Sunday, November 27, 2022

Harmony Starts with Acceptance

IN Subud, people with different temperaments and behaviors can come together in harmony. One complements the other. That is what always amazed me. I was recently asked by one of my clients, who is not in Subud and often sees photos of my activities in Subud on my Facebook timeline, “What made you guys so close and harmonious, even though your backgrounds are different from each other?”

He compared Subud members to himself; because he likes cycling, he joined the bicycle community. To discuss the dynamics of his work, he gets together with his co-workers. To reminisce about his college days, he will attend his campus reunion. He just found out that people from different backgrounds and likes can unite in such a way in Subud. “What unites you all? How can that be?!”

I answered him, that I myself also questioned it, driven by my fascination with it. But that is what makes Subud so special to me.

Especially in Subud Indonesia, feuds or conflicts have never discouraged us from the harmony between us. We may not greet each other at gatherings, or we don’t like each other, but still, in a sense, there is a feeling of affection for each other—a feeling that each gets but often doesn’t understand why this can happen.

Perhaps the secret to creating lasting harmony is our willingness to surrender, let go and let God. In Subud, I witnessed how attempts to force harmony ended in disappointment. Harmony actually exists when everyone is given the freedom to be him or herself, while we accept whatever our brother’s or sister’s situation is with patience, trust and sincerity.©2022

 

Pondok Cabe, Tangerang Selatan, November 28, 2022 

No comments: