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This is a Javanese philosophy that may be stuck to an inspiring man, ,Mbah Sadiman.

Rich without wealth, strong without magical power, attack without troops, and win without humiliation

That is the meaning of the philosophy. Mbah Sadiman is a rich man without properties, assets, or money. He is a strong man without any magical power. He conquered the world alone, and no one is humiliated. "Mbah means Grandpa".

Who is Mbah Sadiman?

He was born in 1954 in the valley of Gendol Hill, Bulukerto, Wonogiri, Central Java, Indonesia. He did not finish his studies at a senior school. He tried his luck in life to become a laborer in Surabaya, Gresik and Kalimantan but finally he went home to his homeland.
In the 1960s, Gendol Hill was on fire. Fires are caused by humans. People cut logs and exploited the hill for illegal agricultural land. Gendol Hill is owned by the Indonesian government.

After the fire, Gendol Hill became barren. The springs became dry in the dry season. Flood disasters often occured in the rainy season.
At the age of 40, Mbah Sadiman was very saddened to see the neighbourhood. In 1996, he started his project alone. He was determined to reforest the land on Gendol hill. He planted a banyan tree, or ficus, on the hill of Gendol. On an area of 617 acres, he planted more than 11,000 banyan trees for more than 20 years.

People called him a mad man

The Javanese considered the banyan tree to be a place for demons and spirits. So people thought Mbah Sadiman was a crazy animist. Some people did not like what he was doing. They cut and uprooted the trees that he planted. He did not give up. He continued planting the banyan trees over the hill.

Gendol Hill today
Today, the Gendol hill turns green. The springs are abundant with clean water. In an interview on a TV show, the water from the springs can supply more than 800 families and more than five villages of rice fields. People can harvest crops three times a year. Before Mbah Sadiman reforested the Gendol hill, harvesting crops was only done once a year.

Mbah Sadiman planted the trees with his own money. There are no organizations that support him financially. He sold his goats for banyan trees. He exchanged two clove trees for one banyan tree. Why did he choose banyan or ficus trees? The banyan tree has many roots, so it is able to hold and store rainwater.

Today, the forest on the Gendol hill is called the Sadiman Forest. It has become a green tourism park. There are some green activists that join in and help Mbah Sadiman preserve the forest now. Mbah Sadiman is popular, but he still lives in the house that he owned long before he turned the hill into a green forest. He does not get paid for his work; the hill is not his land, but he is a rich man. His work supplies water everyday to thousands of people. He feeds the animals with his drinking water and green grass. He waters the rice fields.

Lessons from Mbah Sadiman

A man who conquered the world. He fought alone. He didn't expect anything in return for his personal interest.He is a hero. Though, he earns awards and rewards from the government and some institutions, he continues to plant the trees on the hill. He will never stop planting the trees.

To do something, money should not be the starting point and motive. Mbah Sadiman has proved it. In the modern world, we need more Mbah Sadimans.