THE POWERLESS VS THE UNFAMILIAR

by Heni Astuti*

Four days after Aceh was strucked by the tidal wave..

I was in the middle of traffic jam when I noticed something peculiar with the banner along the highway. It was about showing the deep sympathy from a member of the house of representative (including the name one of the religious party where he belongs). But since my car was creeping slowly, there were plenty of time to notice that the name was printed much bigger than sympathy itself.

In a spilt second my curiosity emerged, what kind of man trying to be known by putting on a silly banner. OK, perhaps he?s damn rich but definitely unfamiliar.

On the other side, there were some students standing along with the donation box for charity trying to knock the sympathy. In a sudden a little girl with puppy eyes came after me. I slipped her a penny reluctantly. She grabbed it , ran and put the penny inside the donation box.
Flabbergasted to what just happened, the powerless street singer versus the unfamiliar member of the house of representative.

But that was pretty clear that the devastation scratched the surface of sympathy which probably had been buried along with the unity.
Realizing the playground and emerald green field had been peeled into a sea of mud and the religious city has turned out into a city of corpse ? Only few of mosques remained intact. Thousands homework for the new government and the unfinished business which are left to those who lost their beloved relatives.

Some people think it was just dropped without signaling but for me tracking the trigger isn?t something that has to be put on the first to do list! ( Many theories related with, If the epicenter movement had been figured Aceh could have been saved). But since the less sophisticated which is needed to prevent other catastrophe hasn?t been materialized how we manage to gain the more sophisticated one.

To those who are believers it was more like a traumatic warning for reflecting the misdeeds. Especially us, who are preoccupied to strive the grandeur way of life. Everything was pictured on The Day After Tomorrow might be able to become true.

And the silly banner was a great idea from a cripple mind who?s trying to fulfill his urgency. A man who is capable to misuse the power or tend to breed an arrogantly.

Or the powerless one who has just taught me to make life more meaningfully and doing goodness sincerely.It ?s only the matter of time anyway and the way we?ve got perspective toward life but since everything tends to happen. Just be ready for the wake up call time because perhaps we are the one who get caught the next ax!!

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* A friend of mine, a lovely teacher and a writer at heart.