I remembered that one sentence from Oei Hui Lan's biography book "Kisah Tragis Oei Hui Lan Putri Raja Gula Asia Tenggara dari Semarang" or in english it will be "Tragic Story of Oei Hui Lan: Daughter of South East Asia's King of Sugar from Semarang". The Biography is about Oei Hui Lan, who had everything women in this world ask for. His father is the richest man on South East Asia and she was lived as a princess almost her entire life.
But at the end of the story she said as she quoted Chinese old saying that "no feast last forever", and so did her extravagant life. At the ending of her book, there's one sentence that catch my attention. Well, almost all of her story catch my attention by the way. But this is what catch me the most to the very deep. She said, " Now I finally understand why my father (after he married his favorite mistress Lucy Ho, he changed his lifestyle from glamorous as a king into a way more simple. It is because the more we aged, the more we ask for a simple life and what it is. "
As she grew up and became older, she chose to move into an apartment instead of a big house in the time she was 50s. And as she grew up she realized, that money itself can't buy happiness. It can buy anything that make you happy, but it won't last. In fact, she stated that her loyal dogs were the ones that made her happy.
So I'm thinking and I truly understand one thing. Money does important but it won't make you happy at the end. Being with people you love and doing what you truly enjoy are the things that makes you happy. If you die one day, you won't bring your diamonds, golds, deposit accounts to your grave. It will stay here while you're gone to only God knows where.
I saw this one man when I queue-ing at the bank this morning. And suddenly I was comparing myself to this man. He is around 40-50s years old and his shirt is too big for him. He seems like wearing it randomly. He doesn't think about being stylish and modern or maybe being neat. Wearing a shirt just to cover his body is his only purpose. Meanwhile me on his other side, I woke up this morning and think what to wear to work today. I mixed and match my shirt and pants, I have to decide what shoes I want to wear and else. Being stylish and look neat is important to me and still I want buy another stuffs like bags, shoes, gadgets.
I thank God the moment I am contemplating this kind of thoughts. I thank God for being so good to me. I have a home even if it's not like a palace. I have the greatest and bravest mother even there is no father on my side anymore. I have my brother and sister even if they're so annoying sometimes, they're the one you always make up with no matter how often you're fighting with each other. I have a nice job I ever know, even if I'm not a director or manager, but I enjoy my job and my boss and my work environment. I got a nice amount of monthly salary, even it's not in billion rupiahs, but it's enough to support me all this time.
I don't have everything like Oei Hui Lan. But like she said herself, "I wrote this book for the world to learn from my experiences." She married to a man she never loved, her husband left her at the end, she had to watch one by one her son, father, mother, sister dead and she was left all alone with her dogs. His father gave her everything she want, she had uncounted money, diamonds, golds, and properties, she traveled the entire world, but all of that can't buy her happiness at the very end.
What make you think your money can do the opposite?
another source: Oei Tiong Ham: Raja Gula Asia Tenggara dari Semarang
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