Romo gave a small smile. "That's the challenge. If we question everything, we might lose our grip. But if we accept everything without thinking, we can get trapped in dogmas that may no longer fit reality."
Pak Herman laughed. "Well, for me, it's simple. I've lived long enough to know that moral values are important, but the world will never run ideally. What we can do is live out those values with flexibility. Don't be rigid, but don't lose your direction either."
Marlon smiled slightly. "So, it's not about whether the values are right or wrong, but how we adapt them to real-life conditions?"
Pak Herman nodded. "More or less. You're still young, still in the phase of questioning everything. That's good. But remember, the world is far from perfect. Our task isn't to find the perfect theory, but to find the best way to live amid that imperfection."
Riri smiled. "Wow, Pak Herman could be a philosophy lecturer too."
Pak Herman chuckled. "I used to be too greedy, now I'm too philosophical. Life's full of surprises."
Everyone laughed, while Marlon continued to reflect on answers he hadn't fully found yet.
But one thing was certain—this world isn't like what the books say or what elders used to preach. The real world is always more complex, more gray.
Marlon leaned his head against the sofa, staring at the ceiling, deep in thought. The conversation about moral values not always aligning with reality made his mind restless.
"I just remembered someone I met in Bandung," Marlon finally said, breaking the silence.
Riri turned to him. "Who?"
"An elder who had long studied Sundanese culture. He was incredibly knowledgeable—not just about culture, but also about history, philosophy, and the mindset of the Sundanese people from past to present," Marlon replied.
Pak Herman raised his eyebrows. "Oh? And what did he say?"
Marlon took a deep breath. "He said, if we want to properly study Sundanese culture, we need to understand two things. First, Sunda before and after the Dutch arrived. Second, Sunda before and before Prabu Kian Santang brought Islam to Pajajaran."
Romo squinted. "What do you mean?"
"Because in those two moments, the core values of Sundanese society changed drastically. Before the Dutch came, the Sundanese had their own way of life, their own rules, their own social system. Once the Dutch arrived, many values changed due to colonialism. Not just their mindset, but also their culture and lifestyle."
Pak Herman nodded. "That makes sense. Colonialism often changes a society's social structure."
Marlon continued, "Then there was another shift when Prabu Kian Santang brought Islam to Pajajaran. Before that, Sundanese values were heavily influenced by older beliefs like Hinduism and animism. After Islam arrived, the values changed again. Many things that were once acceptable became forbidden, new rules were introduced, and eventually Sundanese society was no longer the same."
Riri nodded slowly. "So, the values we think of as 'ancestral teachings' have actually changed a lot?"
"That's what I've been thinking," Marlon said seriously. "If we believe that moral values should be based on reality, how can we be sure that the values we believe in today really come from reality? What if they're just the result of outside forces changing them over and over again?"
Pak Herman leaned back on the sofa and sighed. "That's a pretty wild thought, but there's some truth to it. I used to hear people say, 'The old days were better—people were more honest, more well-mannered.' But if the old days were truly better, why did the world change? Why did Sundanese society change? Why didn't we stick to the old values?"
Romo took a slow sip of tea and said, "That's a fundamental question. If we look at history, value shifts happen all the time. Not just in Sundanese culture, but everywhere. Whenever a new influence enters—be it religion, colonialism, or modernization—people's values tend to change too."
Marlon looked at Romo. "But that's what makes me doubtful. If values keep changing because of external influences, how do we know which ones are true and which are just propaganda from those in power at the time?"
Riri thought for a moment, then said, "So this isn't just about right or wrong, but more about… whether we can trust the values we hold today?"
Pak Herman chuckled. "If you keep thinking like that, you'll end up not believing in anything at all."
Marlon gave a faint smile. "It's not about not believing, Pak. I just want to understand the foundation. Are the values we believe in today truly rooted in reality—or just something passed down without us ever knowing where they really came from?"
Romo nodded. "I understand your restlessness. This is a classic question in philosophy: is morality something objective or subjective? Are there truly universal values, or are all values just social constructs that change with the times?"
Pak Herman stroked his chin. "From my point of view, we need to look at it more simply. Values can change, yes. But that doesn't mean all of them are wrong. It's possible that those changes actually made society better. Maybe the old values no longer fit, or maybe they needed to evolve with the times."
Riri nodded. "That's true. If we cling to old values without considering reality, we could end up stuck in the past."
Marlon paused for a moment, then said, "So… instead of asking whether values are right or wrong, maybe it's more important to ask whether they're still relevant to our current situation?"
Romo smiled. "Exactly. We can't just look to the past and assume that every value that changed is wrong. What we need to do is understand why the change happened, and whether that change made us better—or worse."