Mbah Maridjan, a fool or a hero?

The mountain is raging once more. The governor of Yogyakarta, who is also the Sultan of Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat, urge villagers around Merapi to evacuate. Some villagers who claim themselves know Merapi better than anyone else, even better than volcano experts at the Merapi volcanic-activity watch post, refuse the government suggestion to refuge, neglecting the mountain status that has been raised to "awas merapi" (bewareof Merapi) since Friday.

Among those people are Mbah Maridjan, kuncen (guardian or a caretaker of a sacred place) of Mount Merapi. He did not only choose to stay at his village in Umbulhardjo, but also to climbed the raging mountain. He asked his companions to leave him alone at the Second Post, about one kilometer away from the firy cauldron. It is not known when he will be back, let alone be alive, considering that he was surrounded by hot cloud and liquified hot rock.

There is a rumour that Sultan has spoken his royal words, a few days before, that Merapi were going to explode. The prophecy turned to be false. Based on activity-monitoring done by the volcanic expert at Merapi, the mountain status becomes "awas merapi" and "could explode anytime". Sultan deny this rumour that he was making a prophecy, and based on suggestion from the volcanic expert, he urge people arround Merapi to evacuate. This has caused changes in the way of people around Merapi look regarding their Sultan.

We should not look at Merapi and think that it is just a pure natural disaster, and that to avoid any victim, people who live in villages around Merapi should simply refuge to a safer area. Merapi and the people of Yogyakarta, are a perfect example of an intricate relationship between mysticism and social structure regarding nature.

Nature for the people of Yogyakarta has a special meaning. It is regarded as the place of the power that is unknown to human, and only certain people who can relate to that power. These people become messengers, or rather translators, between ordinary people and that cosmological power of nature. Among those messengers, Sri Sultan of Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat regards in a special place. Not just an administrative leader, but also as a spiritual leader for the people of Yogyakarta.

The placement of Kraton Nyayogyakarta itself implies this belief. It is placed in the middle of the axis between Merapi Mountain and Southern Sea. These two places are regarded as a place of the two forces: good and bad.

Mount Merapi is considered to be a sacred place, the closest place to God, where the spirits of ancestors dwell. On the other hand, the southern sea is considered as a doomed place, where all evil spirits dwell. The most powerful one is the Queen of the Southern Sea, Kanjeng Ratu Kidul, who depicted as a beautiful woman wearing green kemben (javaneese women's traditional clothes).

If the mountain is considered sacred and the sea are doomed, then the right place for people to be, is in the middle. It implies the philosophy of the state of balance between good and bad. The middle place for people are also considered as the belly or a womb of the whole cosmological body, where the living dwells.

It is said that the first Sultan received a divine inspiration, and a mystical admonition from both God and Kanjeng Ratu Kidul, to decide where the palace of Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat should be placed. By that condition, he and all his descendants are considered as connectors between the realm of good and bad. So it is by his prophecy, based on those two realms, the people of Yogyakarta should obey his royal words.

Basically, we should ask, what is the reason for those people to stay in Merapi. Is it true they claim that they know better about Merapi? Or solely waiting for the Sultan prophecy, or wether Merapi is going to explode or not, and wether they have to move or not.

Dealing with people who lived arround Merapi, we are faced with a society that have a strong mysticism. It cannot be explained, let alone be replaced by scientific monitoring and prediction. But the time of the past has gone before them. The Sultan is no longer a connectors among the realms, whom his words are heard upon. Now Sultan hears the voice of those whom he believe knows better: the volcanic scientists.

What we see is a scene of science kills mysticism. Science stabs at the heart of mysticism of the people of Yogyakarta: their spiritual leader who are no longer receive a divine inspiration, but a scientific advice.

So, what Mbah Maridjan does is not stupidity in the eyes of people around Merapi. Instead he stands as a hero. Still considered himself as a delegation of his honoured Sultan that has “lost his spiritual ability”, he pleads for salvation of people around Merapi from the mountain's rage. He is a hero, yet a fool from realistic and scientific view, for he could die there.

But what seems to be a real hope for the people around Merapi? Is it those people carrying tools watching Merapi’s activity and warn people about the danger of being staying close to Merapi, or Mbah Maridjan who climbs the0 sacred mountain to plead God for their salvation?

what is reality, anyway, when hope seems so real?