Selfish misogynists
Lately, I often get news about rape. Both online media and electronic media often report cases of rape and sexual violence. Perpetrators of rape come from various backgrounds, ranging from officials, police, teachers, to unemployment.
However, what is interesting is the responses from the community. I tried to do a small survey, asking some of my friends their opinion about the rape case. As a result, most of my friends blame the rape victims (women).
I know that patriarchal culture is still firmly attached to society. Those who adhere to a patriarchal culture must give birth to misogynistic people. Therefore, I am not surprised that they think that sexual crimes are the fault of the woman (victim). I still remember their responses that said "that woman wears sexy clothes", "His curves invite lust", and many other stupid responses that were said by them.
In my opinion, men who think like that are stupid selfish people who can't contain their sexual desires. I as a normal person do not want to be hypocritical, seeing beautiful and sexy women can indeed make me horny. But I can still think clearly not to rape. I also believe that the readers of this article (especially men) will not commit rape if they see a beautiful and sexy woman.
If you and I can still think clearly about not committing rape, why blame women? To me, rape is a crime that is 100% the perpetrator's fault. Misogynist culture has existed for a long time. If you open the Old Testament (the oldest book of monotheism), you will find the story of Eve who persuaded Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. From that story, the seeds of Misoginism emerged which stated that women already had a destructive nature.
Even in my religion (Islam), there are also some misogynistic hadiths. For example obliging wives to serve their husbands, requiring women to dress closed, and there is even a hadith that states that the majority of the inhabitants of hell are women. However, many forget the hadith which reads "Never will honour women except for noblemen, and will never demean women except for men who are lowly too." I once heard the story of the prophet Muhammad SAW, while on a trip. Prophet Muhammad saw a beautiful woman with revealing clothes, then the Prophet Muhammad just lowered his gaze, not blaming the woman's clothes, let alone raping her. This is evidence of the example taught by the prophet Muhammad on how to manage lust.
There are still many people and even my friends who are unable to think fairly in such matters because they are influenced by the patriarchal and misogynistic culture. Then, how long can this be finished?
***The Lead Image Source by*** ***Time.com*** https://time.com/3728061/delhi-gang-rape-blames-victim/
The first sandwich in 2022
Hello, my friends, it's been a long time since I posted an article on this platform because I'm busy at work. Btw, how are you all? It must be happy to have celebrated the new year. I don't celebrate because I prefer to sleep in my room.
On January 1, 2022, I woke up too late, Around 11.30 am, long enough for bedtime. I like hibernating in winter. Indeed, at the beginning of 2022, the neighbourhood where I live is in the rainy season, even as I write this it is raining heavily. So I forgot to wake up from sleep because the weather was quite cool.
When I woke up, the sun was already shining, I looked at the wardrobe, it turned out that there was no food for me to eat, then I tried to order food online on the Shopee application, there happened to be a discount for the new year, so I just ordered food using my smartphone.
I ordered a sandwich and a glass of milk coffee for 45,500 IDR. After pressing the order button, I waited for my food for 30 minutes. While waiting, I played a Linkin Park, rock song so I wouldn't get bored. After waiting for half an hour, the food I ordered finally arrived.
The drink that should have come is milk coffee, but this drink doesn't taste like coffee, it tastes more like a chocolate drink. But it doesn't matter, the most important thing is the food because my stomach feels so hungry that afternoon. The sandwich I ordered tasted very good, this is the first time I've eaten this delicious sandwich, maybe because my stomach feels hungry so whatever food that goes into my mouth tastes so good.
I'm addicted to eating this sandwich, the toasted bread has a slightly crunchy texture, plus the pieces of beef are not tough, cheese and vegetables smeared with mayonnaise also complete the enjoyment of this sandwich.
Next time I'll order a sandwich with a Chicken Crispy or something. Thanks for taking the time to read, happy new year to all of you.
Don't Forget History
Indonesia's first president, Soekarno, once said in his speech "Never Forget History". The saying is already widely known by most Indonesians. But only a few know when Soekarno said that. It was a saying that never died until now. Some friends on Facebook also often use the quote to make a post. That is a quote from Soekarno during a speech in 1966, Soekarno's last speech when he became president in Indonesia because, in 1967, Soekarno's power was replaced by Suharto, the second president of Indonesia.
We all might agree that the most valuable thing that humans have is memory because, without memory, cognitive processes do not work properly. The point is, before we decide in the mind, the information recorded in the brain's memory is needed. If humans had no memories, just imagine what would happen next. We have seen these things in fiction films where a person loses his memory, he does not know who he is so that his life will be driven by the closest person. This is the reason that memory is so important. Human memory is as important as life, the human body needs the soul to continue to live, the human brain also needs memory to keep thinking.
If memory is very important for humans, then history is also important for a nation, because the spirit of civilization is history. Try to imagine if a nation forgets the history of its nation. Just like humans who lose their memories, that nation will be driven and guided by other nations. As a result, a nation that has forgotten history no longer has a national identity. This does not only apply to a nation, but this applies to anything, including religion. The adherents of religion will be lost if the adherents of religion do not know the history of their religion.
By studying history, we will be able to solve a problem from previous events that have ever existed. Maybe that's why Karl Marx said that "History always repeats itself". It's a shame to see young people today who don't like history, because there are many benefits from studying history. Many say that "History is written by the victors", even so, we still have to study history. Remember the message of the Indonesian president, Soekarno, during his last speech "Never forget history".
**Image Source by** **Unsplash** https://unsplash.com/photos/Fo5dTm6ID1Y
Thoughts on Marijuana
This morning, a group of youths were gathered behind my house, I don't know what they were doing. They are about 20 to 23 years old, live in the neighbourhood around my house, they also know me. My curiosity made me approach them. oh, it turns out they're smoking weed. I told them they had to be careful because what they were doing was breaking the law. They also offered me marijuana that had been rolled up like cigarettes, of course, I gladly accepted.
In smoking marijuana, I find peace, it's because the effects of marijuana contain elements of chemical reactions that spread to the brain, causing hormones that make the mood better. No wonder why marijuana users are often seen smiling and laughing as if they don't have the burden of life.
at the same time, I thought of Fidelis, a convict who was imprisoned for possession of a marijuana tree. Fidelis owns the cannabis plant not because he sells marijuana, but because he uses cannabis extract for medicinal purposes. At that time his wife was suffering from a rare disease, namely Syringomyelia. Fidelis has tried to treat his wife to the hospital and also other alternative treatments, but his wife did not recover, finally, he got information on the internet that Syringomyeila disease can be cured with marijuana extract.
Fedelis also sought more in-depth information on how to process cannabis to be used as medicine, so that his wife could be treated with the cannabis extract. Finally, Fedelis was able to make medicinal herbs from cannabis extract, slowly his wife began to improve. Maybe if his wife would recover completely if Fidelis routinely gave the marijuana extract to his wife. But unfortunately, bad luck came to him, he was arrested by the police for possessing the marijuana plant. What's worse, his wife died 32 days after he was caught. Yes, his wife died due to no longer being given herbal medicine from cannabis extract.
At that time, many people voiced for Fidelis to be released, because Fidelis planted marijuana trees for the healing of his wife, not for business. But the government and authorities did not care, Fidelis remained in prison, even until his wife died. Such is the state of a country that has an inhumane government. The government should be able to review marijuana because this plant is very efficacious for treatment.
