Suara Keheningan | RP. Inosensius Ino, O.CarmNext to that old house, the Kesambi tree that had withered could be seen. The Kesambi tree is known for its strength and ability to survive in tropical climates. Even though the summer reached its peak at 35 degrees Celsius, the Kesambi tree remained alive, spreading a cool aura beneath its shade.
However, this time I found a dead Kesambi tree with only its trunk and some dried roots remaining. The roots did not have a distinct shape. I tried to cut the roots to separate them from the already-dried trunk. The root was very hard, requiring a considerable amount of time to cut.
Therefore, for the past month, I have been trying to cut the roots little by little. A few weeks ago, I successfully severed the roots and brought them along. Somehow, my mind suddenly focused on using the roots as a decoration in front of my room. I brought the roots and placed them in front of my room.
I tried placing them alongside some flowers such as Polyscias scutellaria, Bougainvillea, and Frangipani flowers. Of course, beauty is always relative. In my eyes, the combination of Kesambi roots and those flowers formed a beautiful unity. At one point, I attempted to place them near the flowers, but then a guest saw them and felt that the roots should not be there.
The guest moved the roots and placed them elsewhere, close to the wall. I looked from inside the room and wondered why the guest had moved them. It turns out, that different objects can shape a person's concept of the relationship between existing objects placed in the same space.
Some things I understood were: First, beauty is the result of a combination of different elements. Second, beauty interpreted by one person can be understood differently by others. Third, misunderstandings occur if we do not share basic concepts understood by others.
From the experience of managing the irregularly shaped Kesambi roots, I was inspired to write and reflect on it. It turns out, that the Kesambi roots are not inherently interesting if left stiffly next to the old house; on the contrary, the roots gain new meaning when placed in a specific location that blends with other elements.
This story teaches a few things:
1. The world and the reality of creation will be interestingly interpreted if people can write and read about that stiffness with a dimension of transformative meaning, whether from the profane to the spiritual or from the profane to aesthetics.
2. The world and the reality of creation are objects of life literacy. People can understand the meaning of life from wooden roots.
3. Human life, in a sense, is similar to Kesambi tree roots. It only becomes more meaningful when lifted and moved elsewhere, especially if given a specific definition and predicate.
4. The power of literacy lies in diction according to a particular perspective as a giver of meaning. I never expected that the Kesambi tree roots in front of my room placed alongside living flowers would eventually become an idea about life.
Life becomes beautiful when we can accept discarded collections, like Kesambi tree roots, and see the harmonious relationship between different elements in the same space and perspective.
Mageria, Ino, November 26, 2023.
