73 years ago, on Friday 17 August 1945 all Indonesian people and nation gathered in front of the house Ir. Soekarno to proclaim Indonesian independence. However, today the Indonesian people and nation gather in the fields to commemorate Indonesia's 73rd independence.
Today, the sky reveals its bright blue face. Beautiful white clouds moved as the wind above the wind blew hard. I looked around me, people who were busy passing by with all their work. This is an urban portrait. Crowded and noisy. But behind all of this there was something that caught my attention. I looked up from the bottom of the road, seen an old grandmother standing on the bridge. My hunch says, she is not an ordinary person. Whether it's just my hunch or what, but clearly I want to approach her.
My heart was moved to step to the pedestrian bridge to see the grandmother closer. I climbed the stairs after the stairs and I now looked at the grandmother from a close distance. Seen the worn-out grandmother who was thin with a look full of fatigue and suffering. She also saw holding a plastic cup that contained a coin, I don't know how much it was. I didn't know because my eye's visibility was too narrow to see what little metal (dime) was.
Many people passed by in front of the grandmother it seemed they did not care about the condition of the nenenk. Starting from parents, teenagers, men, women, everything passes without turning or paying attention to the grandmother. I opened my wallet, took out something from it. Not bad, enough for lunch. I walked and now I really approached the grandmother.
"Grandmother? I have a little money for grandmother, "I said then I gave the grandmother a little money. The grandmother looked confused, then with trembling hands the grandmother grabbed and took money from my hand. "Thank you, son," She said in a hoarse voice but I could still hear it. The grandmother then sat with a used cardboard box, she seemed so weak and tired. Without hesitation she immediately said: "Son, grandmother hasn't eaten for two days. At that time I immediately went looking for a rice stall and bought a packet of rice for the grandmother. And I immediately returned to the grandmother's place and gave the grandmother a packet of rice. Without a doubt she I opened and ate the rice I gave it. I squatted in front of the grandmother who was eating her rice. I took the Rp. 100,000 bill and put it in a plastic cup which turned out to contain Rp. 500. The glass was placed next to the grandmother.
Shortly after that the rice had also been eaten, I took a bottle of mineral water in my backpack and returned to give it to the grandmother. She looked smiling behind the white hair that rested around his wrinkled lips. "Thank you good child," he continued. I looked at the sky from the crossing bridge gap and then again said to the grandmother, "Grandma, I really care about grandmother. The reason, my hunch says grandmother is not an ordinary person "the grandmother sighed. "Is that your hunch, son? where did that hunch come from? "replied the grandmother. "I was down the road and I noticed that grandmother was so stunned by the flag," Appoint me to the Red and White flag under the settlement.
The grandmother stood up and looked back at the flag she had noticed, I also stood right next to the grandmother. "That is the flag of our country, son, the country we have struggled to liberate and now he can fly without disturbing, how grandmother is not amazed to see it," said grandmother again. Now I'm amazed by the grandmother's answer. "Is my guess right, Grandma? Grandma is one of our previous people who made the flag fly without interruption? "I asked. The grandmother smiled, her eyes still focused on staring at the flag blown by the wind so that it fluttered proudly today. "Grandma never thought so. When grandmother your age had become the duty of grandmother to make that happen, so our grandchildren can all enjoy this country, "The grandmother said so deeply that I felt like I was slapped as a young generation in the present era. "So right, grandmother is a former freedom fighter?" The grandmother nodded, "Maybe now, you can say that, kid" I'm getting worse. "Grandma? Why is now grandmother living like this? it is not feasible if someone who has captured and fought for this nation is also ignored by the nation, it is not fair! "The grandmother's smile grew wider, it seemed she wanted to convey a lot to me. "It's okay, son, grandmother is old to have fun now, being able to eat every day is enough for an important grandmother no one is bothered".
I looked at the grandmother, how great she was with that answer, I wanted to chat more with that grandmother. "Grandma, can you tell me when this country is still colonized?" The grandmother's eyeballs point up as if she is trying to remember. "It used to be so cruel that the Dutch and Japanese drained this country, not only were their natural resources hurt, but we Indonesians almost couldn't do anything," said the grandmother. Then he shows something. "This is a shot at the foot of grandmother, this wound grandmother can after ambushing the enemy base, we lost at that time and the grandmother who was shot finally arrested and then sent as prisoners. Inside the prison really suffered from the condition of my grandmother, my grandmother was hit with the tip of a rifle, intimidated and most of my grandmother remembered, the Dutch commander told my grandmother to drink her urine. Even so, my grandmother's neck and head remained upright, never bowed, fear of grandmother being defeated by the power to liberate this country, because with that feeling independence was not just a dream "My tears dripped, the grandmother saw it but I quickly washed it with my fingers. "Grandma, do you know how great a person like that is? people who have a high sense of nationalism "The grandmother smiled at me," Why did you cry, son? "I replied to the smile of the grandmother," I really drifted to hear it, I don't think people like grandmother have to live like this, "" grandmother is happy You care, but grandmother is very old, grandmother is fine in the twilight like this, Grandma likes to live on the road because in the way of many people, seeing smiles of people on the street is a pride for grandmother, because smiling can only be done by invaders and in fact now the country can smile "Statement of the grandmother from her experience who cannot lie. "Grandma, but I beg my grandmother, may I ask my grandmother to ask me something, suppose this is a gift from the grandmother's grandson who is already independent" the grandmother still stared at the flag, a few moments later she returned to speak. "Well, son, convey this to people of your age you know, don't forget the history of this country, don't let western negative culture enter and be followed, foster a sense of love for the country and most importantly, you must admit that you are Indonesian, because this country deserves recognition from noble people like us, people who love difference, people who are friendly, do not like to be scattered, have tolerance and fairness to all, "Requested the Grandmother who made me amazed repeatedly, he was not concerned with himself because the request still concerns this country. "Okay, Grandma, I will convey to friends, relatives, whoever I know, if I have met a great man who is manly and whose attitude is not as fragile as his body."
The grandmother was silent when she heard the sound of the adhan and tidied up her lunch box, cardboard and plastic cups. He then said, "Thank you for your food and money, son, but most importantly thank you for your concern for the nation, Grandma is sure people like you will feel the pleasure of being independent because they know history, Grandma excuse me, have entered the time of prayer" The grandmother walked leaving me still amazed, the last thing I saw before the grandmother disappeared was her fragile back, not because she was old and vulnerable but because she carried so many historical memories.
In the 73rd Indonesian independence day, Let's care for independence by prioritizing the interests of the nation and the state rather than personal and group interests
Thanks For Your Time
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