Ide Untuk Pak Anies

 This is what I call the ‘Environmental Change Behavior Indifference’. This happens when the subjected person lacks the knowledge that change in environment should also correspond to the appropriate behavior expected in a particular environment. Similar self-conclusive assumptions made by the subjected person eliminate the essential difference that might exist in the different environments.

Take for example a female kindergarten teacher that’s been teaching for 5 years since her being 25 to 30 years old. Kindergarteners age from 4-5 years old. At 30 years old, she marries and a son is born. When she is 35, she has no trouble educating both her son and the kindergarteners at school because of the same age. Before and after that short one year of her life, her son is in the phase when he’s younger or older than her kindergarteners. Let’s say she reaches 45. Her son will be in high school and her kindergarteners will be, well, in kindergarten. She has to simultaneously educate a teenager and kindergarteners at the same time. There’s an obvious importance to take into account how to educate her son and her kindergarteners differently given the different environments.

Using the same logic, we can extrapolate this idea. Imagine a professor that has a doctorate degree in mathematics. Although he’s very good in his field of work, he won’t be able to be the project manager in a construction site. The same goes with a civil engineer who has many years of experience working in a construction site. He won’t be able to do research in fluid dynamics using computational modeling and complicated math as his fellow math’s professor, yet he has the ability to run a construction project building a bridge overleaping a cliff in southern France.

As obvious as it may seem, we sometimes lack the knowledge of switching behaviors in different environments. This is obvious because the fields of work in engineering, for example, are clearly categorized, different from those occurring in social sciences, or even life knowledge to view it in an extreme way.

I have often come across with people so respected in their field of work, forgetting that their field of work also has a limit. Individual people ranging from a housewife with small children who keeps telling young adults how to behave, to a PhD in Islamic Laws in the People’s Representative Council of a Pancasila-based democratic country Indonesia.

I’m nobody to blame them. It’s not their faults anyway. They have grown up as they had been raised. Scientific explanation is nowhere to be found. I do have a hypothesis though, that this happens because of the fact that we are always praised although we do not-so-good-of-a-job at school. And sometimes, we just do them just to get the praise from our teachers or our fellow learning mates. Yes, we can get motivations from them. Yes, we can be inspired to learn more from them. But by that only, we have forgotten the true essence of learning by the core.

Teachers have the responsibility to let children learn on their own, not just passing knowledge from their heads to the children’ only. That’s what radio transmitters do. Of course we still do need a national curriculum. What the teachers need to do though is not just to pass the knowledge inside the curriculum to the students, instead to also be the trigger to make the students want to learn it on their own. Teachers have to praise them in the right times, and in the right manner. When they do so, education succeeds. Future generations will not only be doctors that are experts in their fields, but will also know where to stop and respect for other fields of work. Because realistically speaking, no one will ever be doctors in all fields of work.

I’ve been studying in Japan for two years now. And that’s not a long enough time to grasp even half the knowledge of how the Japanese education is making Japanese socialize or interact with each other. But from what I see, Japanese, no matter what position they are (could be a professor, doctor, or a fellow student), when they want to give information to another person, in most times the term ‘かもしれません / kamo shiremasen’ is put in the end. Although this can be translated into the English word ‘maybe’, this term does not, with significance, bring along the sense of uncertainty.

For example, if my Japanese friend had read in the news that the price of Yen was decreasing, they would say it to me as the following: ‘I’ve read in the news that the price of Yen is decreasing kamo shiremasen’. Although they knew it for sure that the price of Yen was decreasing, they would say it in the way that they are not sure about it to give the sense of modesty. Frankly speaking, this is what I rarely see in the Indonesian environment, a slight kamo shiremasen that can actually make a big difference.

Antek Indonesia

Beberapa hari yang lalu, banyak sumber berita menuangkan tanggapan-tanggapan yang bervariasi atas pidato yang disampaikan presiden kita Joko Widodo.

Jokowi dinanti dunia, jelas.

Jokowi dinanti Indonesia, tentu.

Ratusan juta rakyat Indonesia berharap besar pada ayah kurus dengan 3 orang anak itu.

Untuk bisa melontarkan pidato yang cukup baik.

Untuk bisa menyampaikan pidato yang tidak memalukan.

Pastinya, untuk sukses dalam pidato perdananya di mata internasional.

Harapan Indonesia akan Jokowi besar, sangatlah besar.

Tapi kalau kita bicara Indonesia, ada unsur yang sering sekali kita lupakan.

Indonesia itu besar.....

Dan untuk membuat Indonesia punya satu pikiran, adalah hal yang mustahil.

Dan untuk membuat Indonesia punya satu harapan, adalah hal yang tidak realistis.

