Tri Hita Karana and Tourism in Bali (1)
Deterring Disaster and Darkness in Bali

Bali’s image has been rapidly changed following the Bomb Blast of 12 October 2002. The island of many names such as “The Island of God”, “The Last Paradise Island”, “The Island of Peace”, “The Island of Dreams”, and so on, was popular as a secure, peaceful island far from violence. It atonce became the object of worldwide commentaries in the following four months.
The tragedy brought about fatal damage to the “Sari Club” and “Paddys Café” both of which have now gone. Dark clouds remain hanging over the image of Bali’s tourism industry. Various states, of main tourist origin to Bali, have persisted in their travel warnings and bans. When will these bans and warning come to an end? It is difficult to predict an answer to such a question!  
What is certain is that various negative excesses have come to the fore. Tourists are reluctant to visit Bali, while tourism here has suffered a great setback. Hotels and restaurants are almost totally bereft of consumers, while buyers have deserted most art shops and art markets. Handicraftsmen and traders in vegetables, fruit, chickens, and even rice dealers, have lost their usually high spirits, and the demise of labor relations has been unavoidable with the effect of an ever-increasing unemployment rate. There have been crucial problems resulting out of the terrible bombing, as well as victims who died or were injured, let alone the material losses worth trillions of rupiahs.
From the viewpoint of Tri Hita Karana (THK), another chain of bombs has been provoked from that bomb blast in Bali. Destruction caused by these blasts has been of even more damaging dimensions compared to that suffered by Kuta. It has happened systematically and continuously directing us towards the era of Kaliyuga, which according to great thinkers is an era of destruction and darkness due to gradual disasters of nature, socio-cultural system or civilization, and other spiritual values. In other words, it has been equal to the destruction of palemahan (environment), pawongan (human beings), and parhyangan (God) seen from THK concept.  
Signs of the gradual destruction of nature in Bali have become transparently clear, including the conversion of agricultural land, felling down of forests, erosion of beaches, and contamination of seawater (a matter of concern to south Bali). If the cutting and felling down of forests, conversion of productive agricultural soil (wet rice field and dry land farming) could not be reverted, do not be surprised if at some time in the future seawater will flow into the rivers, and salt water will dominate the landscape. 
So far, we have watched river water flowing to the sea and into underground plain water rejecting salt water from infiltrating the soil. If the reverse takes place, the main criteria of the era of Kaliyuga will demonstrate itself in its most dangerous intensity.
The criteria of “contamination” of Bali in non-physical ways are as follows:  
1. Collectiveness of spirits and cultural character of its traditional organizations (subak traditional irrigation association, marine fishermen group, pekraman gathering in traditional villages weakening.
2. Individual, groups, or sectarian interests dominating above public interest.
3. KKN (Corruption, Collusion, and Nepotism) intensifying in practice.
4. Communalist sentiment more dominant in coloring political culture above public rules of the game.
5. Frequent misuse of holy words of religion as a commodity, instead of its role as a means or media of improving spiritual consciousness.
There are more criteria that might be forwarded. Deviation in conceiving ritual activities is another thing included among them. It is natural to use every ritualactivity, according to letter as written in religious books, to the benefit of the improvement of the layers of conscience and spiritual values. It is superfluous to merely exhibit physical glamour.  
The structure of disturbance and gradual decay always starts from the environment, termed as palemahan in the concept of THK. It will infiltrate to matters of socio-cultural subjects or civilization in THK concept termed as pawongan. At last, it destructs mentality (in THK concept termed as parhyangan).
More clear examples are among others the polluted beaches and seawater (palemahan) by investors for installment of hotels and malls and the like. Consequently, the fishing community (pawongan) has lost their common interest and is on the brink of disintegration. Finally, ritual systems and religious sentiments (parhyangan) in Pura Segara temples have disappeared.
Wet rice field and irrigation (palemahan) has changed function, being used for villas or cottages and the like bringing the kerama subak community to breaking point, while ritual systems and religious values (parhyangan) in Pura Bedugul or Ulun Swi temple have come into disarray.  
Disturbance to desa adat villages (now being popular as desa pekeraman) has been quite the same. The case has always begun with the squeezing of palemahan (wewidangan/territorial space) of desa adat, consisting of wet rice fields, dry agricultural land, house-yards, high-sided walls, valleys and ravines even for places to discard waste material, due to the unceasing flow of local migration. Such a negative development has left too much responsibility on Bali, followed by the degradation of cultural intimacy amongst the population, while religious emotions and sentiments have been disturbed. If these problems persist without solution, the era of Kaliyuga (destruction and darkness) will arrive sooner than anticipated. 

*) Chairman of THK Awards & Accreditations Committee.