Back in the USA
Alternative Title: The Power of Silence
Greetings,
Happy Lent and I hope everyone had a good Ash Wednesday yesterday. After about nine months in Indonesia, I’m now back in the USA (specifically Suburban Chicago) to take care of some business. Some are personal, so I won’t get into them. In this post, I just want to think about my time in Indonesia and what I’m looking forward to here in America.
The Power of Silence
Also known as the alternative title to this post, The Power of Silence is also the name of a book by Robert Cardinal Sarah. I got this book years ago on audio (the irony, lol). And while my memory of it is spotty, I distinctly remember Cardinal Sarah clarifying that by silence, he didn’t just mean the literal absence of noise. Instead, silence meant being able to tune out all the distractions and focus on what’s important, namely God.
I never really thought much of that book until yesterday on Ash Wednesday. Now that I’m here in the US, back from Indonesia, I can’t help but appreciate the newfound silence of my current environment.
I understand that associating the United States, of all nations, with silence is a strange thing to do. So let me explain myself.
Yesterday, I stopped by the nearest parish to my brother’s place where I currently stay. Sitting on the pews about 15-20 minutes before the Ash Wednesday service began, it became apparent to me how quiet things are.
It’s not that the parish isn’t as packed as the one I attend in Jakarta. That’s true, but not the point. It’s more that the parish is located in the quiet suburbs where there are nothing else around but houses. In contrast, my local parish in Jakarta is located in the middle of the city were there are a lot of things going on; traffic jam is a common occurrence, there’s a park right next to it where people buy and sell things, there is a row of banks nearby, and on top of all that, the mall is within a walking distance. Meanwhile, the parish is always packed. If you don’t come in 30 minutes early, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on good actual seats.1
But then I realize that this sort of hustle and bustle isn’t just in church. It’s everywhere in Jakarta. There are always noises. There’s always people trying to sell you stuff, especially food. I’m actually happy that I’ll be spending Lent in the US. All the food vendors and malls in Jakarta are straight-up temptations for any Catholic trying to have a good Lent.
Every three hours you will hear the Islamic call to prayer. You will hear noises of cars. And speaking of cars, even getting places are a pain in the butt. Here in America, I just drove to church then when I’m done, I drove back. There are also family members who always have something to do for me.
And even when you can finally be alone in your room, there are still the mosquitoes sucking your blood and causing your skin to itch.
In Indonesia, you’re not allowed to catch your breath. Now let me clarify, it’s not that you’re always busy in Jakarta. No, that’s not the issue. It’s that your mind is always occupied with something. There’s always noise that distracts you.
There’s no silence in Jakarta. Not just literally, but also figuratively.
I soon realized that one of the biggest struggles I had in Jakarta was in praying. It’s really hard to pray in Jakarta. Even in church, it’s still hard to pray because of two things. The first is that the parish is always packed for Mass. The second is the location right in the middle of the city.
I’m not saying that I don’t like it in Jakarta; far from it. I like that there’s always something to do; I like that there’s a sense of community, because community is not just a jargon there, it’s something real. Meanwhile, the relative quietness of Suburban America lends itself to loneliness and atomization. Yet I understand the appeal; I understand why people want to get away from the seeming chaos.
As I’m writing this, I hear the sound of a police car or an ambulance from outside. That struck out to me because otherwise things are quiet. You can say the same thing about the neighborhood in Maryland I used to live in. But where I live in Indonesia, in the heart of Jakarta, there are street vendors, construction works, Islamic prayers, turbulent weather, and many other things going on that car noises don’t really register.
Books in America
Another thing I appreciate in the US is that I have easy access to books. There’s the obvious with Amazon. Indonesia is one of the few countries where Amazon have limited access. That means I can’t really buy physical books on Amazon, not without prohibitively expensive delivery fee.
This relates to my own novels. As someone who published his works on Amazon, I have been unable to get a good look at my author copies while I was in Indonesia. But now that I’m here in the US, I can now do so; while I’m at it, I’ll get some more books to add to my collection.
Of course, it’s not just Amazon. There are great American authors whose works aren’t published on Amazon, so if you want to read them, then you’re basically out of luck. Here’s one such book:
E. Michael Jones is one of my favorite authors for many reasons I will not delve into in this post. But one that I will get into is his grasp of economics. While most economic thinkers are caught between the false dichotomy of communism/socialism and capitalism/neoliberalism, Jones rightfully criticized both wings of modern economics. I enjoyed Logos Rising as well as his shorter ebooks, but Barren Metal more than anything is the one work of his that I think should be translated to Indonesian.
I say this because it’s the most relevant to Indonesia. To explain this claim, let’s begin with Jones’ description of India in his discussion with Peter Helland:
I suggest you listen to the whole conversation. But if you want to get into the economic side of things, start on the 14:10 mark of the video.
From what I can tell, many of the economic issues Jones discussed in regards to India - the difficulty of buying homes for young people, the chronic low wages, and the utter lack of respect for labor - are there in spades in Indonesia. Of course, that’s just my impression after spending almost a year in that country. Regardless, I saw Indonesia’s understanding of economics to be a weird mix of neoliberalism and socialism, whichever happens to be more convenient to the powers that be.
I’ll leave it at that. For now, I’ll dig into Barren Metal. That might take a while.
Coda
These are my thoughts now that I’m back in the Land of the Free. For now, I hope to make the best of my time here in the Home of the Brave. From the US of A, I hope for a good Lent for everyone.
Until next time,
Michael P. Marpaung
As an aside, I’m not criticizing the fact that the parish is packed. It’s good that people go to church. I’m just pointing out how this contributes to the situation at hand.