Kalau Jokowi bicara bahasa Inggris dengan aksen Amerika, akan menjadi suatu kebanggaan bagi Indonesia?

Kalau Jokowi bicara bahasa Indonesia, akan menjadi suatu kebanggaan bagi Indonesia?

Kalau Jokowi bicara bahasa Inggris dengan aksen kental medok Jawa kekhasannya, akan menjadi suatu kebanggaan bagi Indonesia?

Saya baru menyadari, bahwa jawaban dari ketiga pertanyaan di atas itu akan bersamaan Ya dan Tidak.

Karena Indonesia itu besar.....

Indonesia yang A akan senang dengan bahasa Inggris aksen Amerika.

Indonesia yang B akan senang dengan bahasa Indonesia.

Indonesia yang C akan senang dengan bahasa Inggris dengan aksen kental medok Jawa kekhasannya.

Anda tahu maksud saya.

Itu baru dari bahasanya, belum isinya.

Sebenarnya saya tidak terlalu keberatan Jokowi dihina orang karena Inggrisnya yang pas-pasan.

Karena sungguh saya tau keberagamannya Indonesia.

Karena sungguh pula ia mewakili seluruh rakyat Indonesia.

Tapi, kalau konteksnya dipermainkan, itu yang aneh.

Tapi, kalau kepada siapanya ia berpidato dilupakan, itu yang mengecewakan.

Jikalau konteks dan kepada siapa suatu pidato itu disampaikan kemudian dilupakan, sungguhlah kesimpulan yang bisa ditarik juga berubah drastis, bukan?

Jokowi memang terkesan 'menjual' Indonesia di pidatonya kemarin.

Jokowi boleh dibilang mengedepankan kepentingan asing di pidatonya kemarin.

Tapi, itu hanya benar, apabila ia berbicara hanya di depan petinggi petinggi negara.

Itu hanya benar, apabila ia tidak berbicara di depan ratusan CEO dari ratusan perusahaan internasional.

Konteksnya beda.

Perusahaan internasional.

Cakupannya juga internasional, lintas negara.

Nama acaranya pada saat itu (10 November) adalah CEO Summit.

Acara para CEO memilih negara untuk berinvestasi selanjutnya.

Apa yang disampaikan Jokowi sudah tepat.

Bukan acara keesokannya hari yang jelas-jelas hanya meja bundar, dengan petinggi-petinggi setiap negara APEC di setiap kursi yang mengitarinya.

Ada alasannya mengapa APEC membuat kedua agenda dengan waktu dan tempat yang berbeda bukan?

Apa salahkah pikiran ini?

Apa sudah tak bisakah kita berpikir hanya dengan logika?

Haruskah setiap kali memasukkan pandangan buruk tanpa fakta terhadap Jokowi?

Antek asing?

Antek cina?

Antek Indonesia, menurut saya.

Sekian.

Langkah

Pernahku meratap kan pilihan yang telah kupilih
Pernahku menatap kan jejak yang telah kuambil
Apa aku masih benar dan tak gila masih?
Apa aku masih nyata dan tak delusif masih?

Kuambil nafas dalam, sedalam kubisa bernafas
Kumeditasi seakan dunia, tak jugalah berputar
Apa lupakahku kan tujuan yang jelas?
Apa lalailahku kan arti jadi pintar

Hari berganti minggu kulatih pelajaranku
Minggu berganti bulan kucoba ikuti logikaku
Apa ketepatankah yang ada di pihakku?
Apa salah langkahkah yang menjadi jawabanku?

Karna aku masih muda
Karna aku masih belajar
Karna aku masih galau
Dan karna aku masih bermimpi


Tokyo, 11 November
Ruben

Coincidence?

Yesterday, my roommate and I had a pretty mysterious experience.
For what I thought can be considered a coincidence, this has nothing to do with such thing.
It did though, need many sets of coincidences to make it work.

It will be boring at first, though. I will tell you the story with detailed precision, and you can figure out why I have to do this later.. ;)

Yesterday, I actually had a free day, but I decided to go to the campus.
I ended up just going to the computer room and watching some videos on youtube. My girlfriend was around and so we decided to talk just a little bit.

At around 18:45, we decided to go back to our place, she to her dorm, and I to my host family's house. This is a pretty weird timing to start going back, at least to me, because I usually go back after the end of classes. (Well.. which I didn't have yesterday..)

In Shinjuku, as it wasn't so crowded as usual (because of the time), I decided to wait a little bit to catch the Rapid (快速) train. By doing that, there's a possibility to get a seat on the train, while getting to reach my station in just 18 minutes (plus the time to wait for that train, which was only around 8 minutes in Shinjuku).

