"Spoon feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of a spoon." (E.M. Forster)
All I have left is a month now and so far nothing new has come up. Lately I began a day by praying that today will be a day where I hear good news. There are 30 days more to do this, and I still have this unshaken belief that things are going to work out, but I began to wonder: how?
I have started a guerilla for the funding of my project by visiting wealthy people who might want to spare US$500 to finance an education of a young musician who, in time, might be responsible for bringing up the society through music. Many of them politely refused while saying that they're focusing on "giving a direct help to the most needy" or "wanting to have their funds used for the welfare of more people." I don't blame them. It would probably be more rewarding to fulfill a more basic need such as food or clothing than to invest in a long-term empowering program. I don't say it's bad, but I did what I also think is good.
The problem is, in a country like Indonesia, where there are more people who are not getting enough food to live day by day, education in classical music become a much too luxurious need to have existed. Especially today, when prices of everything just began to escalate, thanks to the government policy in raising the price of gas, asking for that amount of money for one person is considered ridiculous and insensitive. In the words of a pianist-friend, "Indonesia is so dry and unfriendly to classical music." So, wouldn't I be acting sensibly by asking, how? How am I going to get that money?
But again I am not a kind of people who believes 100% in logic. I believe in God, therefore I believe there's always a way. And I might have read too much of "The Secret" and "Notes from the Universe" before I began this project. What they say basically is that if you want something so badly, all you have to do is visualize having it, work on it, and believe that it will work out. Don't worry about the how. Just believe. Plus I had so many references that support my decision, including a quotation from Mitterand, "if you know you have a just cause, work on it, no matter how difficult it is."
I pray that my cause will be justified. Sure, there are also elementary schools depending on the mercy of the wind as not to sweep it away, so many mouths haven't been touched by food for months, so many people are living with empty stomachs, but I insist on not forgetting people with exceptional talents in music who, in the future, might teach at those schools, feed those mouths, comfort those bellies. For me, education is empowerment. For me, this is even more important than, let's say, the government's program in giving direct cash to poor people to sustain their lives. At least if the camp ends, I know they won't starve, even better, I know they will add more values to the society where they live in.
So I continue working. Last weekend I went to see a distant uncle of mine who is running for a mayor and "preparing to lose fund in the amount of Rp 2 billion (i.e. about US$2 million)" (so he said to my mum) for his campaign in order to do "greater goods for the citizen of Bandung". So I thought I might ask him if he would want to help my project, which, basically, also does a greater good since it's going to improve the quality of music education in the city he said he loves so much. We'll see.
But apart from work I have to get some sleep as well. I'm seeing double and my head is throbbing. It's past midnight and tomorrow is another long day for me.
(Imported old blog, originally written on June 1, 2008)