When marijuana has become legal in several countries, but in my country Indonesia, it is still considered a scary drug. Some developed countries have not only legalized marijuana as a drug but also legalized it for recreational purposes. Countries that have legalized marijuana have done extensive research, so they can legalize the cannabis plant.
If we read more deeply about the cannabis plant, then we will find a history that in the 14th century, humans have cultivated cannabis plants. The cannabis plant has several benefits such as cloth, flavouring in cooking, to medicine to cure diseases. If you want to know more about the benefits of the cannabis plant, you can look for sources on several sites on the internet. There will be explained rationally and logically about the cannabis plant. If anyone says that marijuana is addictive, they are actually lying. I have used marijuana cigarettes since I was in junior high school, there is no addictive or harmful element of marijuana. To me, marijuana makes me happy, peaceful and smiling. but you have to be careful because you will be caught by the police if caught.
**Lead Image Source by** **Unsplash** https://unsplash.com/photos/PGc9Vid8O24
I want to share NFT for free
Hi friends, how are you all? I'm sure you'll all stay healthy. So today I want to discuss NFT, actually, this topic of NFT is stale to discuss, even I have long known about NFT, which is a crypto token that can be created by digital artists. I first learned about NFT tokens in 2019, from a cryptokitties game, where we can buy digital cats, and we can raise and breed them. There we can also sell or auction it. https://www.cryptokitties.co/
Even though I've known NFT tokens for a long time, I've never been interested in owning or creating them. Recently, a lot of projects have been made to trade NFT. That means NFT is increasingly in demand by people.
About four months ago I tried to make an image that I made into NFT, I happen to have a talent for drawing. But until now, the two works of art that I have made have not been purchased by collectors, even though I have promoted them on various social media. maybe I drew too spooky because the 2 designs I made were dark art themed. The platform I use to create my NFT art is airnfts. It is an NFT trading platform with BSC (Binance Smart Chain) network. Actually, I want to use opensea, because it is the biggest NFT trading market right now, but the ethereum gas cost is very expensive, so I don't use it. However, at this time Opensea already has a polygon network that is free of charge.
Then recently I tried again to make NFT collectables, where the type of NFT is mostly made by NFT creators and also most often bought by collectors. I took the primitive theme because I think it is unique. I've created 125 primitive image files and have uploaded about 20 NFT. The NFT I made consists of 5 backgrounds, 5 characters, and 5 outfits
Maybe I'll share some of my artwork for you to own. If you are interested in having it, please paste your address in the comments column. But on condition, you have to follow my Twitter account: https://twitter.com/zeingrind666
I would love it if you guys got hold of the NFT I made. Oh yeah, I forgot one thing. I created this NFT with the Polygon blockchain on opensea, because creating and sending NFTs with a polygon network doesn't cost anything or it's free. That's all the information I can convey, Thank you very much for reading.
The Dark Side of Freedom
People are always discussing and wanting freedom. What is freedom? why do people want it? I think freedom is like a double-edged sword, not just freedom. Everything in this world is also a double-edged sword, for example, is Nuclear, we all know that nuclear can be used as a useful power plant, even in the Middle East using nuclear as a power plant. But on the other hand nuclear is also capable of destroying many humans if used for war. Likewise money, money is very useful when we need something to have, but money can also enslave humans.
Returning to the topic of freedom, this is very interesting for me, because in this 21st century, democracy is the most popular political system, even my country also uses a democratic political system, where people are free to express all their aspirations towards the state and government. many people are willing to die to fight for their freedom and their group. Freedom also includes the nature of human beings, everyone longs for freedom so that all forms of restraint and oppression fight for freedom. For example, the heroes who are willing to sacrifice their lives for the independence of the country and nation.
With freedom, humans can do anything, but it's impossible. Humans do not live alone, so freedom must be limited. Rules after regulations are made to limit freedom to create harmonious relations between all human beings. You can imagine if freedom had no limits, there would be great chaos everywhere, but that's not what I want to talk about here because everyone knows and understands that too.
I want to discuss further freedom, namely freedom of thought. I often shout about freedom of thought, for me thinking there should be no limits. In my opinion, God created reason and mind in human beings to be used properly and optimally. So, a restriction of the mind is blasphemy. Just now a question crossed my mind, why don't people want to think freely? don't they know that free thinking is a pleasure? why are they afraid to think freely? It is these three questions that I want to address in this article.
I asked a friend about freedom of thought, and my friend refused to have freedom of thought because that would distance him from religion and God. Reasons like this don't make sense to me, how could God hate his servants who think freely because God is great and all-powerful, so God can't forbid humans to think freely. Now that I think about it, what is the dark side of freedom of thought?
My wild mind replied all freedom has a dark side. Freedom creates personal responsibility, freedom of mind also creates moral responsibility for what we have decided. Therefore, free-thinking is not easy, it takes great creativity to take responsibility for all decisions and maybe a burden to our souls.
I once read a book called fight or flee, where a person makes a decision when faced with fear or threat. This is a natural response that exists in humans. I have noticed that many humans cannot resist the great power of freedom, so many people choose to run away and choose to take refuge in the mainstream to calm their souls and avoid the pressures of responsibility.
Without us knowing it, people have traded their freedom on a group teaching that they consider absolute. That way, they feel safe and not burdened with responsibility for the results of the decision. One of the teachings of groups who do not dare to think freely is religion because religion gives them teachings that are absolute so that they avoid burdens and responsibilities. I am a person who will never run away from the responsibility of freedom of thought because freedom of thought will enable me to see the world from many perspectives and also to be able to see the beautiful world from various angles.
**The lead image source by** **Unsplash** https://unsplash.com/photos/odxB5oIG_iA
Understanding Ignorance
*I want to tell you in advance that what I write today is not an article, I am also not sure what type of writing this is, maybe this is a poem, maybe this is a verse, or maybe this is a rhyme. It's up to you what you want to think about it, what is clear, this is not an article. haha*
**Image Source by** **Unsplash** https://unsplash.com/photos/BCuxVP5WEsU
I don't understand how to get started. The cold night seemed to whisper about your unravelling name. Silence always produces a sound that hides in silence. Let the breeze continue to crush your shadow in your forehead.
I don't understand how this story started. All you can imagine is your face from above calling out to wave. I can't hold back the ripples of longing in my noisy heart. Should it be placed on hope in a new seed of a branch?
I don't understand how the reality of a fistfight with something that is not finished. All only make this body die in the quiet of the graceful night. It's been a long time since the inner voice was not scattered, forced to come out slammed. Are these all urgent complaints?
Hey people who have fallen into seriousness, look at the world without peace. All of you consider your opponent so easy to hurt. Owh, mortal beings, didn't God create the destiny of human diversity with pleasure? Then why don't you get tired of beating the drums of war?
Hey people who continue to deceive and be deceived in the mortal world without being limp. The lack of awareness of the devil's lust made him drift away. Owh, the mortal who claims to be the most perfect arrogantly. Indeed, you are at a loss because you unknowingly fall into a daze.
I understand very well that humans will get whatever they sow. The beauty of coexistence throws a relaxed smile. I don't understand why they don't understand the foulness of attacking each other. Don't they even create calamities that bring us to the abyss?
Talking About Hypocrisy
**The lead image by** **behaviorist** https://www.behaviorist.biz/oh-behave-a-blog/hypocrisy-moral-cleansing
I am one of the most anti-hypocrisy people. What is hypocrisy? Many people have different definitions of this, but for me, the easiest definition is when the heart, reality, speech, and action do not go hand in hand. Sometimes there are those whose hearts and words are in line, but not with their actions. Sometimes the three things go in different directions, perhaps this is the highest form of hypocrisy.
