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14 April 13, 2014 JPLUS

inspiring MIND

EVA MUCHTAR SHARES HER FASCINATING SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

TO FIND INNER PEACE IN A STRESSFUL WORLD.

The subject ofspirituality

and self-

fulfillment

can be, well,

complicated.

It is not a typical

conversation you would

expect to share with strangers,especially in a society where

ethereal practices like

meditation are only starting

to find acceptance among

urbanites.

But for Eva Muchtar, 41, who has devoted the last

nine years of her life to social work and spiritual

sanctity, there is nothing more worthwhile.“I am intrigued about helping people truly be

themselves,” she says over iced lattes. “And I believe

people can do it through any means that works for

them; through religious practices, or even ordinary

activities like writing.”

Before her internal transformation, however, Eva

was like any regular work-crazed member of urban

society. A PR executive at a consulting agency, she had

much to celebrate: a steady job, a tight-knit family andan extremely active social life. Everything seemed to

 be in place. Yet, the successful businesswoman grew restless –

something was still missing.

So Eva did what most of us never dare to do: she

left her 9-to-5 job and took a year-long break in

search of answers.

Eva got became involved in social work andindulged in “me time” getaways abroad. But it was

hard to let go of her old ways.

“It felt the same. Everything was go, go, go. I was

still yearning for something more.”

Ironically, it took a bout of bad

luck and a missing ATM PIN num

during a six-month trip to Spain to

truly turn things around.

“I was stripped of everything tha

I prided myself on,” she says. “I had

no job, no money, no friends or anysuccinct communicating abilities. A

I had to manage my budget wisely

sometimes I would choose to walk

instead of taking the bus to save mo

– I was forced to take things easy. I

walked around town, watched passersby, wrote

was a sobering experience.”

When she came back from the trip, Eva decidedextend her one-year sabbatical indefinitely and ha

never looked back.

COME AS YOU ARE

The youngest of five children, Eva grew up in

family with strong Muslim values.Her parents – her father was a civil servant, h

mother a homemaker – enrolled their children i

public school, but they were instructed in impor

tenets of their faith, such as sholat (prayer) five t

a day and fasting during the Ramadhan holy mo

 An increasing curiosity about faith and spiritudeveloped in her college years, where she regula

participated in pengajian (religious gatherings tostudy the Koran) organized by classmates.

 As she matured, Eva grew to believe there wa

more to faith than upholding rigid practices.

“My parents are devout Muslims but they did

push extreme values on us,” Eva explains.

“We were taught to live by the essence of the

teachings, which is what is most important. I’ve h

PURSUITHAPPINESSof 

Eva Muchtar

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Spreading Our Wings

Bali Daily now reaches our readers nationwidemore frequently with The Jakarta Post , Indonesia’s

best English-language media.

inspirinmany preach overtly-severe rules – which nobody can truly

 validate – telling worshippers that abiding by those strict

rules is the only way to be accepted into the good graces of

God. Well, we are taught He is loving and compassionate, so,

personally, I don’t believe He would be so merciless.”

The self-proclaimed perfectionist now engages in

 volunteer work for NGOs such as Taman Bacaan Pelangi

 Anak (Children’s Rainbow Reading Garden) as an officialmember of the foundation, and Masyarakat Peduli Autis Indonesia (Society Cares for Autism).

She also partakes in “dialogues about life” held by

organizations or groups focused on inner-growth, suchas the Beshara School in Scotland. Eva attended the

alternative school for six months on a scholarship in 2008.

The avid yogi makes ends meet working as a freelance

copywriter for a slew of multinational companies mostlyfocused on social development.

Building a retreat for folks to take a much-needed

 break from fast-paced modern life, which she claims is

of utmost importance, is a long-term dream she hopes to

realize some day.

Speaking candidly on faith, life and self-knowledge can

 be a little daunting for those unfamiliar with the text, or

maybe even a little too uncomfortably frank for some.Eva shrugs off the notion and gives a light-hearted laugh.

“Everyone has their preferences. My friends and family

understand my passion and they have no issues with it. Yes, it

isn’t for everyone, but that’s OK. As I said, to each their own.”

She pours her most-inner musings eloquently on her

 blogchippingin.wordpress.com and continues to practicean interesting balance between her religious beliefs and

spirituality, regarding them as equal parts of a whole – ormaybe even as one and the same – defying the common view

that, for the most part, regards both as separate factions with

 belief in God as a defining line between them.

No matter how you spin it, this “spiritual journey”, at

least for Eva, is simply a woman living life.

 As our conversation comes to a close, the question remains:

has she finally found that something  she was searching for?

“Yes,” she replies with a smile.

Eva (far left ) at an autism training workshop.