Raden Ngabehi Ranggawarsita has long been known for his serats. In Javanese serat is a written message addressed to someone. Unlike common letters, “Serat Kalatidha” is presented in a likely monologic discourse. While the author seems to be criticizing the world around him, he is actually making a self-discovery.

Kalatidha consists of kala that means times and tidha that constitutes madness. Together Kalatidha makes the age of madness that Ranggawarsita deems to be happening. This work of his follows sinom meter in 12 stanzas. It is therefore relatively shorter than other serats including "Serat Jayengbaya" and "Serat Wirid Hidayat Jati".

Sinom is originally invented by Sunan Giri, one of the prominent propagators of Islam in Java known as Wali Sanga. Sunan Giri introduced Islamic teaching by way of cultural approach. In Javanese sinom equals young leaves of any plants as sinom is sung to carry religious advice for young people nearing adulthood.

Serat Kalatidha has remained relevant and seemed to permeate any era that it is noteworthy until today.  Let us read the following passage taken from stanza 4-6 that makes up his Serat Kalatidha.

~ 4 ~

Kasok karoban pawarta | bêbaratan ujar lamis | pinudya dadya pangarsa | wêkasan malah kawuri | yèn pinikir sayêkti | mundhak apa anèng ngayun | andhêdhêr kaluputan | siniraman banyu lali | lamun tuwuh dadi kêkêmbanging beka ||

News has been circulating | that turns out to be false | he who is rumored to be ennobled | has been obviously ignored | but after serious rumination | would being a leader do any good? | that’ll just cause troubles | when treason is all that is | nothing but misery comes out of it

~ 5 ~

Ujaring panitisastra | awêwarah asung peling | ing jaman kênèng musibat | wong ambêk jatmika kontit | mêngkono yèn nitèni | pedah apa amituhu | pawarta lalawara | mundhak angrêranta ati | angur baya ngikêta cariteng kuna ||

Men of letters have suggested | words of warning | in this world of despotism | honest people are no longer hired | so after a scrutiny | it's futile to believe | in rumors | will just incur agony | productive we shall be in reminiscence of past stories ||

~ 6 ~

Kêni kinarya darsana | panglimbang ala lan bêcik | sayekti akèh kewala | lêlakon kang dadi tamsil | masalah ing ngaurip | wahananira tinemu | têmahan anarima | mupus pêpêsthèning takdir | puluh-puluh anglakoni kaelokan ||

Past stories hold valuable lessons | of the good and the bad | there are certainly lots of examples | exemplary journeys | problems in life | that we reap what we sow | it takes dutiful observance to run in destiny |  where many things happen out of our logical reason.  

Why the age of madness

"Serat Kalatidha" is so named especially after the seventh stanza that clearly contains the word edan meaning mad. We can observe the following statements that also represent Ranggawarsita's deep feeling back then.

~ 7 ~

Amênangi jaman edan | uwuh aya ing pambudi | mèlu edan nora tahan | yèn tan milu anglakoni | boya kaduman melik | kalirên wêkasanipun | dilalah karsa Allah | bêgja-bêgjane kang lali | luwih bêgja kang eling lawan waspada ||

Witnessing the age of madness | gets us on the horns of a dilemma | going with the flow would be unbearable | but resisting the flow | would exclude us from having | leading to starvation, perhaps | thanks to God's will | the forgetful is less fortunate | than those who remember and stay cautious ||

Survive the test

Reading "Serat Kalatidha" by Raden Ngabehi Ranggawarsita has provided us with insight and understanding that hoaxes are really dangerous. They have detrimental effect if we we let ourselves consume them. History has witnessed the triumph of Trump due to racial prejudice and deceptive hoaxes during the presidential election.

In this serat Ranggawarsita finally comes to be aware that he may be deceived by his own mind and interpretation. He finally comes to terms with the situation learning that indecision should not be confused with caution. Instead of incessantly wishing for something, he has determined to do the best possible with capabilities. What really matters is making a contribution without harming or humiliating other people.

This is the very mindset we need to build in order to prevail through any trials in the modern life; to survive the tests we know yet to come.

Edo, a young entrepreneur from Pekalongan, Central Java, had been distressed to see his fellow batik craftsmen lose their job back in 2020. They were made redundant due to the outbreak of Covid-19 that affects seriously the global economy. Instead of complaining, Edo chose to run his own business under the umbrella of Sarung Tentrem. As his hometown has long been famous for its batik, he decided to produce a sarong that accommodates traditional values in a fresh design.

