Kategori Cerpen
6 September 2017 23:33 WIB
The Pursuit of Happiness: The Story of a Cucumber, an Egg, and Spices
Translated by Nate Lukinsky
The sky took part in their laughter
In a simple Javanese pendopo (gazebo)
Four old friends told jokes cheerfully
After not having met for 20 years
But their mood changed drastically
When Baba, Bibi, and Bubu scowled
They seriously asked their old Esteemed Teacher,
“20 years have already passed by
With all our efforts we have chased and pursued
Dear Teacher, why hasn’t our life become happier?
Why haven’t our endeavors borne the fruits of happiness?
The Esteemed Teacher gazed at his 3 students with great compassion
He had listened intently and patiently to their query
He recalled the time 20 years earlier
When they had last met in the same pendopo
The Esteemed Teacher was respected by all
Green Bird was the name of his academy
There he taught the art of self-defense
But never for the purpose of brawling
Every day, his pupils trained
Exercising both their body and their mind
Not only for the sake of acquiring a healthy body
But also to achieve happiness
Baba, Bibi, and Bubu, three precious students
Had attained the highest grades at the academy
They had excelled by mastering every science and art
But they still needed to learn from the chapter of wisdom
“Listen to me, my sons,” their Esteemed Teacher said one day
Baba, Bibi and Bubu listened with rapt attention
“There remains one final chapter that you have not yet mastered
This is a discipline that you must each experience on your own”
“The last chapter involves the science of wisdom
It is the key to attaining happiness
Everything that you have already mastered is useless
If your heart lacks happiness”
Trees, birds, all of the natural world
Suddenly sang together in a choir of voices:
“Na, na, na…
Everything will be useless
Gia, gia, gia…
If you are not happy”
“I request that all three of you meditate for the next three nights
Search for genuine truth like a fortune-teller
Then hash it out in one voice
What you would all recommend
To do together
To master the chapter of wisdom
In order to attain happiness”
“We are ready, Teacher,” they cried out in unison
Their eyes were glistening and pulsating
One more chapter
After that, their training would be over, and they could leave
Baba, Bibi, and Bubu each in his own method
Engaged in various forms of contemplation
On the most precise manner
On the most valuable and effective means
To seek happiness
And then to reach a consensus on this together
Three young men, the first day
Three, the second day
Three, the third day
Despite their persistence, they couldn’t manage to speak with one voice
Each of them articulated his own pathway
But none of them was ready to concede his point of view
“This is the way to achieve happiness,” exclaimed Baba
“No, not that way… my method has been proven,” said Bibi
“This task is all an illusion, our teacher wanted us to realize this,” stated Bubu
The three of them finally requested some time to face the fact
That they couldn’t fulfill what their teacher had expected
Baba spoke first
“Teacher, perhaps you can arrange a contest
And whoever loses will follow the path the winner chooses
Since none of us wants to yield his position
Holding a competition may be the best solution”
Bibi and Bubu both rejoined,
“Yes, Teacher let’s just fight to settle this
With our bare fists
Or with weapons
Whoever wins will then determine
The path for seeking happiness”
“No, no, no! My sons,” the teacher restrained them
“We will not permit brute strength to determine the truth
After all, my desire was
That the three of you tread the same path
However, if it is too difficult to do this together
You are welcome to walk your own separate way
What’s crucial is achieving your goals”
“Please tell me the most valid path
The straight and narrow road to happiness
What did each of you select, my boys?
And please provide a reason for your choice”
Baba began to speak
“Teacher, the path I have chosen is science
I will master the laws that govern the sky and the earth
I will study to achieve the highest degrees
So that nothing will escape my attention and understanding
In this manner I will easily attain happiness”
Bibi explained his path
“Teacher, what I have chosen is strength
I will subjugate everyone, from the smallest to the biggest
I will target and defeat every source of authority
In this way I will easily achieve happiness”
Bubu also conveyed his objective
“Teacher, the path I have selected is wealth
I will amass huge assets by saving every coin
I will become even richer than Uncle Scrooge
With my great purchasing power
Happiness will come on its own”
“Alright, my sons
Undergo and experience your own path
This last chapter of study at our academy
Can only be understood through real-life experiences”
The four of them embraced
In the pendopo, the three students shed tears
Bidding farewell to their compassionate teacher
Who had taken loving care of them since childhood
“Twenty years from now
In the month of June when the full moon shines bright
I will wait for you right here in this pendopo
And you will tell me the outcome of the journey each of you has chosen”
The trees, the birds, even the table there
Sang in unison again,
“Na, na, na…
Everything is useless
Gia, gia, gia…
If you are not happy.”
The months passed by
Many years passed by
It was exactly 20 years later
In the month of June, when the full moon appeared amidst the clouds
They met at the pendopo
Telling assorted stories of
Their experiences seeking happiness
The teacher had become older
But it appeared he had also become more triumphant
Baba, Bibi, and Bubu looked dignified
Mature and grown-up
After feeling satisfied with recalling old memories
After having fully retold old stories from their youth
Baba, Bibi, Bubu began to tell their individual stories
Of the outcome of the last 20 years in pursuit of happiness
Baba spoke first
“Teacher, I have received every degree in higher education
A Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctorate, even a Post-Doctorate
I have searched for knowledge all the way to China”
It’s true, Teacher, that I now have a greater understanding of
The mechanisms that dictate the laws of both the earth and the sky
It’s true, Teacher, that my eyes are now more receptive to
The social sciences that concern the people of this world
However, all the studying I’ve done has not brought me happiness.
