1821 - The Battle for Palembang

12: Lieut. Raden Mas Bimasena

Bank of the Musi River, 1821

Like everyone else now piling up the River Musi, Raden Mas Bimasena was a soldier.

Too, a Noble of Java and a Lieutenant in the Legiun Mangkunegaraan, a soldier and statesman both like so many men of his class and birth before him; and though raised in honing his martial prowess, in the wisdom of leading an administration, and in the ways of court and law, he strived to be nothing else but a simple, Honourable Man. For had Bimasena not had his title of Raden Mas–a title of minor nobility that comes with many burdens that weighs upon its privileges well–Honour was the only thing he would have.

Honour is and forever will be, an object of abstract desires given birth by society's overwhelming constructs. For a good number of people, honour exists merely as a word to reflect a set of very flexible ideals that must, for that one person, be held close to one's heart and be enforced ultimately by one's actions; thus giving birth to those virtues essential to what many may deem 'a proper man.' Principle, Courage, and Temperance. As such had been told to him by his Father, and again repeated to him by his company commander and old friend, Captain Raden Wisanggeni.

Principle and adherence to such, even in dire times, was required if one was to become a true man. For adherence to principle breeds the very gist of a man–his character, his soul. The world shifts and turns and floats on a thousand different factors and when such factors shift and stir, when a rich man becomes poor, and the poor become wealthy, when peasants become lord and lord becomes peasant, when lovers grow unfaithful and the gentle heart breaks, when one is reduced to nay through the invisible hands of the seven heavens, and as karma twists and turns the fate of million souls... Principle, and truthfulness to it, shall be the only possession one has. And a good man he shall remain, if he adheres to it.

Nay shall one turn to drink or substances of the world to calm the mind and soul... adherence to principle shall fill in the gaps and voids in the questions of one's worth and value, to a constantly changing world.

Courage shall make a man bold in decisions of arms and peace; bold in truth, for a courageous man shall not associate himself to lies and trickeries wicked, for such is a sin of the cowardly beast in man. As a tiger shall not cower beneath its den when such is threatened, a man of courage shall stand up for whatever he thinks is right and will fight to protect those he values and loves. For truly, to ignore threats to oneself and let die those around whom he cares for, or even worse, to sell them to the slavery of a disgraceful master, is the folly and fault of those with cowardly dispositions.

And Temperance, last but most important of all. One of the many follies of man is his obliviousness to his beastial senses... as such a man must learn of many things, and upon such things learnt, exercise these new trades in moderation; to exercise such things in temperance. Such too applies to the two other virtues.

There is no sin, in fact of deep virtue, if one was of principle; but principles and ideals, even religion and commitment to God, may turn one blind of the truth. To hold onto a decided principle is indeed the virtues of Good Men, but no principle could be so good, so true, as to press others into its fold through violence. Principles must be, too, exercised with temperance, with calculated reasoning of its benefits to others, and must not be exerted to the damage of such for its first priority is the purification of one's soul.

Neither is there sin in being courageous. But courage and heroism live so close to each other that its effects may, to a man, lead him to seek blind glory.

A good man shall not charge blindly into the sun – for the sun could be chased not, nor submit to defeat; as such a good leader of men cannot put ahead of him his own thirsts of putting virtues in action, so as to damage and ruin those under his command.