The new brand has proven to be a financial success and soon gains fame among batik lovers, particularly millennials all over the country. The product, presented in uniquely fresh design, has made its way to popularity even in the neighboring countries including Malaysia and Singapore.

What to do according to Javanese expression

What is primarily striking is that Edo's business starts and blooms during the pandemic. He has managed to build a business during the tribulations of life and scored success owing to creativity. This reminds me of several Javanese expressions known as tembung entar. This type of tembung is also called tembung silihan meaning loanwords.

Simply put, when we use tembung entar in a sentence, the phrases carry connotative meaning rather than the original denotation. The meaning is more implied than what the words appear to be. These expressions may belong to a figurative language that is used in order to amplify a message.  

1. Amba jangkahe

The phrase literally translates as "large steps" and is used to state when someone is willing to make every possible effort with available resources to deal with a situation. When one is described amba jangkahe, the person is either confident about finding a way out and will stop at nothing to search for opportunity. 

They believe that with every problem is a solution and that there are limitless opportunities for us out there during difficult situations if we keep things in perspective. Edo never minds the pandemic that he takes it as an opportunity to produce a new product and further its sale using digital marketing.       

2. Thukul pikire

While it is a relatively new brand, Sarung Tentrem has been able to top-rank its competitors owing to creativity. In the Javanese context, Edo is credited as thukul pikire which highlights his inventive turn of mind. The phrase actually means growing mind to imply one is astute and has a perceptive observation that they can come up with a solution with creative energy.

 

In Edo's case, the pola sorot (highlight pattern) normally found in the center of batik sarong is removed which makes his sarong design more fresh and dynamic. This creative decision has led his product to be very close to consumers' hearts, outmatching the competitors in the established market.           

3. Gilud kawruh

During this catastrophic episode of life, it is imperative we have the enthusiasm to learn a new skill and find us time to upgrade existing ones. There have been numerous webinars offered since the beginning of the pandemic and the topic covered have been varied and proved to be relevant to what we need today including digital marketing, public speaking, mindfulness, blogging, and the like. The key to success in everything is gilud kawruh which is making use of time to learn and update competence.         

4. Padhang langite

If you want to be creative even under severe strains, be committed to happiness. You must be happy in order to embrace creative vivacity. When you are delighted, positive vibes occur and you will be feeling very fortunate to have everything around you. That is when padhang langite takes place. The phrase reads 'bright sky' in English and firmly indicates happiness you need to adopt as an integral part of yourself. This includes self-possession that we are in control of ourselves and free from agitation.

You may enjoy listening to music or reading a favorite book to freshen up, it is of the essence that you find something that invigorates you. There must be one that we enjoy the most out of the many activities we normally do. Playing games can be one of those invigorating recreations to shift from daily routines. And when it comes to gaming, playing online seems ideal at the moment as we tend to spend more time at home during the pandemic.

Not only are we kept away from the dangerous virus, but staying at home will also provide us with more family time. It just so happens that I come across Candy House when looking for entertainment during a short respite from writing on the laptop. I sometimes get stuck when blogging and online games are a perfect pick to give me instant amusement. 

Candy House is a very easy game to play. All we have to do is create a line of three or more candies of the same color either horizontally or vertically. When three or more pieces match, they will collapse and disappear, allowing other pieces to fill the empty space while adding up scores. It is more interesting that the layout design changes and some pieces are locked in position as we move to higher levels. 

To break the locked pieces, we can match those pieces as part of a set of three or have a line destroyer set off on the same plane. If we want to destroy an entire line, we have to match four pieces of similar items in a row. 

It is important to note there are horizontal hash marks we can click or press to destroy anything on their horizontal line when we move them to complete another set of three. These horizontal hash marks destroy even different colored pieces as long as they come as a set of three.

The game gets more exciting when pieces with vertical hash marks appear. If we click these pieces, they will destroy all pieces on the vertical line they are on, leaving us energetically enchanted to see more pieces collapsing with incredible sound and our score accumulates.

If you're not into a matching game like this, there are plenty more games you can find on solitaire.org which offers a wide collection of online games for free. In addition to the legendary Solitaire games, this website includes logic puzzles, word games, mahjong, hidden object, and even Zuma which never fails to amuse us. 