The train arrived, and people started to rush to get a seat on the train. I in the other hand, because I'd already decided to wait for 8 minutes, I was in front of the line, and could easily get a seat which I did. It was though, filled with people. I had to put my backpack on my lap to let a person stand in front of me, as the manner here suggests.

The only thing to do in these situations was, well, getting our eyes glued to our cellphones, or books. I guess it's a thing here. Individualistic behavior 101. This is a thing I noticed just too well because of my recent coming back to Indonesia. People do, talk in public transports in Indonesia.

My train went quite fast stopping at Sasazuka, Meidaimae, Sakurajosui, Hachimanyama, Chitose Karasuyama, and finally my station, Sengawa, skipping out Daitabashi, Shimo Takaido, Kami Kitazawa, and Roka Koen.

Don't get bored yet. It gets interesting after this, trust me;)
In Chitose Karasuyama, the next station to my station, my roommate chatted me asking where I was. I replied I was in Chitose Karasuyama which I was. His answer surprised me a bit because he also said he was in Chitose Karasuyama. He said we might have been in the same train.

I firstly looked to my left side, and then to my right side just to find no trace of him. To my surprise, when I looked straight in front of me, behind the person who was standing in front of me, I noticed a very similar pattern of my jacket. I knew immediately that it was my roommate just close to a meter away in front of me because the pattern was unique. I chatted him to look at his back. He turned around and smiled finding out it was me.

Of all the trains' schedule in a day. Of all the rows on a train. He said he got on the train in Meidaimae. I said I didn't notice him then. He said he didn't notice me then. We couldn't decide if the probability of that happening was just a coincidence or God's plan. At least to him, it was something unexplainable by men. It had to be God's plan. I said to him that it must have been God's plan. I didn't say to him that I still thought of it as pure coincidence. We went out of the station feeling awesome.

It didn't stop there though. My roommate was feeling sick yesterday, actually since the day before. He said he was going to get a haircut to get rid of his disease or bad luck away, at least. We went to a nearby hair-cutting place only to find out that he couldn't get his haircut while using hair gel. He wanted to wash his hair gel away in the station and went back, but I suggested to do it tomorrow because he looked quite tired in which we reached an agreement to do so.

We walked to the bicycle parking area to get his bicycle. He took a while to unlock his bicycle. I walked to the station this morning so I didn't have to get my bicycle there (well, I don't have a bicycle now because I'd already lost it there before). So, I walked, and he rolling his bicycle started walking with me home.

While still talking about the coincidence we had on the train, we met our host mother and her two children on the way to the station. They were surprised as we were. The host mother was already quite far away back continuing her ride only to slow down a bit. We just asked her boy Calvin who were following her where they were going. He answered with a body language to show an eating action. We knew they were going to have dinner together, which was really nice. We thought what a nice family. We understood exactly why they didn't want to tell us that they were going to have dinner together which was easily understandable I guess. We continued our way home.

To have this coincidence after the previous coincidence was really mind-boggling for me. We talked about the probability of this happening. I rethought the whole thing.

Had I not gone home in that train's schedule, had I not sit on that row, had he not done the same, had he already noticed me in Meidaimae, had he not used his hair gel, had he washed his hair in the station, had I not suggested him to get his haircut tomorrow, had he not taken a while to unlock his bicycle, had we not taken a different path home with the host mother and her two children, had they not done the same, had we not taken a while to talk about the coincidence that we had experienced before. All these things had to happen in a perfect timing to make these two coincidences happen, if they were coincidences at all.

The other day I was thinking about how it takes such a coincidence to make us live in this world. How it only takes one out of the average three hundred million sperms that go inside a woman's body. How mothers have to take care of the zygote for around nine months well enough. How she has to be healthy enough to give birth to a baby. These things can be considered coincidences, maybe.

But man, if all these things are coincidences, we tend to take them for granted, really. It really doesn't matter what it is, actually. What I'm saying is that, people tend to consider this kind of experience a religious one. And I don't blame them for that, really. It's because the probability of something happening in this world can be really, really, really small, I'm saying it's fine to have different opinions about what it actually is. Well, we never really know if it's God's plan or just random coincidences. The thing is, we must be given a freedom to have our own opinions about something. Spiritual, religious, coincidental, scientifically-explained experience can be similar experiences. Why do we have to argue about what it is? It's better to share our experience, think it's a really cool thing or not and move on with it, basically.

Have a good day.

Surat terbuka dari lapangan hijau

Kerjasama yang ada pada sebuah tim sepakbola itu, hari ini kudapatkan menarik. 

Semua yang membuat satu tim sepakbola adalah sama, yaitu manusia, satu jenis pula.

Tapi, dari setiap manusia itu, ada perbedaan skill antara kebisaannya sebagai striker, midfielder, defender, ataupun goalkeeper. 