I hate hypocrisy. Because hypocrisy kills humanity. Hypocrites are certainly not holy people hypocrites are creatures that are lower than animals. Hypocrisy will not lead a human to happiness. Hypocrisy will bring a burden to the soul because humans are born in good nature. When someone destroys that nature, of course, he will be swayed in a pretty torturous inner pressure.
However, the truth is, I always try not to be a hypocrite. But, it's too naive to admit that I'm not a hypocrite. Yes, I am a hypocritical human being. The struggle against hypocrisy is not easy. The Prophet Muhammad indeed SAW said that jihad against oneself is the toughest jihad. Therefore I am in the stage of fighting against myself to be far from hypocrisy.
I don't want to be a hypocrite. That's what I often tell my friends. But there is a question that pops up in my head, "Should we as humans not be hypocrites?" said the voice in the head. I thought hard to answer that question. In the end, I found an answer that seemed to satisfy my rationality at least temporarily. There are exceptions, as said by Iwan Fals, "A little hypocrite, don't be too honest, because honest people only exist in comics," said Iwan Fals' song lyric, Nak.
It feels like the lyrics are appropriate, especially if you read the whole lyrics that touch Iwan Fals. I think that exceptions to hypocrites are only appropriate in front of parents, angelic figures wrapped in human bodies. I did say this to my boyfriend when I said that I didn't want to be a hypocrite to please him. I have to be myself. I have to make a wide road that accommodates my heart, reality, words, and actions so that they can go hand in hand.
I just had a conversation with my mother in the middle of the capital's traffic jam on the inner-city toll road. In short, she hoped that I would get a job so that I could help the family's economic condition which was getting worse. This has been the subject of my thoughts since a few years ago, but I lack the motivation to work to earn money. “Money is the source of the problem,” I thought. I've been wanting to work for a long time, one of the things I'm interested in is writing and sending my writings to newspapers, magazines, or whatever that wants to accommodate my thoughts and is willing to exchange them for money.
But the desire was restrained. Yes, indeed I think too much because of that I feel that I am not talented to be an entrepreneur. I thought that if my motivation for writing was money, then one day I would be a slave to money. That's why I'm currently undoing it while hoping that my money orientation will decrease. I don't want to be a hypocrite, that's why I don't want to write because I want money. Because several times I said that I hate money.
I want to work with all my heart. Working wholeheartedly for me is when we enjoy the work we are doing. So, even though we are not rewarded with money, we are still happy. That way, we don't waste time being slaves to money. Because we only do the work we enjoy. If our work orientation is money, then even though we don't like the job, we will continue to work to earn money. How is it different from slave colonialism? Doing a job you don't like just to make a living.
I replied to my mother's wish according to my heart that I had just written. The same. My mother just smiled at my apology argument. Her smile contains thousands of meanings, from that faint smile I felt she said “You're still too young to understand life, son. Life is not as simple as you say," was the meaning of the curve of her lips that I understood. It seems that I'm too stubborn to remain hypocritical in front of her, even though I've previously concluded that the exception to being hypocritical is in front of parents.
We don't live alone. I'm too selfish. All this time I was too selfish because I only care about my pleasure. It feels like I've had enough to maintain my idealism at work. I have to work to make my mother happy. I once promised my late father that I would make my mother happy because all this time I had only been a spring of tears of sadness. From that conversation, I took the attitude that it was time for me to make money. I had to change the orientation from personal pleasure to parental happiness, no matter what. And money is one of the things that make my mother a little happy at least for now.
Maybe the title is Perspective
I dont know what is suitable for the title of this article, because in this article it is just an idea that came to mind this afternoon. I don't know what theme I should make in this article. Writers who are still beginners like me usually only write about the circumstances around me and the right mood. For me, writing in a bad mood is very difficult. Incidentally this afternoon I'm in a good mood, but the idea or what I think to write is not there.
As usual, when I'm writing, I've prepared a cup of hot coffee and a few cigarettes to accompany me writing in the attic, don't forget to turn on the Rock 80's song by the American band Metallica so that my spirit is as high as Rock music. The composition that I prepared was perfect enough to make random writing.
Even though I don't come from a rich family, I grew up with pampering, so I can't even cook rice using a rice cooker. A saying that I have heard for a long time and often I hear is "rice has become porridge", I think it is a wise saying which means that past events cannot be repeated, and we must be willing to live them. Just now, the intestines in my stomach screamed struggling to be filled with food because I haven't eaten since this afternoon because I have nothing to eat. I tried to cook rice in the rice cooker and as a result, I gave a lot of water to the rice so that the rice became mushy. I don't know if this deserves to be called rice?
The first thought that crossed my mind when I opened the rice cooker was the saying "Rice Has Become Porridge". But it doesn't matter, after all, I'm already hungry, even though the rice is almost turned into a porridge-like this, I have to eat it with minimal side dishes. Turns out it tasted really bad, so I couldn't finish it. It turns out that the saying is true, rice that has become porridge is a regret. But in this life full of wisdom, by learning from this experience, I hope I don't repeat the same mistake in cooking rice. Or it could be that the rice I cooked next turned hard, but I hope that doesn't happen.
In this life full of wisdom, we always look at things from various perspectives. If I looked at the almost porridge rice from the perspective of its taste, then I would regret it for the rest of my life. So, I have to look at my mistakes from a different perspective, I have to view the incident as a lesson so I don't repeat the same mistakes. For me, this is a valuable lesson, because with this I no longer depend on others when cooking rice.
For me, perspective is everything. Because perception will be influenced by perspective. If we use perspective properly, perspective will be useful. Just like cigarettes, for most people, cigarettes are a source of the disease that must be avoided, whether true or not, I do not believe it. Maybe because I am a smoker that I only believe in the truth of cigarettes. For me, cigarettes are items that give me energy and also calm when I'm feeling anxious.
It turns out that this article has deviated from rice to cigarettes. Looks like I'll have to stop this post right away because I just thought I'd write about cigarettes. So, this article concludes that we can learn anywhere because this world is a place for learning that is full of wisdom. What we need is to look at things from a different perspective, so we will get a lot of new views and insights. thank you
**Lead image by:** **Medium** https://medium.com/@angelvalencia_70579/a-different-perspective-17ce10891bf5
Hope For Tomorrow (original poem)
Poetry by: @heartofdarkness (Selamet Raharjo)
Medan, October 25, 2021
The heat of the sun that burns the skin
Until the dirty air is inhaled into the chest
I never thought to stop walking
I have a burning spirit
The spirit that burns fear
My soul screams in life
Like a lion that scares its prey
I don't know when will this end?
How long will I last?
Is there hope for tomorrow?
The more I endure, the harder the blow of life I feel
Unexpected
City life is filled with traps of dreams and wishful thinking
A weak soul will not be able to fight all of this
Rise, fight and defend
Hoping for a better tomorrow
I Love Night
***Lead image by Unsplash*** https://unsplash.com/photos/L95xDkSSuWw
I love people who wander through the darkness of the night through their wild, courageous, and honest minds, like a tiger roaring alone in the darkness of a forest to frighten its opponent.
I like people who complain about day and night that promise silence with contemplation, like bats looking for prey with ultrasonic sound waves.
I like people laughing out loud with their friends with no other interest in the night than happiness even though it's a little under the influence of alcohol and tetrahydrocannabinol, like a horde of savanna hyenas ganging up on their prey.