Playing online games without registration or signups is what we exactly need to gain happiness instantly. With Solitaire, there is no reason for you to live in solitude even when you choose to run a solitary life.   

 

5. Lobok atine

But when happiness seems elusive, it is of paramount importance that we remain patient and accept what happens with resignation. It doesn't mean that we give up hope but to be aware we are strong enough to stay put and wait with vigor.

This is what lobok atine suggests. Literally meaning 'loose heart', the phrase encourages everyone to consider adversity normal and take any challenges as an opportunity to amass power. This way we should be assuredly on the track that we may expect divine help.

6. Meres kringet

Roughly translated as squeezing sweat, meres kringet indicates hard work. This is when you allow yourself to work your fingers to the bone. We must be prepared to exert ourselves to attain goals in life especially when we encounter the tribulations of modern life such as the ongoing pandemic. The Javanese phrase prescribes that one is to make every endeavor to make things happen.

7. Kandel kulite

It is very likely that we are tempted to give up when things have yet resumed to normal the way we expect them to be. An agonizing episode of life should not be easy as it presents difficulty we think we might be unable to bear. The pandemic lasting for two years is a hell of a critical moment when many important things are at stake including our own lives.

But be convinced that you have the potential to sustain any damages including the current pandemic we expect to last immediately. Kandel kulite, that's how Javanese put it. Originally meaning 'thick skin', the phrase implies a sense of invincibility. It is vital that we believe there's never too much to bear and that we have amazing resilience to rise from turbulence and crisis.

Finally, understanding those phrases has led us to realize that we are in fact adaptive to changes and incredibly poised to jump at opportunities during good times or bad ones. What to do during the pandemic, for instance, can be drawn from the treasure of our local culture and the positive energy within. Find your way of survival.

After understanding part of speech in Javanese and learning how words are ordered to make a good structure in the language, it is vital we comprehend how sentences are categorized. We call this silah-silahing ukara or types of sentences that fall into the following groups.

1. Ukara kandha (direct speech) 

As the name suggests, ukara kandha occurs when we quote what somebody said exactly word by word. 

For examples:

1. Bapak ngendika, "Sesuk aku menyang Jogja." / Daddy said, "I'm leaving for Jogja tomorrow."
2. Waluyo takon,  "Awakmu kok seneng nggambar?" / Waluyo asked, "How on earth are you fond of drawing?

2. Ukara crita (indirect speech) 

Contrary to the previous type, ukara crita reports what somebody said without repeating the words directly. 

For examples:

1. Bedjo ngomong nang aku wingi dekne ga mlebu sekolah. / Bedjo told me that he was absent from school yesterday.
2. Bu Murni ngendika yen bocah-bocah kudu melu upacara. / Mrs. Murni said that students have to join the ceremony. 

3. Ukara tindak (active voice) 

It is a type of sentence in which the subject is doing the work. 

For examples:

1. Ibu dhahar sekul. / Mother is eating some rice. 
2. Sapuan nggarap PR. / Sapuan is doing his homework. 

4. Ukara tandha (passive voice)

In ukara tandha, the subject of the sentence remains passive and simply allows the object to be emphasized.  

For examples:

1. Ketane dipangan Edi. / The glutinous rice is eaten by Edi.  
2. Marpuah ditimbali eyange. / Marpuah is summoned by her grandma.

5. Ukara pakon (imperative)

In this type of sentence, one is telling others to do something. 

For examples:

1. Menesuk mreneo jam 9. / Come here at 9 tomorrow morning.
2. Nulisa layang marang adimu. / Write a letter to your brother.

6. Ukara panjaluk (request)

We use ukara panjaluk to request politely that someone does something for us.

For examples:

1. Tolong silihana aku duwit. / Would you please lend me some money?
2. Tolong gambarna gedhang. / Please draw me a picture of banana. 

During a visit to Ponorogo while joining Kelas Inspirasi back in 2019 I had the privilege of meeting the headmaster of a local school of elementary level. The man dressed in a Reog team costume spoke in a powerful voice when welcoming us volunteers before we enter the classroom. The black dress he was wearing exudes both confidence and authority. The audience remained silent, clearly expecting something extraordinary.

"Kridha Ambuka Gatra! That's what you can read on the raised platform over there." He said without hesitation, neither pretended to be arrogant. While his elaboration was full of ambition, I couldn't agree more with every word he uttered. The sky was fresh that morning but the air stood still.

 

He further told us what the Javanese expression meant. "It emphasizes the virtue of work. One must be willing to do something in order to create opportunities." Kridha equals work, ambuka means to open, and gatra is opportunity.

It is imperative the students in the school demonstrate hard work and strong will to learn without consideration to stop. It is with actual doing that we can unlock potentials and embrace opportunities. It is also owing to real work that we can be taken closer to realization.

So do your best and let God take the rest.                  

The outbreak of Covid-19 has been a matter of unforeseen circumstances. The pandemic occurring in the global scale is no longer a battle of health, but an economic struggle that ultimately impinges on energy issue and social solidarity. For the last two years the hazardous disease has inflicted serious damage on the foundation of our life including the loss of people we dearly love. Not until the vaccine is invented and massively implemented that we are no longer at the mercy of the deadly virus.

The loss of family and friends has been an indescribable test. Restrictions on outdoor activities and the recommendation to spend more time at home have presented yet another problem to deal with. Mental health is becoming a serious matter of concern. Worse still, employees and labors alike were laid off, either temporarily or permanently, that results in a more challenging economy and gets them nowhere but holding up under the strain.

Javanese people have their own way to cope with the situation. They have philosophical doctrines to get its adherents to endure the stresses and strains of life like what we experience today. Sumeleh, sareh, ora jireh, and sumeh are a series of values we have long believed to equip us with power to thrive during hard times like the ongoing pandemic.

To flow like water

Sumeleh is derived from the word seleh that literally means “to put down”. Instead of giving up, sumeleh encourages one to embrace self awareness and to get rid of egoism while submitting to higher authority, i.e. Gusti (God). Sumeleh indicates a deliberate act of submission or subservience. With sumeleh we are required to understand that we cannot always impose every will without constraint, no matter how ideal and decent it may appear to us. Being sumeleh, we are to flow like water so that we are able to adapt to obstacles or turns, and other matters we encounter along the way.

While sumeleh also suggests we keep things in perspective, there are points when we need to grow sareh. Sareh equals patience and ability to remain composed. We are said to be sareh when we demonstrate endurance without inclination to instant insurgence. But that doesn’t necessarily mean we become fearful. We should never be afraid (ora jireh) of fighting for goodness despite the unexpected resistance. Ora jireh implies the audacity to act with reason and to be strongly disposed to take consequences.

The power of unfeigned smile 

The courage to engage in a fight against the current plague or any adversities should be equalized with sumeh (responsively unfeigned smile). This is perhaps the most paramount value underlying the Javanese philosophy. Be prepared for new challenges with a genuine smile. A smile makes us stronger and keeps us from being frightened (ora jireh). In addition, a smile sets us more unwearied (sareh). It is also smiles that keep us submissive without recklessness (sumeleh).

To make the secret work, we must:

• not deny the pandemic as a real occurrence as well as the serious impacts it entails;
• build connectivity through collaboration to support each other during this catastrophic episode of life;
• maintain both physical and mental health by regular exercise and stress management;
• get vaccinated to build herd immunity that will protect us from the harmful disease;
• relax our mind to give us a respite from taxing activities or intense anxiety.  

There are many ways to have a relaxed mind including listening to music, watching movies and travelling. Travelling might be ideal to refresh but currently not viable due to mobility restriction and will cost quite a lot of money other than staying at home.

 

Why online gaming?

And when it comes to longer stay at home, especially during the pandemic, playing games seems to be a perfect pick for us. Not only do video games enhance memory and boost concentration, they can also establish social connection and lead to financial benefit. Online games are getting more and more popular as pandemic hits humanity that we spend plenty of time at home than outdoors. People prefer playing online as there are a large variety of games and come with a more attractive visual presentation.

More to the point, online games can be played anywhere and anytime with flexibility of the number of players. Children and teenagers, in particular, will enjoy online games the most as they are digital natives. Parents may help them find the good source of games and expect their language skills to improve in the process.

If you have no idea what to play at home, plays.org is all you ever need to make online gaming fun and entertaining. It offers hundreds of games on the site and they are all free. A couple of games are added everyday and the best part of it is you do not need to download particular apps in order to play. This way you neither have to bother with losing phone memory nor deciding which app to remove in exchange of gaming apps.

