I knew his history from a film called "GIE" (link). Can't remember how many times I have watched this movie, but it's keep linger in my head. A minority with extraordinaire idealism, a true and pure activist with no sides, a man with vision bigger and higher than any others. Understand and aware of reality that's always can bites you back. A pure thinker at his time. Simply a rebel.
Official trailer of this movie :
This film tells about history of a man named Soe Hok Gie, an ordinary chinese descent who born and lives in Jakarta, in the era of dictatorship of Soekarno, the 1st president of Indonesia. Even in early ages he's a rebellion, in this film tells he even argue with his teacher and stand for his idealism only for a small things, that sometimes people don't really care about. At that time teachers was always right but he denied even it's lead him to retake the school year. He's like to read, hence widening his perspective. In this film also tells about his contribution and his work influencing the people through his writing when he was in the college, and a bit of his personal life, his view, and how he suffer for still holding on his idealism when other people just simply following the trends.
Some references regarding Soe Hok Gie
- Soe, Hok Gie (1983) (in Indonesian), Catatan Seorang Demonstran, Jakarta: Lembaga Penelitian, Pendidikan dan Penerangan Ekonomi dan Sosial.
- Soe, Hok Gie (1990) (in Indonesian), Di Bawah Lentera Merah: Riwayat Sarekat Islam Semarang, 1917–1920, Jakarta: Frantz Fanon Foundation.
- Soe, Hok Gie (1995) (in Indonesian), Zaman Peralihan, Yogyakarta: Yayasan Bentang Budaya.
- Soe, Hok Gie (1997) (in Indonesian), Orang-orang di Persimpangan Kiri Jalan: Kisah Pemberontakan Madiun 1948, Yogyakarta: Yayasan Bentang Budaya, ISBN 978-979-8793-31-8.
- Anderson, Ben (April 1970), "In Memoriam: Soe Hok-Gie", Indonesia 9: 225–227, ISSN 0019-7289, http://cip.cornell.edu/seap.indo/1107140696.
- Maxwell, John (2001) (in Indonesian), Soe Hok-Gie: Pergulatan Intelektual Muda Melawan Tirani, Jakarta: Pustaka Utama Grafiti, ISBN 978-979-444-422-1. Translated from Maxwell, John (1997). Soe Hok-Gie: A Biography of a Young Indonesian Intellectual. (Ph.D. thesis). Australian National University. OCLC 223012031.
- Jahja, H. Junus (2002) (in Indonesian), Peranakan Idealis: Dari Lie Eng Hok sampai Teguh Karya, Jakarta: Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia, ISBN 978-979-9023-84-1.
- Suryadinata, Leo (1995), Prominent Indonesian Chinese: Biographical Sketches (3rd ed.), Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, ISBN 978-981-3055-04-9.
There's a lot of quotes in this film that I really likes. Simply because his quote are logical, rational, based on the reality. these are a few that I like to remember.
"Lebih baik diasingkan daripada menyerah pada kemunafikan"
"Better to be exiled rather than surrender to the hypocrisy"
"Better to be exiled rather than surrender to the hypocrisy"
A very bold idealism, only able to come out from extraordinaire people, this quotes warns you about being ideal is costly, sometimes even cost your life as well. But are you rather live with hypocrisy?
Some people rather live in society with mask in their face just to make sure his life is more secure, being silent, just follow the winner. Some people even don't dare to stand up and show the world about his thinking, all they do just smile here and there, every time there's a different opinions what he can do just laugh or yes sir even-though he has different opinion about the problem.
A leader, should have an unshakable idealism, always ready and open for criticism. And when people starting to moving away from the idealism to something that hypocrite, he should able to stand on his feet and influencing other to follow you. Even thou this kind of act will affect to you life badly, from a small issue like being expelled from the society or even worse, lead to and end of life. Some people may ask to you "why you do that?", you must understand that you're obliged to stand on your thinking, the one that you think right. It is your duty to protect of what you have learn/experienced and you summarized into a thinking/attitude.
The best fate is ever being born
The second was born but died young
The most unfortunate is the aged
Blessed are those who die young
Some people after reading this poems by Soe Hok Gie, will think how stupid he is, how come this kind of non sense can be rational or logical, some other think that he is thinking of die young. I'm not saying they are wrong, its just they prefer live in a dream/illusion rather than knowing the reality. Soe Hok Gie teach us to see that "life is a suffering" just like when he quote Buddha's saying in the film. If you try flashback back to your early life, let's say when you're still in junior school, then you comparing it with your current life right now. How happy you are without any problem/task/burden that you need to do when you're younger comparing to now?. Some people say, its a pessimist way of view a life. But truth is sometimes can be bitter, and by knowing the truth you'll have more perspective and ways to overcome this reality.
I remember last time when we have an argue regarding this view, some people think its just because you think that was suffering then you cannot appreciate your life and prefer die young, some other say, if you think the problem/task/burden in the future as a burden of course it will become a burden, but if you think it as a challenge, it will become a boost for ours. I think they mislead, it is not pessimist but realistic. No matter how you think or interpret the challenge/problem/task you facing right now, its not changing the reality that there's a addition thing that you need to take care about. How you facing it, whether take it as a challenge or a burden is just a way to make it easier or harder in your life. It still not changing the fact that every year, when you become older, the more task that you need to take care/consider/think about. You're not thinking of how complicated life of marriage that you need to gone through when you still 5 years old, as you getting older you will start to thinking of it and adds into you any other complicated problem that you needs to take care of too. Sure you can take it as a challenge or a gift to having such bless to test your wisdom. But for me its just like faking or ignoring the fact. For me just embrace it as a reality of life that is not become simpler every day, but you also need to realize that turning back is a impossible thing because time only go forward. Putting an end also not even wise because its actually only creating another burden to other people that you know/loves. You must understand that the root of all problems are come from your mind, as long as you able to control your mind and soul. I'm sure you able to find a workaround.
Let say there's two thinker that have assignment to lead their students to the other side of the bridge which even those two thinker never gone before, so those thinkers also don't what lies in the other side of that bridge, but they obligated to. thinker A use a persuasions as a weapon of his choice, by telling there's a good stuffs waiting in the other side of the bridge, and you need to use the bridge to cross the river as the most effective way, and all the obstacle is just a test that you need to embrace and take it as challenge to you, off course this method will motivate the students to cross it. Thinker B use a different approach. What he do is just explain to their student that there's a lot of obstacle in front, but standing is only getting you nowhere, the only way is just do it, there's a lot of ways to overcome the obstacle.
There's a lot of any other quotes or lessons in this movie, as an inspirations for us. Like how they use a folk song from Joan Baez called Donna Donna which I find the lyric was so strong telling us how reality work, or when he's trying to persuade his best friend to become vice senate in his college. I really recommend you to read the books also, which reveal more and deeper understanding of his life. To bad not many Indonesian peoples appreciate his work.
Soe Hok Gie, its a honor to know you.
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