I like people who pray to God through sincere tears on a third of the night and whose godly behaviour is reflected in their behaviour towards others, like ants helping each other to serve the queen in their nest.
I love the night, which is full of starlight. I love the night, which makes the mind go wild. I love the night, which makes stiff conversations warm. I love the night, which makes people pray even more fervently.
I love a night that provides shade. I miss the quiet nights. I love the night that hides the hypocrisy of the day. I killed the night in fury at the noise of others that kept the hegemony of hypocrisy endured.
I'm amazed at those who don't enjoy the stars. Don't they know that stars are the origin of life on earth? Oh, they don't care. All they care about is getting enough rest so that tomorrow they will be fit to work hard looking for money for wealth that gives birth to happiness.
The happiness he said? A poet named Kahlil Gibran wrote that "The wealth of the world lies in a loaf of bread and a robe". Poets are always fascinating to those who enjoy words. However, I don't want hatred to be embedded in my soul.
I'd rather go back to enjoying the beauty of the stars in solitude accompanied by a cup of black coffee, a few cigarettes, and the chirping of crickets that are increasingly rare in the metropolis. Wish you happiness, friend.
The Birth of the Islamic Student Organization
When I was sitting in a coffee shop, there was a woman who was about 40 years old with her child in front of my coffee table. It was seen that his mother was advising her son who had just graduated from school. It seems the mother told her son to continue his education at the university, but the child did not want to. he just wants to work. I heard that his mother said "**campus is the best place to seek knowledge**"
I just smiled hearing their debate. I don't agree with his mother's opinion, although the campus is a good place to seek knowledge, it is not the best. For me personally, our own life experiences will give us knowledge. I even lived on the streets. The streets are a place of much suffering that deserves a lesson.
Talking about campus, I remember when I was still in college. I felt that my life was bound by the social system that I had to live through. One of them was studying on campus. I am one of the lucky ones to get scholarships and free education at a university that has progressive Islamic thinking in Indonesia. I study at UIN Jakarta, here there are a lot of Islamic ideologies that thrive
Due to a large number of Islamic ideologies on my campus, it is very difficult for an ideology with fundamental nuances to enter UIN, because those who think religion is the absolute truth will be discussed critically by UIN students. The fundamental Islamic ideology thrives on secular campuses that have the best accreditations in Indonesia, such as ITB, UI, IPB, etc.
The secular campuses that I mentioned above have students and lecturers who are extraordinarily high in intelligence. They are intelligent people but can be possessed by such a fundamentally styled ideology. Maybe they don't have a strong foundation of religious knowledge. They think that religion has absolute truth and shouldn't be criticized so that when a religious argument is given, they will immediately be indoctrinated.
Fundamental ideological missionaries are armed with religious propositions, people who will be instigated by religious arguments are people who do not have a strong basic knowledge of religion. When missionaries spread fundamental ideologies on the UIN campus with religious arguments, they will be rewarded again with arguments, so it is very difficult for fundamental missionaries to penetrate the minds of UIN students. Many UIN students come from Islamic boarding schools, so they have a strong basic knowledge of religion.
In addition, the UIN campus has many student organizations with socio-religious patterns, the famous ones being HMI, PMII, IMM, and KAMMI. This student organization was formed to counteract the flow of foreign fundamental ideologies that began to penetrate the minds of young people in Indonesia, except for the KAMMI organization.
HMI was formed from a political organization called Masyumi, PMII was formed from a political organization called Nahdatul Ulama, and IMM was formed from the political organization Muhammadiyah. The three-parent organizations existed before Indonesia's independence. From the history and political conflicts in Indonesia in the past, the parent political organization gave birth to a student organization, and it still exists today. I don't know how KAMMI was born, what is clear is that their ideology is oriented to a political party in Egypt called the *Ikhwanul Muslimin*. It's too far to discuss the Ikhwanul Muslimin here. Maybe next time
We Meet Absurdly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jh-qnSIt-k
*Sunday, October 08, 2021.* My friend and I were drinking coffee at the coffee shop where we used to hang out. Btw, my friend is the guitarist in my band. His name is Petrus. While the two of us were relaxing enjoying coffee, suddenly Opan Gobank, a vocalist in my band, appeared as well. Finally, we sat at one table enjoying the coffee we ordered. Five minutes later there was a crashing sound from outside the coffee shop. The three of us tried to see it.
Damn, really?? One of our drummer's named Bees bumped into our lead guitarist named John Mamer who was riding a Vespa. The five of us haven't seen each other for a long time and practice music together. Now God brings us together absurdly and ridiculously. The five of us never had an appointment to meet, but today the five of us met by accident hahaha.
After gathering, we enjoyed coffee together then went to rent a music studio to play music with my band. We are a punk rock band. We already have 3 albums released by the music label that I own, namely Lebah Hitam Record. I will introduce my band members one by one.
The first is Opan Gobank. He is the vocalist in my band, as well as the one who formed this band. In the beginning, he formed this band he was a drummer, until in 2015 the former vocalist of this band named Kutil went out of town to work, so the vocalist position was replaced by Opan Gobank.
The second is John Mamer. He is a new member of this band. John Mamer's position in the band is Lead Guitar. It was Opan Gobank who invited him to join this band. Previously, we had a lead guitarist named Haris, he decided to leave the band because he chose an offer to work as a security guard in another city in 2015. Btw, Jhon Mamer is a member of the Vespa community and often touring with other Vespa groups. So he is a Vespa biker.
The third is Bees. He joined the band in 2017. Besides joining us, he also joined a band called The Bentrok which is still active to this day. Bees works as a construction worker, besides beating drums, Bees also has expertise as a carpenter. He can make tables, chairs, and cabinets.
The fourth is Petrus. He is my best friend since childhood. Almost every day we spend time at the coffee shop. His position in the band is as a guitarist. Since he was in school he really liked the guitar. He thinks of the guitar as his wife, hahaha weird fetish. Petrus joined the band in 2013.
The last one is me. Zein Grind or often called Mbah Selamet. my position in the band is bassist, I joined this band in 2009, at that time I was still in high school. At that time I never thought about joining a music group, but Opan Gobank invited me to join the band he formed.
Those were my friends who were in a music group called Indonesia Bersatu. I hope you enjoy reading my meaningless writing. Thank you and greetings
Mind Anxiety
It's been a long time since enjoying the perfect formulation of caffeine and nicotine mixture in the solitude and silence of the room. Writing becomes difficult because of the habit of mixing sips of coffee and puffs of cigarette smoke in touching the fingers on the keyboard keys. After a long time not getting this opportunity due to economic pressure, this is the first time this pleasure is reunited with thoughts that are ready to be written down in simple writing.
I remember an experience that I had last year, at that time I did not have a penny for more than a week, I was still able to survive as usual with the help of good friends and the food that was still in the storage room in the room. I tried to feel the pain of life without money. This is due to my curiosity towards people who are willing to fight to the death and even use illegal methods to earn money.
After experiencing that suffering even though it was only for less than two weeks, I did not find the answer that money was worth it in any way. Maybe this is also because of the factor of my friends who are willing to share a little of their sustenance to meet my struggling intestines asking for food. I don't understand why people are willing to submit to a paper that is said to bring happiness. Then, why are there so many people who are willing to go to great lengths to get the paper and even take other people's rights? Who knows.
