Mon Journal

My Greatest Honor To Whom Who Never Stop Learningg

One of my very motto that this life is a phase of learning, a learning process that we got to learn through, including studying - academic - formally or non formally.

I start this writing as an opening to my very long absentia of writings as what I have found this evening. As I walked from the busway station in Pejaten, southern Jakarta, heading to the rough - merciless - traffic of Jakarta again, I met a little beggar girl sat on the busway bridge connection. There was only a small piece of cup, made from cut mineral water bottle, filled with few coins in front of her. Beneath her? there were only few sheet of cloth separating herself from the metal of the busway bridge connection.

As normally what a beggar is, of course she expects anyone who pass over her to fill in some money to her cup, including me. In Jakarta itself, several types of beggar will persistently beg for people to fill the cup either by say it loud or raising the cup to everyone close them. But this little girl? Well, she remain in silence. She did not even look at the people who walk through her on the bridge connection.

What did she do?

She was studying, with her  clumsy book, small piece of paper, and pencil. I don’t know what was she studying? Whether it’s formal or not, or what the subject, or even whether it’s a real matter of subject or just a part of drama which most beggar in Jakarta tend to perform. But what I can tell, it was looked serious, and I believed it was real. The little girl was really studying on the subject she hold on, even after several minutes I observed it from quite a distance, when there were no more people walk through the bridge connection.

She kept on studying under a very minimum light on the bridge connection, with the piece of cup filled with money from some people’s sympathy which will affect her life for the next day mostly. She did not care about all the minimum things. Her limitation does not stop her for struggling through this life through what she studied on. I can see her spirit from the way she seriously read the materials in her hand. It was touchy.

The way that little girl studied and learned really touch me, how most people in their very limitations keep on struggling to learn about this life. To keep on building their value of life and study, which may lead them walk out of their limitation. It may not be a surety, but there is a chance on it, and hope.

Theses kind of people of course struggle times harder than commoners, and a value of success comes in thousand times than others as well. How if it compared with us? Most people in their very full facilities, some even with no limitations, stop trying and stop learning about the life process. Even they who have got a great access of academic study tend to take it for granted. 

May this writings serve as a good reflection for us, how we should never give up on learning and fighting for this life. 

Good night.