Finding Netherland

What would you call it; a world that is so simple and yet very sophisticated. A world, in where everybody talks in their language and yet they understand each other well. A world, where you are not just numbers in statistic, coz being one among thousands who’s been there before you, you still can see your existence so significant to others. A world, in where you can feel yourselves mostly as yourselves, and not just a representation of a group or some sort of classifications you are in. That’s a world, in where your imaginations were given wings and allowed to fly as high as they can be; a place that I would call Utopia.

Well, that was just a name that I think aptly to be used concerning the colloquial expression that I’m conversant with. But, I have to admit that I’m not the first person who invented this idea. A great playwright, named J. M. Barrie, discovered a world just like that on December 1904 when he brought a whole and truly magical world of Neverland on London stage for the first time. That play’s then well known as ‘Peter Pan’ or ‘The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up’. It became such a history in children’s literature and even became an emblem of ‘utopia’ as Disney animation revisited it in 1952. I grew up listening to that story and watched them played on TV every weekend. I guess many children in my generation did the same thing too. Since the very beginning we were convinced and made believe that Neverland existed. And so, as a little girl, I did.

Well, that was until I watched ‘Finding Neverland’ on 2004.

Finding Neverland, for me, is like a scratch on the surface that cracks up the whole cube. It has turned around the whole things about Neverland that I used to believe. I think it’s one of a few great movies that leave a deep impression in me. It’s a door which leads me to a different side of the story which I thought never existed before.

I did read a couple articles about J. M. Barrie’s biography. And having read them, I come to realize that what I once thought a creation of a beautiful mind is actually a death watch of a grownup who never wanted to grow at all. Yeah, Neverland, in reality, has never been an idea about happiness. Instead, it was an alternate reality which J. M. Barrie created to escape from his twisted childhood, his unhappy life as an adult, and his inability to cope with his present times. It’s sad, but he’s so great that he could turn all his heartbreaks and sorrows into one amazing idea about a wonderful world full of joy. By finding Neverland J. M. Barrie found the only thing that he ever wanted to find in his life. And, I guess, that’s the only thing that matters for him.

When I was writing this, it crossed to my mind that we’re basically share the same idea that Mr. Barrie had. The only thing that could make us work our sweat out is the thing that really matters to us; that’s the law of attraction. One way or another, we will find a way to make it through. And if Mr. Barrie found his Neverland after meeting the Llewelyn Davies’ boys, I found a Neverland in a short email, one evening, about a month ago; an email which offered me an opportunity to have a two-weeks-summer course in Netherland.

Yes, I would call it a Neverland because this opportunity will surely give me a chance to have a broader experience and even a broader connection to a global world I’ve never seen before. I mean, who doesn’t know Netherland? This small country is not just well known because of its soccer team, or its windmills and tulips or those other tourism stuff. This small country is already one step ahead in many fields, compared with other countries double or triple its size. And it’s been rumored that people in this country had the smallest gap in their annual income which makes it becomes one of the most prosperous countries in the world. Well, this surely means something for a small country like Netherland.

And if it happened that you’re interested in history, you would notice that during the World War I Netherland is one of a few European countries that remained neutral. Even it’s an ally of the UK by treaty, it still traded with both sides. And may be this is what makes it trustworthy to host five international courts which could not be found anywhere else around the globe. This country is also a founder and member in many of world’s powerful organizations which give it not only a link, but also a chance to take part into world’s significant turns. It’s not to mention that as a non-English-speaking country, Netherland has more than 75% of its population speak English fluently. Man, it’s really quite a feature in such a small country which supposedly drowned under the water.

As for me, somebody who studies architecture and falls in love with history and literature, the history is still my biggest interest. I can’t but saying that Netherland, like other European countries, has more than just scenery inside their cities. As a space and also a place, their cities deserve to be called beautiful. They’re beautiful because they have history, and they know how to preserve that treasure. History is a value which furnishes what money or even the magic wand of architecture can’t do. And it’s a charm that can only be attained by enduring the tests of the time; a charm which represents the wisdom added up to its beauty.

I remember, it was one evening in March, when a friend of mine told me about the city of Maastricht. And like a love at the first sight, I fell into it right away. I searched in the net about the city and I read many books that relate to that name. Eventually I did find many interesting facts about the city, but I guess nothing can beat the feeling if I could witness the city by myself.

It is believed that Maastricht is the oldest city in Netherland. But as I can read from the net, it is also now a center of tradition, history, and culture. Various educational institutions were established there. People from both hemispheres flocked around to admire the city, or to learn the wisdom of the time, or simply to behold what the old days have left for us. And it’s such a beautiful thing to see. In Indonesia, things like this are almost like a dream of a daydreamer. Things from the past barely can withstand the present time, and it’s been going on for years in many places. Well, particularly in Bandung, a place where I’m living right now. It’s a sad fact coz it seems as if it’s inevitable; while it’s not! I think losing the past is like losing a huge part of your self. And nothing could be more tragical than to lose your self deliberately. Going to see Netherland, I believe can teach me something that I do not get at school. And I believe it takes more than brains to cope with it; it takes heart to insist something that we shall not lose.

I know, in modern days like today, you don’t have to travel around the globe to see everything. Coz everything is so close that it only takes a few clicks away to get you anywhere you like. Chat rooms, social networking sites, or even Google give us more than just a large window to see the world. But virtual world is not a Neverland I have in my mind. For me, the joy of learning is to experience the learning itself. And to experience the learning, I have to go and do it by myself. That’s how I define the reality of Neverland.

In Mr. Barrie’s Neverland the magic might happen, but it’s only when the fairy dusts land on the ground. And the miracles might come true, but as long as somebody still believes in it. In reality, fairy dusts won’t works, and miracles don’t relate with magic. We create our own Neverland not to escape from our miseries or to laugh away the sarcastic jokes of our everyday lives. Instead, it’s there to help us to be in touch with the real issues we’re supposed to handle. It’s a way to join the global community on creating a better world where everyone can find their place in it.

I have no other desire than to find the real Netherland when I decided to join this competition. And it’s still the only thing that I have in my head when I work on this writing. It’s more than a motivation for me; it becomes a temptation now. Coz to witness the wonder of Netherland with my own eyes is to experience the joy of learning itself, and it’s the only thing that matters to me.

Just like Mr. Barrie told Peter to believe, if he wanted to find Neverland, and so I wish this short writing could be my first step to find Netherland; a place which I believe could offer me an opportunity to see Neverland in my own version.

Advertisement