The world today always teaches us how to earn money, even from basic education we have been fed the doctrine that the journey of life is school-college-work. The world of education is our initial capital to earn money, they say. Such a doctrine thrives in people's heads, the knowledge is given at every level of education is not so important because what they are after is a paper that is considered to be able to represent the knowledge in our heads which is called a diploma.
What a shame if this is the case, I thought. This doesn't make sense. Why should we submit to a glimmer of ink on paper like money and diplomas? Is that the only limit we think? Shackled by the stuff we create? I don't understand, am I still sane or not? Questioning things that are common in society. Sometimes I envy most people who live according to society's thinking, but sometimes I also pride myself that I'm not like them. However, in a world that has become so dilapidated, we need money to survive.
The concept of God which is considered absolute by most people sometimes cannot be separated from the questions in my head. Forgive me, God. But I want to grow up to be an honest person by venting the questions that arise in my head, but believe me I will continue to look for answers to each of my questions. Then what should I do? Do I have to live life like the average person? Honestly, I don't want to.
Do I have to struggle to make money? Oh, I don't want to. I want to make history, I want my name to be remembered by history, not to be a person who makes money. Perhaps this dream was too utopian, they would hardly say. Is dreaming a mistake? I don't think so. Then what should I do? My college obligations are often neglected, is my dream unattainable? I don't know, I don't have the slightest right to determine my future.
This anxiety never tires of bothering me. I always think about my future, could the books I devoured be useful in the future? Is God's guarantee to learn to seek knowledge true in a world that is so cruel and shackled by materialism? I'm dizzy thinking about it. There is no place to discuss this other than the screen staring at me intently at this moment and the keyboard lying quietly waiting for the gentle massage of my fingers.
God, if you could give me clearer instructions maybe I wouldn't have to feel this very disturbing anxiety. Or maybe I am too stupid to understand The messages that you convey through Your chosen noble people. Forgive my stupidity, O Lord. I don't want to dictate to you in my every prayer. As I usually say in my every prayer and I will never get tired of saying it, give me the strength to carry out the role that You have given me in this stage of Your play.
Indomie Saved Me From Disaster of Hunger
I apologize in advance for giving an exaggerated title. Because the hunger I feel is not a big disaster. I often feel it at midnight.
As usual, if I can't sleep at midnight, I often feel hungry, even though I have eaten a lot at 7 pm. Until I decided to cook a portion of instant noodles that I had prepared. I like all kinds of noodles, including instant noodles.
The instant noodles that I made in the middle of the night are Indomie with curry sauce flavour. Because for me the taste of curry sauce is the most delicious on the tongue. To cook instant noodles, I don't just boil it, but I add some spices such as shallots, garlic, and chillies. Don't forget to also add eggs and sauce to make it more delicious.
How Do I Make It:
First, I sautéed sliced shallots, garlic, and chillies. After all the slices are sauteed, add one and a half cups of water, and wait for it to boil. After the water boils, add the noodles until they become soft, then add an egg and wait until it is cooked.
After the noodles were cooked, I turned off the stove and sprinkled the powdered spices in the noodle packaging. When the noodles are in the bowl, add the hot sauce and sweet soy sauce. I guarantee it tastes good.
After finishing the bowl of instant noodles, my stomach was no longer struggling. At that moment I was reminded of Jarjrit's words in the cartoon series Upin and Ipin which reads "My stomach is full and my heart is happy". It is true what Jarjrit said, that a hungry stomach will make you feel unhappy unless you can control emotions and feelings like a Buddhist monk.
If we already know how it feels to be hungry, try to train the heart and feelings to be sensitive to the hunger of others. That way we will become noble human beings by giving help to the hungry. Many around us are born as unlucky people, just to get the food they have to try hard by risking their lives for a plate of food. Try helping hungry people so they can eat like us.
Thank you for taking the time to read this possibly not useful article. Peace for us all. Cheers...
Voice the Resistance Through Music
Hello, my brother whom I love and respect. Good afternoon and brotherly greetings. Today, I would like to introduce one of my bands called **BOOT**. I joined two music groups, the first is **INDONESIA BERSATU**, I have explained about my band called INDONESIA BERSATU in my previous post.
**https://read.cash/@dark_spirit666/punk-rock-band-from-indonesia-208660fa**
On this occasion, I will explain my band called BOOT. Maybe you are wondering, why BOOT? The reason is, boots are a symbol of the workers or lower class workers. In music, we give a message through song to the lower class workers to fight against the oppression of capitalism and corporations. As we have seen, there have been many cases of oppression experienced by workers, ranging from inappropriate salaries, very long working hours, to cases of sexual harassment experienced by female workers.
For that, we created a music group that will voice resistance against all forms of oppression. The messages we convey through the song are the voices from the hearts of the lower class workers. Workers must rise and unite to fight injustice. In addition, the lyrics of our song also have the themes ANTI FASCIST and ANTI RACIST. We respect differences and we also don't want any violence perpetrated by the police. We hate war.
The genre that we bring in our music group is Crust Hardcore Punk. It is a subgenre of punk music. We formed this band in 2018, which consists of four members namely; Opan Gobank (Vocals), Petrus (Guitar), Zein Grind (Bass), and Be'es (Drums). To listen to songs and video clips from BOOT, I include them below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyVWLpIzHGU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RF2EDQjFYI
Thanks to those of you who are reading it. For more information, please visit the link below:
**Youtube Channels:** **https://www.youtube.com/c/LebahHitamRecords**
**Facebook Fanpage:** **https://web.facebook.com/lebahrecord**
Punk Rock band from Indonesia
Hello friends, Introducing, My name is **Zein Grind**, people used to call me **Mbah Selamet**. Btw, I'm a band member. I have two bands, the first one is called **Indonesia Bersatu** which has a *punk rock* genre. And my next band is **BOOT** which genre is *Crust Hardcore Punk*. I've been fond of distorted music for a long time. When I was little, I liked to listen to rock and thrash metal music, because my uncle and father often played rock and thrash metal music. When I was in junior high school I listened to underground music on the radio, until high school, I joined the Indonesia Bersatu Band in 2008 or 2009 (I forgot a little).
Ok, this time I will introduce my band called Indonesia Bersatu. The band was formed in 2006, the band has also changed personnel. It seems that the current personnel position has been fixed and has not been replaced anymore. The band adopted the punk rock genre because it fits the theme of the song's lyrics. The theme of the song lyrics of the band Indonesia Bersatu is a criticism of politics, social inequality, injustice, and the punk community in Indonesia. Since 2006 until now, the Indonesia Bersatu Band has released three albums in Audio CD format
Currently the band Indonesia Bersatu is managed by my music label called Lebah Hitam Records. Domiciled in the city of Medan, Indonesia. There are four bands that I released on my music label. Good If you want to listen to songs from United Indonesia which are often performed by them when performing, please check below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfBdKNNA-mQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEW97bSc580
Maybe that's all I can introduce from my band called Indonesia Bersatu. If you have any questions about this Indonesia Bersatu band, please leave a comment. Maybe in my next article, I will introduce my next band called BOOT.
If you like punk music, please visit my Facebook Fanpage at: https://web.facebook.com/lebahrecord
Or visit my Youtube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/c/LebahHitamRecords
Thank you. Regards
Fill the head of my busy life
I've been having a busy day lately. Work-life and music are so time-consuming. The days are packed with a schedule of entering at eight in the morning and leaving at four in the afternoon. Yes, like office workers. I always enjoy alone time, that's why I always spend weekends alone.
