aristiwidya.com

Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.
Bible – Song of Solomon

It has been a week full of heart aches and heart breaks here in Jakarta. Anger, tears, disappointment, frustration and confusion have filled the air. I’m not sure if it’s because of this uncanny scorching heat, the unexpected hypnotizing full moon and the descent of 9-9-9 that make people do crazy things.

As I witness people I love experiencing pain, I too feel the heaviness in their hearts. Hearts that said to have been broken again and again because of love. Only the people that we truly love that can break our hearts, right?

Is this what love is?
Is love merely an opportunity to have our hearts being broken?
Is love supposed to cause such pain?
Why then, would you fall in love?

As I learn to grow in life – from heart breaks, family fights and friendships – I begin to see love in a new light. Here is what I learned… » Read the rest of this entry «

After about 10 years of not re-reading the Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, I met a good friend who told me that his favorite book is the Alchemist, especially the line that says “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only real obligation. And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

That night, I went home and went straight to my pile of books and find my copy of the notorious book again. I climbed right on to my bed and started reading it again, with a new found look on life.

It hits me particularly strong this time, because now that I am in my thirties, I am actually actively searching for what my purpose in this life is. What is it that I want to do in this life? What is it that I actually love doing? What’s my true passion? Where do I want to go? What’s my calling? » Read the rest of this entry «

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion. “
- The Dalai Lama

Percaya tidak, kalau saya berkata bahwa “Kebahagiaan itu adalah sebuah ketrampilan, bukan sifat.” Memang ini bukan suatu paradigma baru, walaupun saya baru benar-benar menyadarinya belakangan ini. Sampai Dalai Lama pun mengatakan “PRACTICE” – artinya ada yang harus dilatih bukan?

Mari kita bandingkan. Banyak orang yang ingin menjadi seorang pedansa, penyanyi ataupun pembicara yang unggul. Dan, ketika kita bertemu dengan berbagai macam orang, sering kita berkata bahwa seseorang lebih unggul dari yang lain – lebih berbakat. Beberapa orang memang sudah terlahir memiliki bakat untuk menjadi seorang pedansa, penyanyi ataupun pembicara… sementara diri kita lainnya tidak terlalu berbakat. Padahal, saya percaya sama guru dansa saya waktu kecil, bahwa sukses adalah 10% bakat dan 90% kerja keras / ketrampilan.

Nah, menurut saya mendapatkan kebahagiaan sama seperti ingin menjadi seorang pedansa, penyanyi ataupun pembicara yang unggul. Ada beberapa orang yang dari lahirnya sudah sangat bahagia dan tenang… dan banyak dari kita yang sepertinya sangat sulit untuk mendapatkan kebahagiaan tersebut. » Read the rest of this entry «