“Why do you always smile?” asked that eight-year old boy. The elegant, good looking man, with mysterious gaze and thin lips that made him always seem to smile glanced slowly. For a second their eyes looked at each other. Then, the man replied: “because everything is so ridiculous.”
That short dialogue happened in a funeral ceremony. It appeared in a film entitled “Road to Perdition” starred by Paul Newman and Tom Hank. A film told about a life in mafia’s environment in Chicago 1931. A film told about how a family was murdered to protect the safety of an “oath”. The safety of an oath of allegiance to career or position on its environment. The film (as how a film is) told about self esteem, then grudge, then murder by murder, then, humanity.
Meanwhile, on the edge of a street in my hometown, a rumpled man, with untreated long hair, always seemed to smile at every single thing passing through him. The roar of vehicles, the sound of hooves from the horses pulling their cart, the people passing the street, the newsboys shouting, the swallows flying low, the swinging of Albesia leaves blown by the wind …… all were smiled by him. Unfortunately, (for some people who think that they are normal), the man who always smiled on the edge of the street was a mad man. Even if he was asked, he always replied: “because everything is so ridiculous.”
“Smile is love language. Affection language. Life language. God language,” said a poet in one twilight in front of his lover. But, not all people are mad. But, not all people who always smile are in love, loving each other, or happy. My friend ever smiled just because he didn’t know what he should do. He just smiled. He just smiled when his boss scolded to him. He just smiled when his wife grumbled about increased prices. She just smiled when her neighbor told that her husband was unfaithful to her. He just smiled when he watched from the television the criminals in Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Medan, Makasar, and so forth …… were arrested by the police. When he was asked of why he always smiled, he replied: “as long as smile is not yet forbidden.”
That’s right. Due to smile is not (yet) forbidden, then let us smile. Let us smile when we make friend. Let us smile when we work. Let us smile when we feel hunger. Let us smile when felling angry, when feeling sick, when feeling sad, when feeling amused, when sleeping, when dreaming, when bathing, when brushing the teeth, when hit, when receiving, when giving, when loosing, when stealing, when praying, when betrayed, when…. And so on. Let us smile to see how this nation is managed by our leaders. Let us smile at the economic that doesn’t get better. Let us smile when the rains and flashflood come and landslides because of denudation forest. Let us smile when dry season becomes longer. Let us smile when people fight for making parties. Smile when people beat each other for a thousand and one reasons that now easily to be found.
Let give smile. Give our smile for poor people. Give our smile for the prisoners. Give our smile for the terrorists. Give our smile for the parents. Give our smile for the functionaries that forget themselves because of a lot of busy activities. Give our smile for the pickpockets. Give our smile for the journalists. Give our smile for the children. Give our smile for the trees. Give our smile for the sky, the air, the clouds, the stars, the sun, the airplane flying above the head, the kites hooked on the electricity pole or telephone pole or twigs.
Whatever, the types of smile you would like to give. Sweet smile for beloved people, sour smile for people annoying us, forced smile for those funny people, small smile for the fortunes, broad smile for the boss, smiles by yourself if it is needed.
That short dialogue happened in a funeral ceremony. It appeared in a film entitled “Road to Perdition” starred by Paul Newman and Tom Hank. A film told about a life in mafia’s environment in Chicago 1931. A film told about how a family was murdered to protect the safety of an “oath”. The safety of an oath of allegiance to career or position on its environment. The film (as how a film is) told about self esteem, then grudge, then murder by murder, then, humanity.
Meanwhile, on the edge of a street in my hometown, a rumpled man, with untreated long hair, always seemed to smile at every single thing passing through him. The roar of vehicles, the sound of hooves from the horses pulling their cart, the people passing the street, the newsboys shouting, the swallows flying low, the swinging of Albesia leaves blown by the wind …… all were smiled by him. Unfortunately, (for some people who think that they are normal), the man who always smiled on the edge of the street was a mad man. Even if he was asked, he always replied: “because everything is so ridiculous.”
“Smile is love language. Affection language. Life language. God language,” said a poet in one twilight in front of his lover. But, not all people are mad. But, not all people who always smile are in love, loving each other, or happy. My friend ever smiled just because he didn’t know what he should do. He just smiled. He just smiled when his boss scolded to him. He just smiled when his wife grumbled about increased prices. She just smiled when her neighbor told that her husband was unfaithful to her. He just smiled when he watched from the television the criminals in Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Medan, Makasar, and so forth …… were arrested by the police. When he was asked of why he always smiled, he replied: “as long as smile is not yet forbidden.”
That’s right. Due to smile is not (yet) forbidden, then let us smile. Let us smile when we make friend. Let us smile when we work. Let us smile when we feel hunger. Let us smile when felling angry, when feeling sick, when feeling sad, when feeling amused, when sleeping, when dreaming, when bathing, when brushing the teeth, when hit, when receiving, when giving, when loosing, when stealing, when praying, when betrayed, when…. And so on. Let us smile to see how this nation is managed by our leaders. Let us smile at the economic that doesn’t get better. Let us smile when the rains and flashflood come and landslides because of denudation forest. Let us smile when dry season becomes longer. Let us smile when people fight for making parties. Smile when people beat each other for a thousand and one reasons that now easily to be found.
Let give smile. Give our smile for poor people. Give our smile for the prisoners. Give our smile for the terrorists. Give our smile for the parents. Give our smile for the functionaries that forget themselves because of a lot of busy activities. Give our smile for the pickpockets. Give our smile for the journalists. Give our smile for the children. Give our smile for the trees. Give our smile for the sky, the air, the clouds, the stars, the sun, the airplane flying above the head, the kites hooked on the electricity pole or telephone pole or twigs.
Whatever, the types of smile you would like to give. Sweet smile for beloved people, sour smile for people annoying us, forced smile for those funny people, small smile for the fortunes, broad smile for the boss, smiles by yourself if it is needed.
By smiling frequently, it means that we are easy to smile. Easily smile doesn’t mean that we are easygoing. If we smile for live and life, perhaps our live will be more opened. Furthermore, if we smile for the God, surely our face will seem to be better.
nanoq da kansas
translated by yudi ariani
No comments:
Post a Comment