I used to think that people over-celebrate the weekend, but after living as busy as an office worker, I feel like I understand why people overdo it when it comes to the weekend. It's fun to get away from the routine of life. Perhaps, in essence, humans have always wanted to be free.
I'm not too burdened with work and music groups, which have become my final assignment. I enjoy working as a social worker, plus I have fun group friends. But I'm not so happy, maybe this is what makes the energy quite drained. I feel like I'm not suited to work with a routine and schedule that feels like imprisoning freedom.
I work in social institutions taking care of abandoned people, people with mental problems, beggars, buskers and all kinds of people who violate regional regulations. Every day I see the problems of life that are reflected in the residents of social institutions. The problems of every human being are different, but in this place, I see how hard life is and the problems that are out there, especially street life.
Sad and sad, two words that I think are quite appropriate to describe how I feel about the condition of the residents of this social institution. It seems that their problems are so heavy that it creates hopelessness and emptiness within them. I want to erase their suffering, I want to erase all human suffering from the face of the earth. But, isn't that too utopian?
My head can't stop thinking about their problem, isn't there a solution to reduce their population? This is the crux of the question that keeps spinning in my head. Most of them claim to be religious, but they do things that are blasphemy against religion. Religion seems too far-fetched to be able to be absorbed properly by them. Understandably, their stomachs are always hungry so it is difficult to expect a reasonable attitude from them.
Seeing the condition of those who claim to be religious, it seems that religion has failed in nurturing people like them. Then, is there something wrong with religion? Not. There is a need for a new interpretation of religion that makes this religion grounded and can be easily digested by them. Most of today's religious interpretations bother to explain the afterlife. Doesn't religion also teach about ways of living in today's world? In my opinion, this is the main task of religionists today, to ground the teachings of religion so that its practical benefits are felt like the adherents of religion at the time when the religion first came down.
Not far from the core of their problems the majority are economic problems. Indeed, if the stomach problem is not met then the head becomes food. It is difficult to optimize the potential of the brain if the intestines wriggle asking for food. Economic problems are always difficult, the questions in my head are also difficult to find answers to because I do not know about economics at all.
For a moment I remember the theories of Marxism that talk about the capitalist economy and its inequality. Is it the capitalist system that makes the population of people like residents of social institutions endless? I don't know, I think I need to learn a lot about economics. It seems that solving this problem is a shared task, whoever we are.
Prosperity is everyone's hope. It would be hard to find people like them in a prosperous place or country. My country is not prosperous, although it has natural resources that are very possible for the prosperity of its people. But, won't prosperity also cause new problems? Overpopulation for example. This problem is no less complex than the problem of poverty and economic inequality.
Is this how God works? Who knows. But I believe God likes balance because behind misery there is always wisdom. Likewise, behind happiness, there is always a risk. That is why we must not abandon dialectics. Antithesis is needed so that thesis finds it's opposite and spawns a better synthesis than thesis and antithesis.
Dialectics is an intelligent way of processing natural laws that always have a thesis and an antithesis. The world will not stop, continues to provide challenges for its inhabitants to keep moving forward with the world. Therefore, being satisfied with the establishment of thinking is the same as raising a tiger cub named stagnation. This stagnation of thinking undermines human progress to keep up with the pace of the world.
Ah, thought why don't you want to stop for a moment? Sometimes I envy those who don't think much about environmental issues, they live their lives so lightly. But of course, I'm arrogant if I think so because God gives every human being a challenge according to his ability. Forgive me, God. I don't want to be arrogant in the slightest because I don't like those who are arrogant.
It's been so busy lately. Let alone writing time, just a lot of time to read is taken up. Reading is one of those routines that I feel necessary and I enjoy it. The confiscation of reading time is torturous, maybe this is the thing that makes fatigue willing to stop in the head. The weekend has finally become an outlet for reading, so lately I'm also happy for the weekend that I used to consider "nothing special".
Honestly, I'm starting to feel the fatigue that creeps in and hugs the mind due to the routine of work and music. I miss my alone time. I miss the silence of the mountains. The sound that hides in the silence, I miss. I want to take a moment to unwind by climbing a mountain full of peace. Yes, enjoying the beauty of the silence of the mountains after finishing work and making music is a top priority that must be done.
Adventure down the river
Hi friends, how are you? I want to share an experience when I went on an adventure to waterfalls and rivers. Starting from a hangout, my friend opened Instagram and saw the post of someone we didn't know. The post shows a beautiful girl at the "*Tujuh Bidadari*" waterfall. Then my friend asked me about this place. I know this place but I've never been there. He wants me to take him there tomorrow morning.
After the morning arrived my friend picked me up by car to go there. The journey from Medan city takes 2.5 hours. Arriving there, we parked the car and paid the ticket fee and rented a Life Jacket. We had to pay 220K IDR or the equivalent of 15 USD. I think the fees charged to us are too high and unfair. The reason is, the motorcyclist only pays 100k IDR or 7 USD. Maybe because we went in the car.
After we paid all the fees to the site manager, we went on a 2-kilometre jungle trek. After walking for 2 kilometres, we arrived at the first point Named “*Kolam Abadi*”. This is the first start of exploring the river, but before exploring the river, we first played at a point called the Kolam Abadi. Once satisfied we continued our journey to the waterfall of Tujuh Bidadari. On the way to the river, there was an impassable point, so we had to climb a cliff and jump down the river.
On the banks of the river, some rocks emit fresh mineral water. Sometimes I drink it to quench my thirst. At the point of the next river flow, we arrived at the tero-tero waterfall, and in a step, we will arrive at the Tujuh Bidadari waterfall. But, before continuing our journey to the Tujuh Bidadari waterfall, we played and jumped first in the Tero-tero waterfall area. Until finally I felt very tired and was no longer able to walk to the Tujuh Bidadari waterfall. My energy to continue the journey was exhausted. Until finally we cancelled to go to the Tujuh Bidadari waterfall.
If you want to see how our journey down the river, please watch the video on my youtube channel . Thanks and regards.
https://youtu.be/1DjgU4v4yRw
Death; Surprise Party Hiding in Silence
Death is an inevitable certainty. Sooner or later, death cannot be patient to pick up this crippled body. Each of us, who is alive, cannot escape from the pursuit of death. There is no place to hide, no place that death cannot reach. If death is certain, why do most humans try to avoid it? Why are most of us so afraid of the death that ushers us into the next world?
They say the threat of the next world is so terrible if we are not commendable here. Wouldn't a human be very hypocritical when he pretended to be commendable in the world if only to avoid the threat called hell? The world is indeed a stage. We are actors who were given a role by God to play something on His stage. But, is pretence a thing that deserves to be staged on His stage?
Good actors don't pretend. Pretending is only played by those who are not good at acting. A good actor plays the role with all his heart, dives into the role, and releases himself to become the person of the role. When the actor plays his role in the film, it is not good for the actor to pretend to play the role. It is not a good actor if he plays a role by showing his desire to get paid.
It is a commendable act if we imitate film actors to explore the roles that God has given us in His theatrical stage. Like actors in movies, we all as God's actors need to feel like playing a role wholeheartedly, dive into our role, and let go of ourselves to become the person of the role. Life is a time to know yourself. Knowing yourself is an attempt to understand your God-given role. Many wise people say; "*Whoever knows himself will know his Lord, and whoever knows his Lord will perish (mortality).*"
It is not known who first said that, but almost all wise men certainly said the same thing. It is a useless thing if we live life without trying to know ourselves because it means we are plunged into the transience of the world without trying to get closer to God.
