Face it with a smile

Hadapi dengan senyuman [Face it with a smile]
Semua yang terjadi [Whatever that happens]
Biar terjadi…. [Let it be...]
Hadapi dengan tenang jiwa [Face it with calmness]
Semua… kan baik baik saja [That everything will just be fine]

Bila ketetapan tuhan sudah ditetapkan [When Allah's decree has been finalized]
Tetaplah sudah…. [Then it is final...]
Tak ada yang bisa merubah [Nothing can change it]
Dan takkan bisa berubah [And it will never change]

* An excerpt from the song "Hadapi Dengan Senyuman" by Indonesian band Dewa.


..................................................................................


I remembered when I was about 10 years old, my dad brought the three of us Mas-es for 'berkhatan' [circumcision] in a clinic nearby our home. It was one of the event I least looked forward to, as I've been hearing all sorts of horror stories about circumcision from my schoolmates. When the three of us wondered as to who should be circumcised first, it was then decided that my brother, Mas Affendi aka Andi would go first, being the eldest among the three of us. I, trying to be brave, volunteered to go second and my other brother, Mas Jaffri aka Jep, would be the last in turn.



The three Mas-es [from L-R : Jep, Me, Andi]


About 10 minutes passed by and Andi exited the doctor's room, holding the tip of his kain sarong, with a smile in his face. The smile that gave me the assurance that things were going to be fine, and that there was nothing for me to be anxiously worried of. So my turn came and I entered the room with my mom, greeted the doctor, and lied down on the patient's bed. Things seemed to be going quite well, I thought.

Until it was time for the injection of the local anaesthetic.

I was given three injections, and with every injection, I screamed my lungs out and cried, really just being a baby. I swore everyone in the clinic could hear me screaming. The person I pity most at that very moment was obviously Jep, who was the next in turn. And having heard me screaming in pain, I was quite impressed to know that he didn't actually ran out of the clinic.

After a slightly longer session than Andi due to the slight commotion I've created, the circumcision was finally done. As I was about to exit the doctor's room, mom told me to smile. Smile so that I could convince Jep that it wasn't that painful after all. That was probably the most fake smile I've ever made to someone in my whole entire life. Hehe.





Thinking about it again, I remembered how significant my brother's smile was. Although I still cried during the procedure, things might have been worse had it not been for his smile. The smile was so powerful, it erased any fear I had and uplifted my confidence to face what lies ahead of me. It was simply a movement of several facial muscles, but its effect in calming the heart was stronger than whatever medicine one can think of.


A few days after I found out from my doctor that my condition has worsen and that it was entering into a terminal stage, a few friends visited me at my home in Sheffield. We had a good chat, I pulled some jokes and recalled funny memories that made us laughed hard. At that very moment, one of my friend looked at me, in a rather puzzled manner. He asked,

"Mas, how can you still pull a brave face and be laughing when your illness has gone worse?"

I could only muster a smile. It's funny to think that a lot of people seemed to have this seemingly preconceived belief that it is wrong for someone to have a good laugh or smile when afflicted with a serious illness. That the surroundings should always be dark and gloomy, and nothing but only sad tunes can be played over the radio.

This is such a wrong attitude. Whenever something bad comes to you, you decided to cry and whine over your luck. You create an environment that mirrors your sadness, and tell the whole world how unlucky you are.

Now sit down and ask yourself; by doing such things,

Is your problem solved?

Can you reverse whatever bad has happened to you?

Is the burden any lesser?

Or are you just making the problem doubly worst now?




You can choose not to make your problems worse!



I know I have a cancer, and that all treatments have so far not worked. I admitted it is a problem. The problem has happened, and I can do nothing to reverse it. So I need to try and solve my problem, by doing things I believe can help my cause.

Which is why I decided that life must go on, and I must appear to others as if there is nothing wrong with me. As if I am perfectly healthy, and that is portrayed by my smile and jovial mood whenever I meet people. Because when I smile, I know the people around me will reciprocate. They will then create that perfect, happy and healthy environment for my wellness.

But if I put on a sad face, people might think that I will be offended if they smile at me. So they reciprocated with grieving faces, further exacerbating my already shattered emotions. And there you have, an environment similar to a funeral proceedings.

A strong mukmin is better and more beloved to Allah than a weak mukmin, but there is goodness in both. Rise to secure good for yourself, seek Allah’s help, and do not be weak. (Narrated by Muslim)

What we need in the face of adversity, is a smile. When one smiles, you show to people that you BELIEVE. And when you have the belief, people too will share the same optimism. When belief is in the air, then it can only help you in whatever struggle you face in life.

Hadapi dengan senyuman [Face it with a smile]
Semua yang terjadi [Whatever that happens]
Biar terjadi…. [Let it be...]
Hadapi dengan tenang jiwa [Face it with calmness]
Semua… kan baik baik saja [That everything will just be fine]

Bila ketetapan tuhan sudah ditetapkan [When Allah's decree has been finalized]
Tetaplah sudah…. [Then it is final...]
Tak ada yang bisa merubah [Nothing can change it]
Dan takkan bisa berubah [And it will never change]

Face your problem with a smile =)