PROLOGUE
Dewa Ruci: In Search of The True Self
Why i travel to learn about people and to tell stories
“The universe continues to surprise those who continue to seek and question. It has an infinite number of outcomes, broadening the range of possibilities that will affect your life. Is it your feelings? your money? your career? What are the chances? It could be the best or worst you’ve ever imagined. But why do we still look on the bad? The best new one is still on the way, and it all comes down to your decision.”
At least, that’s what I told myself every time I reached at the checkout page of a booking website.
The journey began with a dream sparked by a story. My grandfather told me a story when I was a child about his journey around the world in a Navy’s legendary mission named Dewa Ruci, which acts as a goodwill ambassador for Indonesia to the rest of the world. He was a part of the ship’s crew that successfully sailed from Indonesia across the seven seas and five oceans.
Dewa Ruci’s journey also took him to the Suez Canal, Casablanca, the Atlantic, and Bermuda. In reality, they are recognized as harsh and kind small people in the communities where they stop. KRI Dewa Ruci’s appearance also drew people from other countries to want to get on the ship’s deck and immortalize himself there.
KRI Dewa Ruci’s cadets were brilliant in introducing Indonesia to the rest of the world. They not only wore cadet uniforms, but they also dressed up like a carnival by incorporating Indonesian culture. Every time they dock in another country, they are exposed to this culture. Foreigners who have witnessed the journey say that the ship is magnificent, and the cadets on board are familiar figures. According to one comment, the cadets were like gods marching on board the vessel full of courage.
The name Dewa Ruci was inspired by Javanese mythology’s God of will and truth, and This also has a link to the ancient tale of Dewa Ruci. The play portrays student’s loyalty to their teachers, their freedom of action, and their quest to find their identity. The acknowledgment of one’s identity, according to Javanese philosophy, will bring a person to know one’s origins as a creation of God. Knowing God creates a desire to act following God’s will.
We were on vacation as a family at the time, and I was having a long chat with my grandfather before going to bed. It was late, and we were talking about a lot of stuff till the morning. I asked him hundreds of questions about his fantastic journey. I was in awe at the time, playing with my imaginations to connect to his experience.
He told me about how people vary in different parts of the world, how they communicate, how they behave, and what the most beautiful aspects of their culture are. It suddenly sounds like a work of art that I’ve never seen and understood because it is something entirely new to me. Still, it just feels different and gives me a unique perspective on the world.
My grandfather was going through his old photo album, looking for photographs from when he was still a part of the Navies. Then he handed me some of his photos, saying they were some of the most excellent images he’d ever taken and inviting me to look at them. He told me that these photos are some of the most iconic and have a lot of history behind them.
The first photograph was taken under the statue of Yugoslavia’s leader, Tito, on the day the crews arrived in Yugoslavia after passing through the Suez Canal and Egypt. The second image shows him and his team repairing the ship’s mainsail in the middle of the sea. The vessel had suffered damage due to the weather, and the crews were able to fix the rope of the mainsail. In the third picture, he was photographed with his friends on the boat’s deck. All of these photographs were taken in 1964.
I was getting even deeper into the adventure. He told me a lot about fun and intriguing stories because those events were happening when he solved some of his problems while he was traveling at that time. What if the ship is forced to crash into the ferocity of the Pacific Ocean, or the ferocity of the Atlantic, which is recognized as the most frightening sea conquered by Dewa Ruci’s ship?
It leaves me with many questions because what he went through as a kid was unthinkable to me at the time, and it was an enthralling tale to learn — such an incredible adventure and bravery to be admired.
The lengthy discussion had encouraged me to learn more, to challenge more, and to seek out incredible stories that were out of this world. Although this can seem to be a cliche, it has a significant impact on me.
Because the internet was not as good back then as it is now, I did my research by talking about everything related to culture, country, and nature with everyone, particularly family and close friends, but they think I’m being unrealistic and thinking too far away. Since then, my parents have been giving me books about countries from A to Z, books about nature and biology, and biographies of famous people. I was taking a lot of broad general knowledge at the time, especially for third graders.
One day, I found that my uncle has a collection of National Geographic Magazines. I asked about his readers, and he then shared some of his readings and collections with me. I was so excited about it when I read each of the pages where it displays a beautiful picture that was taken beautifully and left such an impression on me. The thought of reading and collecting the book appealed to me. So I told him I wanted to subscribe to the magazine like him, and he looked confused. He thought that I could not comprehend what is inside the book (well, actually, not really).
Then my uncle begins to subscribe to the magazine for me, and he sends me the magazine every month. And I’m not sure what the book’s purpose is because the pictures are fascinating, especially some of the more colorful items portrayed in the book.
At the time, the book was telling about what was going on in wars worldwide, especially the Iraq war in 2005–2006, and included some explicit photographs. Meanwhile, I know that it would have filled my canvas with curiosity and will become a portal for me to see the world in a broader context.
From there, I discovered empathy and a unique side of the universe that humans seldom see. The magazine has given me a lot of leverage in the open world because it covers everything and is mainly designed for curious people.
I subscribed to the magazine for five years before the magazine company issued me a member card for my long-term subscription. They were also shocked that all of these years, their subscriber was a 12-year-old boy.
Of course, these things inspired me and becoming a part of me. The curiosity, the questions, and also some excellent stuff I did in my childhood life to answer my interest. How the empathy grows in me, how I wonder about the interaction between people. I’m constantly looking for the fun part, how to get a picture of a unique story.
Often I enjoy watching people debate and imagining what they are thinking about their claims.
Is it a matter of pride?
Their contentment?
Or, to be honest?
People have their own colors. Combining them and painting them on a canvas will result in a new art piece. I often see people as books because they each have their own narrative, tragedy, and a plethora of fascinating sides that must be seen and understood. I thought it was very engaging to have more differences in a state of specially made arts for yourself. They were decoding the algorithm and transforming it into your state-of-the-art to be shared with all.
I enjoy making a wide range of choices because, in my opinion, having this kind of principle gives me a broader scope of chance in life that will influence my reality. Every significant outcome leads to a bigger one, which might be the best or something you can grow through. Continuous learning fosters a desire to act following God’s will.
As I write this, I’m on my friend’s balcony enjoying the extended lockdown. It is my 50th day in Mardin, a beautiful city in Turkey’s southeast. I was inspired to write more about the people I met and some tragedies I experienced; it might be interesting to tell that some of the experiences were encountered by myself.