Semuanya manusia. Tapi, mereka melengkapi satu sama lain. 

Kebisaan menjadi sesuatu itu tidak bisa dipilih, dan sang manager memilih berbagai manusia dengan berbagai kebisaan itu untuk mengumpulkan mereka menjadi satu tim. 

Sama halnya dengan semua kehidupan di bumi.

Apa kamu memilih untuk menjadi manusia? 

Apa sapi memilih untuk menjadi sapi?

Dan apakah rumput dipilih unuk menjadi rumput? 

Tentu jawabannya tidak.

Namun ketiga makhluk hidup itu hidup saling melengkapi satu sama lain. 

Rumput akan terus ada atas perlakuan manusia menanam dan menyirami rumput. 

Dan sapi, akan berkembang biak atas perlakuan manusia beternak sapi. 

Manusia dengan kecerdasannya bisa mengambil manfaat dari sapi dan rumput secara sustainable.

Atau, begitulah kira-kira cerita hidup di dunia ini. 

Entah kenapa sekarang ini, ini hanyalah menjadi pandangan idealis belaka.

Manusia tidak pernah mengerti kesatuannya dengan alam.

Akan tanah, diperebutkan.

Akan perdamaian, dilalaikan.

Akan peperangan, dinomorsatukan.

Akan perselisihan, diperbincangkan.

Hanya mendapatkan kekuasaan.

Hanya untuk mendapatkan harga diri.

Hanya untuk mendapatkan kemenangan.

Hanya untuk tanah sepetak?

Hanya untuk darah sebangsa?

Hanya untuk ekonomi negara?

Kuingin secuil hati nurani.

Hati nurani umat manusia.

Untuk membaca surat ini.

Agar tidaklah sia-sia.

Pilihan

Karena sesungguhnya pilihan politik itu harus mudah dijelaskan.

Apa harus menimba ilmu setinggi mungkin dulu, memilih yang susah dijelaskan, memendam beban moral, lalu kemudian masuk ke dalam lingkungan yang nyaman bagi anda dan teman-teman sepilihan anda sendiri? 

Saya rasa tidak.

Karena pilihan saya tidak akan membuat saya aneh dan takut sedikitpun untuk makan di warteg orang yang milih pilihan saya.

Karena pilihan saya tidak akan membuat saya punya beban moral kalo ditanya alasan mendasar kenapa saya memilihnya.

Karena pilihan saya baru dan lain dari yang lain.

Apa anda yakin pilihan anda berbicara konkrit dan punya kapabilitas memimpin Indonesia?

Kita bukan bicara kemampuannya memimpin rakyat militer loh. 

Kalo anda selama membaca tulisan ini, selalu berpikir 'karena pilihan saya tegas dan kuat', apakah yakin bangsa ini membutuhkan pemimpin yang 'tegas dan kuat' dalam berbicara saja?

Tidak ada alasan rasional yang memungkinkan pilihan saya juga tidak 'tegas dan kuat' kalo berhasil mengubah suatu kota bukan?

Tidak mungkin ia tidak 'tegas dan kuat' ketika hanya dalam waktu 2 tahun saja, ada banyak transformasi dan perombakan sistem yang terjadi di ibukota? (Tanah abang, ria rio, rumah susun, waduk pluit, MRT, efisiensi busway, dll bukan?

Sekarang pertanyaannya, anda mau pemimpin 'tegas dan kuat' di bagian mananya? Luar apa dalam?

Mumpung (masih) ada demokrasi. 

Anda (masih) bebas kok memilih siapapun. 

Ngasitau aje sih..:)

Pilpres

Dari awal, sebenarnya gw ingin meminimalisir post-post yang berbau pilpres di facebook. 

Namun apa daya, beberapa tak mampu gw tahan...:)

Pengen nge-share aja sih gimana cara gw milih presiden gw, gampang banget soalnya.. 

Tapi, emang dibutuhkan volume bacaan yang buanyak sih kalo mau bener.

Formulanya demikian:

Masa lalunya (lebih dari 2 tahun) (Applies for 30%)

-hal positifnya apa aja..

-hal negatifnya apa aja.. (Hanya rumor pun)

Masa kini (kurang dari 2 tahun) (Applies for 30%)

-hal positifnya apa aja..

-hal negatifnya apa aja..

(Diperlukan cross-check tingkat tinggi)

Masa depan (Applies for 39%)

- Visi-misi (level konkrit dan pengalaman melakukan)

- Bekerja sama siapa aja di pemerintahan pendukung

Background (Ras, Agama, dll) (Applies for 1%.. Hehe)

Ini sih cuma formula gw aja..

Selamat menentukan bagi yang belum..:D

#kampanyenetral #pestademokrasi

"In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope?" - Barack Obama (44th president of the United States)