I'm Javanese from Blitar, currently working at Jakarta. I always felt the need to preserve my culture, but I'm really weak at it. This books provides the depths and the wisdom that's been transcended from early generation, a way, a value, a something that I can carry on to navigate this vast life.
Gonna mention few points that stood up the most for me:
1. Javanese like depths.
When I try to friend with people, only few I want to be vulnerable with, that's because I like something deep, each way of thinking and symbols will be measured, do they have enough empathy to keep true of them self? Are they brave enough to be called losers because making the comfortable angry? Basically Javanese always find a way, a try away or anything to thrive each era. Therefore they tend to prefer the depths: symbolism and true action
We may not really being material about anything, but what matters are the meaning behind of it.
2. Nrima ing pandum
'nrima ing pandum' (acceptance). I used to think it meant passive acceptance, like, 'Whatever, we've been colonized for 350 years.' But it's more than that - active acceptance, knowing what can be done in that moment and surrendering. Truly remarkable, if you ask me. Our ancestors were incredible; we can't compare.
3. Zaman Edan
Explicitly translated: Insanity era.
Life always resolve on three eras: Kalatida, Kalabendu, Kalasuba.
I honestly think we are living in this Kalabendu. Kalatida is uncertainty, an era that comes after stability, after more people felt the easiness or being successful, they tend to not lose them, they would become selfish to preserve it.
Kalabendu is where everybody become selfish because of Kalatida, this is where real insanity started. Not really everybody, there are fews people who are mocked because they don't hold the same ideals as the selfish. This era is "safe", but only for them who hold the same ideals as the greeds, justice is just a fever dream anyone can felt.
Kalasuba is the catharsis, there will be the one called "Ratu Adil" holds the ultimate power of spiritual and empath to free people from the chain of Kalabendu. Though we may not be this Ratu Adil, what we need to do is just be ourselves, if the world is being insane, what at least we can do, is to not being insane too.
This saying makes me feel at ease because I know era is always changing, there's always someone out there who has the same depth and thinking to always resist being degenerate, always trying to keep helping this world become a better place with small wins.
4. Controlling the urges (lust)
A true win for Javanese is where they can controll their desire, they don't ruled over by it, but exist to serve. This one is always gonna be the toughest battle, defeat or own ego. If we still struggling in the high fun fantasy of attachment, not really opening our hearts/being sympathetic towards am what's around us, then this means we still serving the urge of our own desire. Considered a true win because by helping others, we also help ourself, we don't let our ego to diminish the rights of other people, we acknowledge everyone's presence that they exist to make this world more beautiful (Memayu Hayuning Bawana), therefore why not we just maybe sacrifice a little if it means prosperity among others.
5. Understanding our needs
There are a lot of attributes of "I", could be "I am the worker", "I am the husband", "I am the citizen", those are attributes, it should be separated from the true "I".
Should a problem appears in one of those attributes, shouldn't make the "I" hurt, because we can keep our presence intact