with problems and despairs.

So, how to solve this problem? How to defeat this ME? First, you have to overthrow him from his throne. Then, you have to replace “ME” with someone else. Now, let me tell you, there are a lots of people out there that can be your option as a replacement for “ME”. Sometimes, you can see a superstar, an idol, or someone else available in a worldly marketplace can offer. You can pick any world Sage, Buddha, Confucius, Karl Marx, Adolf Hitler, or anyone to replace this “ME”. But today, I want to offer you another person. A simple man, who will be your guide. He is not a country leader, he is not a world superstar (although there is a movie branded Him as a Superstar). He is a simple man, born in a remote place, from a simple family, not from a rich one like most of you. He was just a carpenter, surrounded by his follower who mostly a fisherman. A man that called himself not only will show you a way, but a man called Himself as THE WAY; The way, The truth, and The Life. That man is Jesus. Let Him rule over your heart. Once you let Him rules, don’t let that ME threatened his rule. Jesus gives a guidance. When he thought how to pray, He said; “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” In other word, he said, “hey, mind where your heart leads you.” Is it ME is leading me? My own will, or His will? He didn’t said “Deliver us from Evil, but lead us not into temptation.” It will mean; God, keep me from evil, and I will follow you. No! He said; “Lead us not into temptation”. Help me choose a good way, then “Deliver us from evil.” Our action first, and he will do the rest. This is a proactive faith. We have to choose, ME, or God. Jesus in his own pray stated this word (Matthew 26:39); “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from ME, nevertheless, not as I will, but as YOU WILL.”

So, how to defeat that ME? First, we must take that ME out. Then replace with YOU(point your finger above, like when Kaka (Brazilian football player) make a score)! YOU, YOU, AND YOU. Not Me anymore. So, we have to change our mindset, and believe me, it is a very, very, very hard to do, to overthrow this big ME.

Now, we have learn that life centered with ME, will ruin our life, create more problem and distress. Now, I ask you to once again open our Scripture reading today, Psalm 119:9-16 (I stated before that I don’t believe in accident, but believe me, I got this verse by accident. Yesterday afternoon Mr. Trao approach me to ask about my scripture reading and I found this verse by random from the scratch material I get from Internet, yet, this verse I found very powerful and match with my discussion today). Now, change the verse with a life centered with ME:

“How can a man ruined his life? By taking heed according to MY OWN WORD. With my whole heart I have sought to MY OWN DESIRE; oh let me not wander from MY OWN COMMANDMENTS! MY OWN DESIRE I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against MY OWN LAW. Blessed am I, O JUAN MAHAGANTI! Teach me MY OWN STATUTES. With my lips I have declared all the judgments of MY MOUTH. I Have rejoiced in the way of MY TESTIMONIES, AS MUCH AS IN ALL RICHES. I will meditate MY OWN PRECEPTS, and contemplate MY OWN WAYS. I will delight myself in MY LAW; I will not forget MY OWN WORD.”

But what that scripture said, about fullness of life in a “God Centered” way?

Let us read it together:

Psalm 119:9-16 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I sougt You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You! Blessed are you, O lord! Teach me Your statues! Much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I WILL DELIGHT MYSELF IN YOUR STATUES; I WILL NOT FORGET YOUR WORD.

You can say; “ah Juan, you are talking gibberish. I enjoy my life. “ But let me challenge you today. Just make an experiment, and try to live out of yourself and compare the result. You will be astonished with the changes. Like Blaise Pascal (the same man who invented the first computer) said: Follow yourself –ME- and do whatever that you want and you will ruin yourself. Follow God, and do everything that you want. Everything that you do will please yourself, God, and others.” That’s is the real happiness. Happiness in its fullness. Let all the glory only for HIM, not for ME. Amen!

Why do you have to stop me from getting naked????

oleh Juan Mahaganti pada 29 November 2010 jam 8:59

I’ve just read an article in Manado Post yesterday. The title is eye catching: “Pemerintah Cina Himbau Pasangan Berhenti Berfoto Bugil” (Chinese Government asks couples to stop taking their nude picture). As the article inform, now in China, many young couples prefer the artistic nude pose for their pre-wedding photographs. Some photography associations have asked government to ban photo studio to capture such images. What is the reason? Simple; “it is immoral, it is against the value held by Chinese tradition.” What!!!???? You’ve got to be kidding me. A communist country is talking about value? About morality?? Ok. If I was that Chinese couple that do the naked session, I have one simple counter question: “Please, what part of morality that I violate? If I violate any Chinese “sacred” tradition, don’t you remember that the communist utopia is should be a society that has been freed from all form of superstition, all form of “faked” morality created by religion and tradition.”

It is hilariously funny. To accept morality, you have to accept a certain world view that up hold that morality. If you don’t believe in any moral except communist morals (if any), you are talking nonsense when you ask somebody to be moral. Chinese government, from their stance as a communist nation, believes in no God, has no stance to say that to be naked is wrong!!! I don’t know in detail what value held by Chinese tradition, I’m not Chinese at all, but I know many Chinese that haven’t been intoxicated with Communist idea, that still hold this value. You can see that the value is virtuous. Unless Chinese return to that value, and let their people embrace religion as free as they can, and left that communist craps, they can create a better society, they can leap farther than Mao’s “great leap forward”. This is a land of opportunity for a new good value, for missionary (to spread Christian teaching and Its morality) and for a great progress for human kind.

news source: http://www.news24.com/World/News/Naked-wedding-photo-outcry-in-China-20101112

Join the discussion there...