Rest In Peace Fighters!

I am mourning for the lost of two fighters. The first one is Corazon Aquino, a great leader from The Philippines. Then, the other one is W.S. Rendra, a great Indonesian poet who also lived for his theater group (Bengkel Teater).

Actually Corazon Aquino, or we know her as Cory Aquino, is closer to my mind than Rendra. Cory had shown us, women, how to be a fighter. Loosing her husband didn't stop her steps backing him up, she even moved forward to help continue his husband's struggle to help his countrymen. She also brought meaning into peaceful fight. It was said that her presidency era brought the restoration of democratic institution in the Philippines. She was also stepped down gracefully after her period. No wonder if her people shared deep respect and honored her before her funeral. I'd like to honor her too for being an inspiration...a faithful wife who aided her husband, a strong mother who stand up for her people, and a real fighter...she fought for democracy, and later in her life she also fought the colon cancer. As a Catholic, her life story seemed as a good example of a devoted Catholic. She prayed, did her sacrifice, and she faced her life bravely even if it wasn't as bright as one would wishes.

Rendra, whose also known as the peacock of Indonesia, showed his fights through his poetry and his theatrical activities. I read one of his poems when I was still in Junior High School, "Doa Seorang Serdadu Sebelum Berperang" (A prayer of a soldier before fighting in a war). The soldier was asking God's permission to kill in the war. He was asking His pardon before doing the sin. Rendra opened the poem acknowledging that God's face was portrayed in the burning cities, and His words are spelled on the shallow graveyard. It was also very clear to the soldier that God's tired of human's sins, His tired arms were hugging the world who betrayed Him. It is still happening today...when people is killing in the name of God. Does God approve it? That poem is deeply carved in my heart. It gave me more "lesson" about war than a history book. Rendra fought in his own way. He was in prison, was not permitted to perform a show, but he kept fighting.

The printed Kompas had posted some of Rendra's poems. It was interesting to see how he wrote as a Catholic, and then as a Moslem...A journey of a man searching peace in his own way. As a Catholic he wouldn't be able to marry three women, he would not even be granted a divorce (although there are a lot of Catholic divorce these days). Perhaps that was the reason why people accusing him of changing his religion for polygamy. Yet, venturing into his poems we might perhaps understand how he was seeking his own freedom to believe in God. One's faith is one's own communication with God...so rest in His peaceful arms Rendra...