What is it I’ve neglected and overlooked?
It was now Bibi’s turn to tell his story
“Teacher, I am now very powerful
I have become an elder and head of a village
I am influential on this planet
I have many subordinates who report to me”
“I have the authority to change customs and rules
I can bend an oval and transform it into a circle
However, all the power I’ve consolidated has not made me happy
What is it I’ve neglected and overlooked?”
Bubu seemed just as curious
“Teacher, I am now exceedingly wealthy
Bus lines, rice fields, hotel chains and other businesses belong to me
I have the funds to buy anything that pleases me
Even the heads of villages can be bought with my money”
“My bank reserves pile ever higher
My businesses are all solvent and as firm as deep-fried crackers
However, all my wealth and holdings have not made me happier
What is it I’ve neglected and overlooked?”
“Thank God, my sons,” the teacher gladly said
“Your experiences have allowed you to see clearly
The science of happiness can be both complicated and simple
Your eyes have become more open to this truth”
“Scientific knowledge, power, and wealth
Ho ho ho ho ho…these are important for civilization
It is wonderful that you have all mastered these
It is especially important that you have already experienced these”
“However, the science of happiness is a science of intrinsic qualities, my sons…
It does not depend on what you stow in your pocket
It does not depend on how powerful you become
It does not depend on the amount of wealth you accumulate
It does not depend on the level of education you attain [1]
“Could you be more thorough, Teacher?” Baba inquired
“What do you mean?” Bibi asked
“Please tell us more, Teacher!” Bubu requested
The old teacher then brought out a teapot of hot boiling water
He also brought out three white bowls
One bowl contained a cucumber
Another bowl contained a blend of spices
One more bowl contained a raw chicken egg
Baba, Bibi, and Bubu looked at each other
They gazed at each other as though they were dazed
They could not understand the teacher’s intentions
They could not comprehend the purpose of the cucumber, spices, and egg.
“Now learn from the cucumber, egg, and spices
They represent who you are
Comprehend the boiling water in the teapot
It represents the environment of your special talent
Boiling water can symbolize knowledge
Boiling water can symbolize power
Boiling water can symbolize wealth
Now look what happens”
The teacher then poured some boiling water
into each white bowl
The bowl that contained a cucumber
The bowl that contained a raw egg
The bowl that contained a blend of spices
Each bowl was completely filled with boiling water
The hard cucumber changed and became soft
The liquid egg white and yolk of the raw egg became hard and solid
A fragrant aroma wafted from the immersed blend of spices
Baba, Bibi, and Bubu all watched intently
Yet they still could not understand its meaning
“What does this symbolize?” asked Baba
“What does it mean?” asked Bibi
“What message does it have?” asked Bubu
“True happiness cannot be attained by you
If you are a cucumber or an egg
Only the boiling water will affect and change you
From a hard to a soft state, like the cucumber
Or from a liquid to a solid state, like the raw egg”
“Only the accumulation of science, power, and wealth
Has changed you
You have only taken in your quest for change
You have taken and obtained scientific knowledge
You have taken and obtained power
You have taken and obtained wealth
Like the cucumber that took and absorbed boiling water
and became soft
Like the egg that took and sustained the heat of boiling water
and became solid”
“To attain true happiness
You must be like the blend of spices
You will certainly make your environment more sweet-smelling
Just like the spices made the boiling water become fragrant”
“The spices bestow in and of itself
The spices dedicate in and of itself
To the boiling water
To its surroundings
Make use of your scientific knowledge
Exercise your authority
Exploit your wealth
So that your surroundings become fragrant”
“To live, you need to take
But to achieve happiness, you need to give”
Again, the trees, birds and table
Sang out together like a choir:
“Na, na, na…
Nothing has value
Gia, gia, gia…
If you’re not happy
To live, you need to take
But to attain happiness you need to give” [2]
“Is the knowledge that I’ve acquired flawed?” asked Baba
“In what way is my authority incorrect?” asked Bibi
“Is there something wrong with my financial assets?” asked Bubu
“What’s important is not what you have acquired
But your attitude about what you’ve acquired
Besides taking
You must not forget to contribute”
“Bestow lovingly from your heart
Using your vast knowledge, power, and wealth
This is the key to the science of happiness”
The sky, the moon, and the dark night
The trees, the birds, and the table
The old teacher, Baba, Bibi, and Bubu
Were like a choir singing together
Enjoying their wisdom
“To live, you need to take
But to achieve happiness, you must contribute”
Their period of education had come to an end
Baba, Bibi, and Bubu had finished their training at the academy
After 20 years of traveling on their quest to find the right path
They had completed the final chapter of wisdom
The doorway leading to happiness
It turned out that the knowledge they had been seeking
Had been stowed deep in their heart
Baba, Bibi, and Bubu returned home
Reciting again and again their teacher’s mantra
“To live, you need to take
But to achieve happiness, you must contribute”
[1] Extrinsic factors, such as power, education, and wealth exert an influence of at most 10% on a person’s level of happiness: http://thehowofhappiness.com/
[2] Serving others with love and contributing through public service or charity are substantially more meaningful in enhancing one’s level of happiness; http://sonjalyubomirsky.com/ and http://thehowofhappiness.com
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