October 8, 1997. A film was released in the United States. The title is "Seven Years in Tibet". Once upon a time, Heinrich Harrer, an Austrian climber, was released from prison and traveled to the holy city of Lhasa, Tibet. After going through various difficulties, he was finally hired as an instructor for the 14th Dalai Lama, even becoming his close confidant.
One time, the Chinese army was going to attack Tibet. They did not believe in religion. When he had just met the Dalai Lama, General Chang Jing Wu said, "Religion is poison and religion is poison. Long story short, China then annexed Tibet.
In such difficult conditions, this film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud presents an interesting statement from the 14-year-old Dalai Lama: "If a problem can be solved there is no use worrying about it. If it can't be solved, worrying will do no good." The quote gives the audience a message that there is no point in worrying about problems. Problems are always present in humans in various forms. So, there is no need to worry, especially if the problem can be solved.
Sometimes, we worry about something that we can actually solve. We get carried away by the feeling that "something is difficult to solve", when in fact something is easy to solve. Our feelings sometimes play too deep so that what we can is covered by the thought of not being able to.
Likewise, if there is a problem that cannot be solved, then we do not need to worry too much. This is a kind of motivational sentence and suggestion that actually all problems can be solved. Worry is what makes something difficult, heavy, and seems hard to unravel.
Buya Hamka once said, "... there is no tangle that cannot be unraveled... there is no problem that cannot be solved." No matter how tangled something is, it can definitely be unraveled. Problems, no matter how difficult they are, can definitely be solved.
Worrying too much is the problem. Maybe because we watch movies too often, we end up being suggested to something. Walking in a dark place makes us afraid. How come? Because we are "indoctrinated" by films to be afraid of the dark, because in the dark there are demons.
Apparitions sometimes appear in films where humans are usually the ones running. Imagine if the film showed the demons running, it would be more inspiring to give birth to a brave soul.
We need to manage our worries. No matter how difficult it is, life must be lived with a stable mind and soul. The Prophets and Apostles exemplify that. Even though it was difficult in front of us, they remained convinced that behind the difficulties there must be ease.
The Qur'an tells us. When Pharaoh and his troops managed to catch up with Prophet Moses and his followers, Prophet Moses' followers said, "Indeed, we will be overtaken." (Asy-Syu'araa: 61).
His people said that because they saw that there was no way in front of them, it was just the ocean. They then complained to Prophet Moses. Moses replied: "We will never be overtaken; Indeed, my Lord is with me, and He will guide me soon” (Asy-Syu’araa: 62).
This means that worry is human but we should not worry too much. As long as we are on the right path, be sure that there will be help or ma'unah from Him.
Finally, we realize that worry is what sometimes hinders our brilliance. Worry should be treated as a normal phenomenon, and should not be followed excessively. As long as we can still try and pray, be sure that there will always be a solution to every problem.
YANUARDI SYUKUR is an Indonesian writer who is also a lecturer, editor, researcher and speaker at various conferences and expert resource person on several Indonesian television stations and ministries. He has participated in various international programs in Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, the United States, as well as Ukraine. He is an anthropologist at Khairun University who is interested in various global issues. He is currently also active as Vice Chairman of the Islamic and Middle East Research Center (IMERC) of the University of Indonesia and is active in the Commission on Foreign Relations and International Cooperation of the Indonesian Ulama Council. E-mail: yanuardisyukur@gmail.com.
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