of our indirectness..

let’s put this blog’s idleness aside and get straight to the point..

i’m currently working on my research and since my brain is actively processing the technicalities of our language, i get extra sensitive toward the meaning and connotation that are associated with our sayings..

for example, we would say “orang berbudi kita berbahasa, orang memberi kita merasa” to imply that there needs to be some sort of appreciations when something is being given to us..like thanking them or be humbled with what has been given..some people would also define this saying as returning back the deeds but to me, the latter definition is not as favourable as the former..

this gets me into thinking..if this saying intends to highlight “repaying” as in membalas budi, why did the saying stop at ‘kita merasa’..?

i know one of the features of peribahasa includes being indirect but how indirect is ‘orang memberi kita merasa’..to me it’s plain literal – it simply means ‘we get to taste what is being given to us’..no implication of having the responsibility to repay the kindness in whichever forms possible..

you see, it’s in the genetic of our culture..receiving without wanting to contribute back..how frustrating..mana adabnya..?