Book Review: Leaving the Quiet Lake

Before the sun leaves the earth, a boy sits on the steps of his house while reading a book. In the yard of the house, in a small town about 80 kilometers from Medan, his mother is sweeping leaves that have fallen from the trees. A moment later, his mother is beside him.

“What are you reading, Ni?”
"Roman, Ma. Sutan Takdir..."
"Mama knows that name. She also wrote it The Never-Fading Light and Never Stopped Being Plagued by Misfortune, right? Is that the new book? What's the title?”
“Screen Expanded”
"It's rare for you to read books in Malay..."
“…Friends in the group also said the story was good. People who think progressively. Modern. Changing the narrow Eastern way of thinking to be rational like Westerners.”

Unfortunately, his mother did not understand what 'modern' and 'rational' were. That is why the child was asked by his mother to better tell the parts he liked. With pleasure and enthusiasm, the child told his mother an excerpt from the novel by Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana.

Sapere Aude

Screen Expanded tells the story of two sisters. The eldest is named Tuti and is 25 years old, while the younger is named Maria, who is 20 years old. Even though they were born from the same womb, they are very different, like heaven and earth. If we talk to Tuti, we will find an ideal conversation partner to exchange ideas, compete with reason, even duel with pens. That impression is not found in Maria. Although she is a cheerful and lively girl, the conversation with her revolves around the routine of daily life.

If we examine the contents of this novel more closely, we will find that Tuti is a character who is not far from the attitude and ideas of Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana in the famous Polemic of Culture. Tuti is “a strong and sturdy person, who does not like to give, restless in working and fighting for ideals that according to her mind are noble and lofty.” Meanwhile, Maria is none other than “the incarnation of the radiance of feelings that are not hampered…”

From there, we know that Tuti, as well as Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana, were followers of what Immanuel Kant called for at the end of the 18th century: Sapare Aude. If humans want to escape from their own immaturity, they must have the courage to use their own minds without the guidance or direction of others. It should be noted that in order to use their own minds, humans should be given freedom (freedom). Therefore, inhibiting a person's freedom to express his thoughts on anything is the most obvious form of canceling the progress of enlightenment: the release of immaturity.

Like Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana, Tuti is a punch against the establishment and rigidity of thought in an era. It is said that Tuti was active in organizations and devoured books to fight for the fate of women. Not only that, she even dared to reject an engagement with the daughter of a regent. In fact, her father had hoped that the engagement could be realized. From here, it can be said that Tuti stands on her own two feet, does not need, let alone depend on, anyone including her parents, to determine her future. In short, she is a human being who free from his own immaturity.

Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana's partiality for Western culture is not without defense. For him, Indonesian culture is a culture that is disconnected from the culture of past kingdoms, which once triumphed, and also collapsed, in the Indonesian archipelago. In other words, he did not see any continuity between the Majapahit Kingdom, for example, and Indonesia. Simultaneously, "Since ancient times, our nation has been fond of an attitude that regards this world as meaningless, mortal. The world is only a temporary stop." It is not surprising that "Poverty felt to him as something worthy and sometimes even the best. Because he hoped for pleasure and glory in another world."

Based on this explanation, Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana then proposed that the Indonesian nation imitate Western culture if it wanted to compete with Western nations. Here, Western culture, as Tuti said, is the modern spirit: “Thoroughness, hardness of heart, sharpness of brain, joy of work…” It is this spirit that “causes Westerners to be noble.” They “built an empire that encircled the world… controlled nature, flew in the air, and dived in the sea.” In another sentence, Sutan Takhir Alisjahbana wrote, “The world is not virtual, not a place to stop for a while… instead of taking the path of yoga telling us to stop thinking, our nation must think more.”

In an interview, Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana in his old age stated that his stance in pushing the modernity agenda for the future of Indonesia in the 1930s was correct. The majority of people, he continued, agreed and did not question that modern culture was inseparable from the progress of science and technology. It is safe to say that in the eyes of Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana, the modern culture he promoted was the winner of the duel of cultural ideas. In other words, the ideas of the Sanusi Pane camp lost, just like the death of Maria in the novel Screen Expanded. This modernity “does not come from the culture of our ancestors,” but rather “comes from the era of Renaissance,” he added.

It must be admitted that the progress of science and technology did not come from the culture of our ancestors in the pre-Indonesian era, the era of Indonesian ignorance. It is also firmly stated that science and technology (once) were recorded as liberating humans. However, at the same time, we witnessed that both (once) went astray. History books tell us that both have become instruments of Western power, and eventually gave birth to totalitarianism, colonialism, racism, and others.

In the midst of this situation, it would be a bit wrong if we then blame, let alone reject, science and technology, as called for by a number of gloomy thinkers. Because, science and technology are actually just tools. Therefore, both are 'neutral'. In the hands of the right people, both can liberate humanity. However, if they fall into the wrong hands, science and technology will actually plunge humanity into the abyss of destruction.

Meanwhile, simply placing trust in science and technology produced by scientists, without any sense of skepticism, is not a wise choice. Because, both of them have the potential to be misused by evil hands, and ultimately lead humanity to the abyss of death. These days, that seems to be one thing of relevance Screen Expanded for us. In such conditions, we should not curse or worship science and technology. What must be done is to monitor or oversee both.

The Eternal Arrays

The evening in the yard became even more lively after the boy read a number of interesting scenes in Screen Expanded, while swaying, to his mother. Unexpectedly, two policemen came to the house. Without further ado, they arrested both of the boy's hands. The work of Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana fell to the floor. One of the policemen then picked it up.

“This child must come with us to the office,” said a police officer.
“Mom, tell Dad!” the boy exclaimed.
“Shut up! Just tell your father to come to our office,” a police officer snapped at the boy.

At the police station, the child was bombarded with a series of questions that he did not understand. Also, the book was held as evidence. Fortunately, he was released, even after his father came to the police station. The incident left a mark and taught him a lesson: literary works can change people's views. Therefore, he nurtured his passion for reading and writing. Before old age gnawed at him, and before death came to him, said Hasan Aspahani (2016) in "Chairil“, the boy wrote timeless lines: “I want to live another thousand years“.