One of the games worth trying is a math game called Guardians Defenders of Mathematica. It is an educational game that allows a player to work on addition, division, subtraction, and decimal fraction in an amusing way. Kids will certainly find this game enjoyable as they will likely focus on those attractive characters while unknowingly learning math.

Players can pick a character out of the available groups including knights, warriors, elves, rangers, witches, and wizards that will create strong ambience for kids with fitting sound and appealing narration. While it is a digital game, kids still have access to paper and pencil to do manual calculation in order to answer every question. Winning a math battle from evil wizards, trolls, giant spiders, hobgoblins, and dragons only by answering at least 7 out of 10 questions correctly will be a distinctive experience.

Trying to celebrate the past TV series including TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and Tom & Jerry, Plays has another science game called Electrio based on the Beano character Rubi von Screwtop, who appears in Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed back in 2017. In this simple game players are to help a young girl repair her broken gadgets by linking broken circuits together. Our duty is to connect positive and negative nodes, representing circuits, in an alternating pattern to form a closed loop in order to function.

We simply click (when using a computer) or tap (on a smartphone) a negative node to connect it to a positive one until a completely closed loop is made. When a correct link is built, we then go to the next level and be prepared to expect moving nodes as the level increases. It may seem effortless but it takes strategy and involves brain exercise to complete this mission.

If your kids are clueless how to connect the nodes, they can always click the Help button on the lower right corner of the game screen and a circuit arrangement will appear as a hint. Don't worry to lose points as there is no score deduction in this game. I am convinced kids and adults will equally enjoy this game in their leisure time as it comes with vivid animation and easy operation.

Obah, mamah

With Plays, online gaming has never been this fun. Just open your browser on a cell phone or a laptop and enjoy a wide collection of games in various categories to choose from. We would care less about any possible lockdowns once we know where and what to play to stay energized.  

A Javanese catchphrase says, “Obah, mamah” that literally means “to move, to chew”. This highlights the powerful nature of human being that if we are willing to make a purposeful move we will be able to survive. Quoting Albert Einstein, the key to survival is that “you must keep moving" assuming that “life is like riding a bicycle.” Accept what happened with submission and expect challenges with boldness to take action without forgetting to smile up and endure even the most harrowing phase of life.       

One of the most memorable moments I cherish during the pandemic and would like to repeat when things go normal again is my participation in Kelas Inspirasi, a volunteering activity in education that provides me with ample opportunity to visit elementary schools across the country. I have only joined on four occasions in four cities including my hometown in 2019.

To be frank, visiting Madiun has been a hell of a memory for me. There is when I discovered the magical clause, "Ojo leren dadi wong apik."

Ojo leren dadi wong apik

The clause may be short but it proves powerful. It is fueling life with an energy that transcends belief and intelligence. The Javanese phrase literally translates, "Never cease being good!" and that is what makes us human. 

People today may be driven by greed and superficiality and more people are perhaps taken into joining the group. However, it is our job to remain who we are, to show everyone we enjoy doing good, and take pride in preserving any acts of random kindness. 

It doesn't imply we desire no money or wealth, but the clause emphasizes that doing good is neither a hobby nor a mere manifestation of God's command but a part of lifestyle because we have it in our DNA so that we escape life if we don't embrace it.                 

We can choose to complain about the unbearable situation these days or to grow confidence that we will progress and thrive after the pandemic is over. It is not easy to remain strong and optimistic whereas the dangerous virus is still lingering around us in the global scale. I know it will take serious determination to steps out of the pandemic and we can always deduct energy from inspirational quotes. 

1. Albert Einstein: "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving." The key is to keep doing the best possible without fretting too much about limitation.
2. Arianna Huffington: "Failure is not the opposite of success; it's part of success." We don't have to worry about making mistakes, including a temporary unemployment due to the pandemic.
3. Confucius: "The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home." Remember that it takes great preparation in order to succeed, and the pandemic is a good moment to gain knowledge and valuable skill.  
4. Napoleon Hill: "It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed." It is imperative we help each other and benefit from collaboration especially during hard times like today.
5. Soren Kierkegaard: "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Never ever forget histories as they enrich and equip us to understand better how to make important moves to shape our future.

It is entirely up to us to live in despair or to move in hopeful manner. Let's pick whichever quote that empowers and enliven us so that the pandemic is longer a frightening episode, but an opportunity to learn and to be well prepared.