Doesn't almost every religion command us to get closer to God? So how do we get closer if we don't try to know Him? How else can we know Him if we don't try to know ourselves and the role He has given us?
I don't know how to know ourselves and understand our role, but history records that wise people and those who are considered close to God are people who like to pray, contemplate, and think. Call it Buddha, Jesus, until the Prophet Muhammad is known as someone who often stays away from the hustle and bustle of worldly life to sink into contemplation of the world in silence.
Humans are actors who are given special roles by God. Anyone who deviates from this role will certainly be rewarded when death picks him up. To avoid unwanted rewards, it seems we need to reflect on ourselves and our role.
When we understand ourselves and our assigned roles, it means that we can carry out the commands of the Creator who deliberately sent us down into the world. In this way, we fulfil the purpose of our creation. Is there anyone who doesn't like it when his creation fulfils its purpose? I don't know what God is like, but my mind says so.
Death marks the end of the opportunity to know oneself. Death is the time for the soul to rise from the shackles of the mortal body. Life is said to be too short to be immersed in life because death has no patience to pick it up. Like it or not, death will force us to attend the afterlife banquet. Ready or not, death will surprise those of us who are alive.
The real surprise party is death because it is not a surprise if anyone knows when the surprise will come. Only God knows when death will come. A party of surprises that sends us alive to the outbreak of sorrow and weeping.
Death is a surprise party that hides in silence. When the body becomes silent and helpless, the soul screams independence to welcome real life. The home life that the soul longs for, the world that before the soul was entangled in this body lived. Eternal life eternal, intimate life with God. See you later, death. May you take me in peace.
Learn from Ahmad Wahib
After the new regret of devouring **Dan Brown** stunning works, regret appears again after just finishing the book entitled "*Pergolakan Pemikiran Islam (turbulence of Islamic thought*)" which was lifted from **Ahmad Wahib** diary about five days ago. I have heard the name Ahmad Wahib for a long time because I am very interested in the idea of modernizing religion, especially Islam which is my family's religion. However, I was only really interested in reading his work after a friend on Facebook reviewed his book.
Ahmad Wahib is a thinker who is always restless with the circumstances of his time. The majority of the upheaval of thought discusses religion and national conditions. Her diaries are so honest that when I read them, I feel like I'm in dialogue with me. His writings are a representation of the turbulent thoughts of most young people who are looking for and are always thirsty to seek. No wonder why his diary was made into a book because honest writing always has a magical power that so attracts readers.
For people who are not "open-minded", it seems that Ahmad Wahib's writing will be a sword that will slice the mind. Someone must have an open mind to read quite radical thoughts such as Ahmad Wahib's diary. The honest radical thought of Ahmad Wahib felt very touching and suited to my thinking because, to be honest, the direction of my thoughts was not much different from his, but it was clear that his insight, truthfulness, and honesty in writing far surpassed mine. The writing in my article which I gave the title “Thinking Upheaval” was inspired by Ahmad Wahib's diary which was recorded even though I had never read his work at that time.
I have learned many lessons from Ahmad Wahib, one of the most important is his honesty in writing which I consider extraordinary. But perhaps because it was a diary that was not meant to be read by the masses, he could so freely write down his thoughts. Although such assumptions inhabit my mind, I still admire Ahmad Wahib as a brilliant young thinker. Regardless of that assumption, "The Upheaval of Islamic Thought" is a diary from when Ahmad Wahib was still young. It is inconceivable that if he was given a longer life and intends to write a book, his writing would certainly be of much higher quality than his diary.
If he was given a longer life, it seems he will be at the same level as his friends such as Djohan Effendi, Dawam Rahardjo, Nurcholish Madjid, Abdurrahman Wahib, to Gunawan Muhammad who is currently listed as people who have brilliant thoughts and have given birth to many works. Ahmad Wahib is like a martyr in the idea of modernizing Islam, the death of his body does not necessarily kill the idea because that is the nature of the idea. However, it is very unfortunate that Ahmad Wahib's services in the idea of modernizing Islam are not well remembered by many young people. It's sad to talk to friends from HMI (an Islamic youth organization) and they don't know this extraordinary senior. In fact, in his diary, it seems that Ahmad Wahib even surpassed Nurcholish Madjid in the idea of modernization. Nurcholish Madjid is called one of the pioneers of Islamic reformers in Indonesia.
A critical attitude is needed in absorbing Ahmad Wahib's ideas. Although I have a direction of thought that is not much different from Ahmad Wahib, still I do not devour all his thoughts. There are some that I consider inappropriate and need to be criticized. The most important thing that needs to be imitated from Ahmad Wahib besides his honesty is his fantastic critical power, almost everything he criticizes very well. Critical power is a weapon that must be possessed by young seekers, although currently, not many young seekers are always thirsty for the truth. But for those young seekers, Ahmad Wahib is a figure worthy of being imitated and devoured by his thoughts.
There is one thing that bothers me a little in his diary. The days finally felt so sad, he noted some of his turmoil in treading life. His idealism seems to be tested when it collides with the harshness of harsh reality. This is what also occurred to me, should idealism be maintained? Will idealism lead us to happiness? Is reading abstract books such as history, theology, philosophy and so on which have no practical benefits in life?
Doubts about the benefits of abstract books that became my main interest in reading sometimes bothered me. Will it be useful in the future? Should I read books with practical benefits like tips for getting rich quick? Tch, I'm not interested in such things. I want to continue reading abstract books which are often considered quite heavy books because I have always been interested in reading them. But, will it make my life happy? I don't know, whatever it is I'm sure God will provide the best way for me.
Inconsequential Thoughts About Democracy
Seeing the level of education in my country which is very low compared to other democratic countries, it seems that this nation is not ready to run a democracy. Moreover, democracy is imported directly from the mecca of democratic countries, namely the United States.
It's no secret that my country adheres to a United States-style democracy or what is commonly called a liberal democracy. Differences in culture and level of education should be the benchmark of a political system. Indeed, US-style democracy is quite ideal, but is it suitable to be implemented in our country? the answer is not necessarily.
One man one vote. 50+1 reigns supreme over 50-1. Those are the principles of liberal democracy. This principle is not by the original culture in our country which was successfully explored by the "**Founding Fathers**" namely **cooperation**.
The unequal level of education makes this system less than ideal. The analogy is this; "*A flock of sheep will not choose a wolf as a leader and vice versa.*"
The majority of the population here have not been well educated, because that is what they choose must also suit them. That way, don't be surprised if the president-elect in my country is not able to advance a country because those who vote are also the lower middle class.
If the level of education here is high with the majority of the population being undergraduates or at least high school graduates, surely the elected president will be a president who has sufficient credibility to lead. Because sheep cannot choose wolves as their leaders and vice versa.
One man one vote does sound very fair, but to produce a leader with very good quality I think it is difficult. I agree with **Socrates**, that democracy is only suitable for intelligent people or opened in intellectual spaces, not displayed in public places like this.
How can a person who knows nothing be lumped in with an expert or a professor? I think everyone agrees if the experts take care of their respective fields. But, what if all state affairs feel entitled to take care of it?
The leader is a representation of the one being led, if the one being led is a sheep, certainly, the leader is also a sheep. People in my country are currently sick, certainly, the born leader will also be sick. With the one man one vote system in Indonesia, there will be no tiger leaders, because most of the voters are sheep.
