Pointing at the Moon

By: I Putu Supartika

Nengah Wiratma was a man with high level of optimism. He never stooped himself. His

optimism was as high as the sky. It can’t be neither bended nor lowered. His optimism was

unrivaled. Even businessmen with highest optimism will surely be defeated by Nengah

Wiratma’s optimism.

Due to his optimism, he never gave up at doing anything. No matter how difficult it is.

No matter how much the cost needed to fulfill it, that’s not a problem. It will be done.

Besides, nobody could prevent him from doing what he wanted to do. Even his wife, his

son, his parents, even more his neighbors who had no blood relationship with him, certainly

can’t stop him.

Eventhough he had a high optimism, most of his projects were quited on the way, since

he had more theories than efforts. Like what had happened recently, what he did was this: he

made a kiln.

He had spent millions rupiah to build the kiln. He was optimist that within a month, he

will be able to make money and profit at about ten million by selling the bricks. His wife didn’t

believe him, so did his son. But Nengah Wiratma sticked to this idea. He stayed firm with his

idea. At the end, now, the kiln turned into storage for the firewoods which are used for

everyday cooking since the workers’ wages didn’t worth the job.

A lot of sands bought for the brick making are slashed by the chickens, scattered in the

yard, most of the cements turned solid, and the brick maker machine was left rusty, abandoned.

So he was loss, useless, spent more money without being able to get any profit. His wife and his

son couldn’t say any thing, they could ony stare at the kiln which is left useless.

Nengah Wiratma also had many new and brilliant ideas, seen from his point of view,

though nobody could understand the idea that he was talking about. If he talked with his

neighbors or in the coffee shop, he always talked about his ideas. People he was talking with

were merely nodding. Since no one could understand what Nengah Wiratma was talking about.

When he had finished talking, he’ll ask.

“What do you think? Can you get my idea?”

Those people, who didn’t understand what he said always replied. 

“Yes, we can, we do understand what you’ve said.”

“Was it a good idea?”

“Really good, Ngah! Very, very good idea!” those people replied as they understand it

very well, though they didn’t get anything.

After talking with his neighbors or in the coffee shop, he would go home in hurry. Then

he shouted at his wife who was busy in the kitchen. So did his son who was seriously studying

or doing his homework. When both of them already sat in a row in the porch, he would talk to

them about his newest idea which had been discussed with the neighbors before.

“Luh, I have a good idea. And you too, Putu, daddy’s handsome son. Daddy has a great

idea. I’ve talked about it in the coffee shop with our neighbors who bought some coffee.  They

listened to me talking about the idea carefully. When I asked about their opinion, they all said

that this idea was great. Now, I will tell you, Putu, and you, my wife. I’m really optimist, this

idea will rock the world and people will respect me.”

His wife and his son listened to Nengah Wiratma’s idea carefully. Though, they didn’t

get what he said. They only listened, but the words were gone with the wind.

After talking about the idea, as usual, he asked his son and wife.

“How was it? Wasn’t that a great idea?”

“What did you say? I don’t get it. Better you work hard than talking nonsense!” That’s

what his wife said, continued her work in the kitchen.

“Oh, My! Don’t you know this is a great idea? How about you, Putu? Wasn’t that a good

idea?”

“I don’t understand either, Dad, I’ll continue my homework!” his son then left him

alone.

“Gosh, I can’t rely on them, how can we be rich with this attitude?” Nengah Wiratma

murmured.

Despite of his high optimism and his new ideas, Nengah Wiratma also wanted to be a

rich man. A person who had an abundant of wealth.  Who is able to fulfill his desire. Getting a car, getting luxurious jewelries, building a storied house. He was also ambitious. His ambition

equaled his high optimism, as high as the sky. His ambition was to be the richest man in the

village, his another ambition.

He once also told his son.

“Son, if you have finished your study in the high school, I’ll send you to study abroad.

So that people will be amazed upon seeing us. So that they’ll recognize our condition. You

simply need to pick the school that you want. The most important thing, the school should be

overseas.”

“Okay, Dad. If you can do it, it will be good too, but if you can’t, I don’t mind to go to

the college here, in Bali,” his son replied.

“Don’t doubt me! You’ll study abroad for sure!”

In order to fulfill his ambition, he took many jobs, eventhough he already had a

permanent job. His permanent job was being a roving injector. He didn’t shot a human, but he

gave an injection to animals in heat. People usually called it an animals mating injection worker.

He was never satisfied with what he got from his work as a mating injector. He always

tried to find a job which can give him much money.

Formerly, when the digging workers team was still operating and active, he joined the

team, becoming a digger. Left home in the early morning and get back in the evening. Carrying

a hoe here and there. He once also went out of the village for a digging project.

But Nengah Wiratma was always sneaky. He wanted to do the job in easy way. At 10

o’clock, he would go home, doing his job as a mating injector. At 3 o’clock in the afternoon, he

would go back to the digging site. One day he didn’t join his team in the morning digging, but

at 2 o’clock in the afternoon he went there. Although he worked unfairly, his wages might not

be reduced. He always insisted that his wage should be equal with the other workers’ who

worked from morning to the afternoon. This situation provoked the members of the digging

team’s complaint, and Nengah Wiratma was never invited to any digging project anymore.

After quiting his side job as a digging worker, he got another new side job. He became a

bird trader. He got birds from people’s houses in the village. He persuaded people to sell the

birds they had.

Those people felt sorry to see Nengah Wiratma’s effort in persuading them. Then they

sold the birds. Those birds were then sold to the market. In the market he always tried to

tricked people to buy the birds with high price, to get a big profit.

Finally, people who gave the birds to Nengah Wiratma knew what he did. And they had

learned a lesson to not giving him a bird anymore. Though he persuaded them, no body gave a

bird to him anymore. Since nobody gave him any bird again, he quited his job as a bird trader.

Then he applied a job as an electronic stuffs salesperson. While doing his job as a mating

injector, he also worked as a salesman. He persuaded people who wanted to get their animals

injected to buy the promoted electronic stuffs. In the afternoon, after injecting animals, he was a

busy salesman. He entered every house, from end to end, with no exception. He went back

home in the evening. In his house, while sitting in the porch, leaning to the wall, he always

thought about a good idea to let him get more profit.

When the durian season arrived, he moved to another side job. From an electronic stuff

salesman, now he is a durian seller. He thought that being a salesman was useless since he did

more effort compared to the results he had got.

Now, he looked for durians everyday. He visited people who had durian plants in their

houses. He also tricked them to get low price. He said that their durians were smalls and did

not taste good. Their durians were often compared to the others’.

When the wani fruit season arrived, he also doubled as a wani trader. As usual, he

tricked people to get low priced wani fruits. And he would sell them in the market with high

price.

He was also a land realtor. Wherever he was, he always talked about lands, when he

wasn’t talking about land, then he should be talking about his ideas that nobody could

understand.

All jobs were taken, he always bragged as if he was a rich man. Talking about this, and

that. Expensive land, strategic location. Talking about wealth, excessive amount of money,

storied house, luxurious car, brilliant idea, a son studying overseas. But in fact, he had nothing

in his house. Everyday they only ate rice with salt and a little coconut oil.

Like the proverb says, he was like a man who longs to point at the moon. Running here

and there, but the moon can’t be reached. Though he was standing on the peak of a high

mountain, the moon is still far far away.