Listening to the forest

‘This forest is my life’, said a villager of Bogoran. In that remark he said everything that needed to be said. It confirmed all that the Jesuits studying philosophy in Indonesia had learned from a program concerned with the environment.

Twenty-one scholastics from Indonesia, Timor Leste, Myanmar and Thailand had travelled to Bogoran in Central Java. Bogoran is a predominantly Muslim village. In 1997 it won a national award as the best community-based forest. Later tension between people who live around the forest and the government‑affiliated department of forestry invited reflection on the major challenges that the vulnerable face today from the lack of good governance and the depletion of forest, water and land. The students also learned from the experiences of the community leaders.

The village head, Mr Sukoco, was once an activist who defended the people’s rights over forest resources. He shared with the scholastics how he tried to reconcile his position as a government officer with his responsibility to safeguard his people’s economic interests and to preserve the environment.

At Bogoran the scholastics learned as much from the daily struggles of the ordinary people in the village as they did from formal talks. One of them remarked, ‘The hospitality of Bogoran people, their unity with the nature, and their simplicity has moved me to be conscious about my lifestyle as a Jesuit. They made me ask, should we Jesuits be more sensitive about the food we eat, the facilities and transportation we use?’

The program, organised by the Kolese Hermanum in Jakarta, was the result of an initiative taken by Fr Greg Soetomo and directed by Fr Pedro Walpole. It is part of the Commitment of the Jesuit Conference to the environment.

Before their field experience, the scholastics prepared themselves by reading, group study and writing essays. They were able to draw on their study when they came into the rural community. They came to appreciate and to analyse different perspectives on the environment and on forest management. Their prayer and reflection helped enrich their personal outlook.

Fr Walpole pointed to the breadth of the programme, with its components of social analysis, immersion into the Bogaran community, and spiritual reflection. He remarked, ‘Understanding the context of the land and forest processes and how people relate with it is very crucial. But for us Jesuits, we are called upon to know the presence of God in on-going creation.’

Fr Walpole’s remarks were echoed by one of the scholastics who participated. He said, ‘My encounter with the reality of Bogaran taught me to be sensitive to the environment. It is a home for human beings and all creatures. Furthermore, we learned to balance and manage the mutual dependence between preserving nature and encouraging human development.’