Hot Topic: Culture and Tradition

Living in Melbourne, with the majority of my classmates being white, most of them are quite shocked to hear that I have maids back home in Jakarta. They would look at me, bewildered, and ask, "maids?" As if the idea of having a live-in servant is preposterous and should be reported to social services. I'd respond nonchalantly because it's something that I and my friends have grown up with. Having a maid is as normal as having breakfast in the morning, because I personally don't know anyone who does not employ maids or drivers. It's just something you kind of do. What's so wrong about employing uneducated and illiterate people who would otherwise be begging on the streets or sleeping around for money? We house them, give them food, and even pay for their children's education.

Let's get to it:

Growing up in a third-world country, I have experienced a completely different culture and accepted it wholeheartedly. You can immerse yourself in another country's culture for a year or so, but you were already brought up with a specific mindset, so anything odd or out of the ordinary is considered as 'backwards' or 'stupid'. Being of both Indonesian and Chinese descent, I have really cool traditions. I was raised in a country where if you don't feel too well, you drink a special type of tea. Or they rub your back with coins until your skin turns red. If you have trouble conceiving, you drink a special herbal tea. If you have an outdoor event and it looks like it's going to rain, you hire a pawang hujan, which is a shaman that could control the weather. If you sprain your ankle, you get a Chinese masseuse to straighten it out for you immediately. If it's after maghrib (Muslim evening prayer), you don't go out because you're more likely to see ghosts. If you have a stomach ache, you eat Po Chai Pills which are a godsend and if you haven't tried them yet then you are missing out because they are made of angel dust. If you have a sore throat, you gargle with this herbal medicine. Or how you shave the hair of your newborn after a month to ensure the growth of thicker hair. 

There are things that I've learned to accept because I was raised that way. No matter how much my boyfriend makes fun of it, or my white friends and their skeptical and oftentimes condescending suggestion of it being a placebo effect, I love these traditions and customs. I love my culture. But there comes a point where Westerners shake their heads and go, "no, that doesn't make sense. That's stupid."

Yeah, maybe it is stupid. Maybe scraping coins on your back doesn't actually relieve you from your cold. Maybe hiring a pawang hujan doesn't actually stop the rain. But so what? Some people swear by its effectiveness. What is it with the westerner's adamance to logically prove everything? That they have to go around shaking their heads at my ghost stories because it's 'impossible'. Why? Just because you're unable to prove it through the Baconian method, that mean's it's stupid? I apologize for the fact that my country hasn't gone through our own Renaissance period and our Mona Lisa is limited to the shitty graffiti under worn out bridges. 

But the act of convincing me that a certain tradition is downright dumb is just extremely inconsiderate. Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it's not true and is 'backwards'. Unless it is female genital mutilation or underage marriage (both of which are still performed in Indonesia), or any tradition that harms another human being, then you have no right to condemn what we do or what we believe. Chinese people eat dogs and some people go around boycotting it just because they don't eat dogs. Yeah, they just eat cows, chickens, lambs, birds, you know, no big deal. But furry happy 4-legged dogs? Oh heaven's no! You ought to be ashamed of yourself, killing those innocent doggie dogs. Here have some turkey instead.

Yes I was once offered to eat rabbits and bats in an Indonesian restaurant. Yes we eat on the floor, with our hands. Utensils are for pussies. Yes we eat our food on leaves. But I hate the fact that we're starting to abandon that kind of behavior towards a more 'civilized' one. I mean, we're sitting on goddamn chairs now. And they provide spoon and forks. What kind of place is this, giving us tools to eat? Outrageous. Bring on the leaves! Bring on the live animals that you cook in front of our eyes! I shall not conform to the westerner's ideals of what is right and what is wrong! If we want to eat our rice with our bare hands then let us be. If we want to call a man to dance to the rain gods then let him be. If we want a shaman to curse the family that owe us money then let us be. 

If you watch documentaries of African tribes or Asian traditions, you can see them slowly slipping away from the traditions of their elders and into a more socially acceptable one. But I love how some rural villages chisel their teeth into fangs because it's considered beautiful. How some African women shave their hairs because hair is considered a potent sexual symbol. The little things that different countries do that might not be socially acceptable anywhere else, yeah, they're the ones that you have to cherish. Have you ever watched Vice? They go around the world making documentaries in different countries about their customs. I watched one where the host goes to a village in Indonesia and at one point, she stepped on a 'sacred' rock. The look on her face of, "lol sacred rock wut these ppl need education," made me grunt. If a guy in a village says a rock is sacred you better believe it is. You have no idea the level of dark magic in my country. They can easily make your nipples fall off if they want to, alright. You can't just mess with their rocks. 

Granted, some westerners just want to educate us about fact and fiction. But that's not the way to do it. You educate them, and they'll evolve or change their traditions themselves. You teach them how to count, how the economy works, how the human body works, and then let them be. They will see the errors or flaws in their ancestral traditions. But going, "no that rock is not sacred because solid minerals on the ground should not be venerated," or "that man is not stopping the rain because that is stupid and the no one controls the weather," is plain rude. The things we do might not make sense to you, but don't you find it rather refreshing to see something out of the norm? Would you rather see tall buildings, skyscrapers, Wi-Fi hotspots and paved roads every time you travel? Or would you like to see new architecture, different people and unique customs? I myself have been educated enough to know that some of the things we do are complete bzoink. But I honestly wouldn't trade it for the world. 

Growing up in a country full of odd stories and medicinal remedies have made me more understanding towards other cultures that are just as crazy and illogical as mine. I wouldn't be surprised if villagers in Brazil eat dog testicles in order to gain virility. If they do, then props to them. Awesome possum, my Brazillians. 

I always encourage them to practice in a way that will help them go back to their own tradition and get re-rooted. If they succeed at becoming reintegrated, they will be an important instrument in transforming and renewing their tradition. When we respect our blood ancestors and our spiritual ancestors, we feel rooted. If we find ways to cherish and develop our spiritual heritage, we will avoid the kind of alienation that is destroying society, and we will become whole again. Learning to touch deeply the jewels of our own tradition will allow us to understand and appreciate the values of other traditions, and this will benefit everyone." -Thich Nhat Hanh