Friska Notes

The Talk

I am always blessed to be able to connect to people who are generous, kindhearted, humble, but deep in thought. I never necessarily look for them, but somehow we always find each other. My circle and friends are broad and come from various backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs.   

I also like to travel and meet new people, and having a conversation with strangers is effortless. From the hawker streets sellers, security officers, taxi drivers, and so on. However, I always know to whom I might continue the conversation and dig deeper or stop. Therefore, I have a lot of talk memories stored in my head, lol.   

Anyway, one or two deep conversations might stay longer and appear in my mind on odd occasions. In this exile time, I had one conversation with a colleague at school that lingered in my mind this afternoon. In that rare moment, in the middle of our hectic hours at school, this teacher and I occasionally had a chit-chat in the library, and we just connected quickly.   

The Friend-'Cousin'

Even though he is an expatriate, he is a devoted Muslim with a broad mind. He reads books like chewing bubble gum, lol. Therefore, our fundamental values between Muslims and Christians are almost similar, but at least, because of his broad view and his readings, he understands most Christian's values. Let's say he is like a distant cousin of me lah, lol.   

I was curious to know his family background because his smartness is really really impressive. I have to emphasize the "really" words here twice, lol. FYI, most of my colleagues are super brainy people. I think our HRD Manager has done a terrific job finding us all. Makasih Ibu L :D  

My Life Blueprint

Back to my conversation with this friend, I told him this is how I understand myself. I can trace my life blueprint by knowing my family background and heritage. It's just like collecting little puzzles, what defines me as Friska today. Therefore, I always make it a habit that whenever I read a terrific book, I will trace down who is the book writer and read the details about that person. Also, it will be the same for other aspects of my life. Whenever I find someone engaging to be learned, I will Google more about that person.

I told this friend how I learned about myself today by tracing my ancestry and finding the little secret story about my grandparents in the old times. That's also when I realize how Bataknese patriarchy stays strong until now, and nothing we can do about that (We had discussed this on a different occasion).  

By knowing yourself, you can accept who you are and understand where "this you" come from. You can understand yourself and reflect and check the tendency in your genealogy if there are some traits/habits/characters you need to remove from your life or accept. As a bonus, you will also question who God is and your purpose in life. I think it will be a never-ending search, hahaha.   

The Conversation

It was a long opening conversation before I asked my friend about his family background, and he was amazed to know the preamble, lol. He stared at me for a while, and surprisingly he said,  

"Ah, then it's just like what Socrates say, Gnothi Seauton."  

"What did Socrates say? I can't recall, Gnoti, what?" 

"Gnothi Seauton, know thyself, γνῶθι σεαυτόν. That's what Socrates said. It was in latin." 

"I know Socrates was a philosopher, but I do not know he said that!" I was too surprised and blushed. 

It is fantastic to realize how my wandering mind is in the (almost) same frequency as the prominent philosopher of the world, Socrates, lol. 

"Then, what is happiness for you?" 

"I believe happiness comes when you know yourself and accept who you are." 

"How do you know about yourself?" 

"Keep asking yourself, questioning yourself, just like what I am doing right now." I laughed super hard, again, hahaha.  

Again, he looked at me surprisedly; he could not figure out why it looked fast and easy for me to answer that life depth philosophy question confidently. The words just came out of my mouth, just like that. I was too surprised when I reflected again on my way home that afternoon. How come?  

It is what I like about having a deep talk with someone. It's like a hook for an enlightenment. You will always learn something. You know someone better, but you learn more about yourself. Thanks to my friend and the conversation with him, I learn to appreciate myself more and I think that I am on the right track :D  

FYI, I rarely read philosophy books. The first and last philosophy book I read was Sophie's World, years ago in college. However, my lifelong habit of questioning myself, reflecting, and being analytical about what I read, listen to, or watch, has been forever with me. I can interpret a familiar fiction story differently than other friends who happened to be reading the same book.   

I love doing it. For me, finding myself is a joyful journey. I hope you, too having fun on the same ride as me. I am truly blessed, thank you Jesus!     

Jakarta, 12 July 2022.