Qu'est Quela Vie Sans L'Amour?

Verona, where the love story of Romeo and Juliet began.






Qu'est quela vie sans l'amour? What's life without love?

Yes. Love of a mother to her son named Daoed Joesoef was recently written by Daoed Joesoef, an Indonesian. His recent book, "Emak" (Mother), is a tribute to his beloved mother, Djasi'ah Joesoef. Even though she was not well educated, she had progressive thoughts. She liked listening to other people's ideas and asked many questions. Daoed Joesoef finally found from his mother that, "Our mind is like a parachute, so the adage goes, it only works if it is opened. Therefore, the people should open their minds."

A part of his book told how his mother taught Daoed to choose the pathway in the forest that have never been passed by others. "But I will get lost, Mother," said little Daoed. His mother replied, "No, wherever you go, you will find the way. Evenmore, Daoed, if you find a new way and people finally follow your way, that will be very meaningful in your life."

His mother sent him to a Dutch elementary school, despite the opposition of their neighbourhood, including the ulema (Muslim cleric), who said that the Dutch school was kafir (pagan).

Daoed, whose father owned a dairy farm, was born in Medan and graduated from University of Indonesia. He taught at the University's School of Economics from 1954 to 1963. In 1964, upon the sponsorship of the Ford Foundation, he left Indonesia to study at Sorbonne in France. He was the first Indonesian citizen to study economics at a French University, Universit‚ Pluridisciplinaire de Paris I-Panth‚ on-Sorbonne and obtain the title of doctorate cum laude.

In fact, Daoed had fallen in love with France as a high school student, long before he saw the country for himself. His drawing teacher, inspired by the youth's artistic talent, had suggested that he set his sights on study at a French art school.

"I became more interested after reading Jamaludin Adinegoro's book, Melawat ke Barat (A Journey to the West)," he said.

He returned from France in 1973 and became a minister of education in 1978.

"Someone once told me that I must be rich after my time a minister. That made me angry," said Daoed, who lives in a nice house with a spacious garden in the Bangka area of South Jakarta. He shares the house with his wife, his only daughter, his son-in-law, and his two grandchildren.

"I owned this house long before I was a minister and I never lived at my official residence. I only went to the house to receive guests," he said, "because many of the guests smoked and I do not like people smoking in my house."

In fact, as many people visit his house every year at Idul Fitri, he has placed a "No Smoking" sign in the living room.

"If they want to smoke, they can do it outside the house," he said firmly.

That is Daoed Joesoef to a tee, a man who never hesitates to speak out his mind who wrote a book about a pioneer mother with full of his love to his mother.

Yes. Qu`est quela vie sans l`amour? A posting during my transit back to Indonesia, as I promised to write about a book entitled "Emak" (Mother).