In a democracy, the voice of the people is the voice of God. The slogan is from the people, by the people, for the people, it sounds charming indeed. However, the fruit does not fall far from the tree. If the input is rotten, the output is not far from rotten.
This does not mean that democracy is not good and must be replaced with a caliphate or communist system. Not! This democratic system is ideal if it is run by ideal people.
Improving the people who run the government is a priority urgency, one way is through quality education. Maybe in the next few years, society in my country will still not be much different from today.
The best trees are the ones that grow the longest. Education may take a long time to fix this country, but it is a step more promising than revolution. Revolution is a quick way to overhaul the system. At first, it might go well, but over time the revolution gave birth to a new regime that was no less cruel. History has recorded it.
Ah, I don't understand anything about politics let alone the state. This writing is just a thought that comes to mind before going to sleep because I can't sleep, finally, the thought becomes writing. Maybe it's nothing to ignore, just a joke.
Empty Delusion Before the Rainbow
It was three o'clock, the rain continued to greet, but the eyes were still burning. I try to close my eyes, the thought threatens to open it. So, what should be done? Who knows. Always thinking about the world getting worse and worse. Moral degradation is everywhere, greed thrives, selfishness is blind, and many more negative things are becoming more and more common day by day.
If the Darwinian theory of evolution is true, is this the way of world evolution? Are humans headed in the right direction to maintain their kind? Is this what is called natural selection? If man's direction towards his future is right like this, God, please take my life.
I'm sick of seeing all this! Crime is rising sharply, the media is constantly broadcasting negative news, politicians keep hitting each other, the world of education is no longer educating, people have lost their minds. I'm sick of seeing all this! But what can I do? Carrying my responsibilities as a worker I desperately.
I was only able to hide behind the pages of books scattered in the room, lying lazily while reading word for word drawing thoughts. My body is lying lazily, but my mind is always wandering across time and space. My mind can't stop seeing this declining social condition. Seeing such a damaged condition, it hurts in the heart, it cuts the heart, not infrequently the eyes also mourn. But, what can I do?
I dream of changing the world from its current state. As **Dante** says in the opening page of **Dan Brown** novel *Inferno*; "*The deepest hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of moral crisis.*" I don't want to be neutral in the current situation, but what steps should I take?
Ah, complaining will not change, even thousands of curses in writing have no effect. Scepticism and criticism do not produce anything productive, but why continue to be nurtured? They are like people who experience acute delusions, feel themselves the greatest and can change the world. Hmm, it seems that I also have delusions, delusions that make empty fantasies feel so real.
Never mind, I'd rather just act than fantasize that never finds a bright spot and manifests in behaviour. Think of these delusional empty fantasies as rainstorms and thunderstorms that frighten living beings, but don't rainbows only appear after rain? Even the twilight will reveal its full beauty after the rain.
Yes, let's gaze at the beautiful rainbow and twilight after that delusional empty fantasy. My belief is strong in that, now I'd better prepare coffee and cigarettes to stare at the rainbow and twilight later so that the attic feels more delicious in the afternoon even though the rainstorm is still going on.
Thought Turbulence (Part 2)
Having previously written about a few thoughts in the past, on this occasion I try to express the thoughts that often swirl in my head. I couldn't put it into writing because many things were not by the environmental and religious norms in it, but that's okay. I don't want my thoughts to be limited by anything because I don't think that God forbids the use of the mind that He has embedded.
The problems that are currently spinning in my head are not far from religious issues, although not infrequently social, political, educational and other issues also begin to emerge. I don't know if these issues had a good impact on my personal life or not, but I felt powerless to let go of the issues in the turbulence of my mind.
The first or the most dominant issue that revolves in this head is religion, to be precise, religion vs. science. I have devoured several books with the theme of modern science. From these books, I concluded that it seems that science is slowly eating away at the foundations of religion. Creationism is opposed to the theory of evolution and cosmology; doomsday theology versus astrophysics; mystical experience versus neurology. It is quite interesting to see the development of this struggle between religion and science because in the future it seems difficult to imagine a synthesis between religion and science.
**Richard Dawkins**, a world-renowned atheist who loudly shouts atheism and refutes basic *religious* arguments says if there is a **God**, he will answer the question "*Why don't you believe in God*" with the answer "*Not enough proof God, not enough evidence in the world upon the existence of God*”. Would God accept such an answer? Wallahu A'lam. Richard Dawkins has not stopped exploring the natural world in search of God until now. There are many more people like Richard Dawkins who continue to search for proof of the existence of God.
Does believing in God need proof? I think that the so-called belief does not require proof, because of the position of belief above reality. I agree with **Soren Kierkegaard** who more or less stated "*The existence of God or religious doctrine does not require proof, because if God can be proven, then God is not special*".
Right now I am in disbelief in *heaven* and *hell*. Is this against the teachings of Islam? Not, because believing in heaven and hell is not part of the pillars of Islam. The doctrine of heaven and hell seems like reinforcement for a child. Doesn't it seem like hypocrisy if humans do good for others if they only want heaven and fear hell? Isn't it hypocrisy if people worship their God because they want heaven and are afraid of hell?
Wouldn't it be more beautiful if humans did well for others and worshipped their Lord based on sincerity? If the basic motive is sincerity, this is not hypocrisy. Therefore, at this time I think that the doctrine of heaven and hell is just like reward & punishment as in the psychological theory of behaviourism. The doctrine of heaven-hell is only for small children to bring up good behaviour. Supposedly, after reaching adulthood, humans no longer need to use these heavens and hells as a religious motive to behave like children.
It's really sad to see people who kill other people based on heaven's motives, will God be happy to see His creation kill each other to fight for His heaven? Did God lack the power to create a paradise so narrow that only a handful of people would defend him? Is God not so powerful that he needs humans to defend his religion?
Ah, sometimes I get dizzy thinking about things like this, but these thoughts don't seem to want to let themselves out of my head. I do not know whether this is classified as the thought of the infidels. May God continue to guide me so that I can be a better person than yesterday. Hopefully, I can carry out the role that God has given me in this stage of His play, this is my prayer that I always offer to Him.
Science Fascination
On this occasion, I am interested in writing again about *education* and *science*. I realize that education especially science is the most important thing in this world. Every human being has the right to describe what the world is according to his version, not a few people think that this world is beautiful, short, full of suffering, boring, and so on. I agree more with the opinion that the world is beautiful, but to enjoy the details of the beauty of the world, it is necessary to have knowledge that makes oneself amazed by the beauty itself.
One of the greatest scientists in human history, **Albert Einstein** said: "*I am not trying to imagine a personal God, it is enough to stand awestruck amid the fabric of the world, so long as it allows our imperfect senses to perceive it.*" Every religious person would agree that God is Most Beautiful, but of course, no human being can describe the beauty of God. Therefore, **Albert Einstein** described his spirituality as feeling fascinated or fascinated by the structure of this beautiful world. Yes, **Albert Einstein** was fascinated by the beauty of the world after he explored the world with science, especially quantum physics, which became his speciality.
Science is the best tool to enjoy the beauty of nature, but unfortunately today not a few people are aware of this amazing tool. When asked what is the most effective tool to enjoy the beauty of nature, the majority of people will answer "**MONEY**". Is money able to give humans a feeling of fascination with the beauty of the world? Not. Money makes humans sink into their lusts that uproot the human side that is embedded in humans, although this cannot be denied that money helps humans to enjoy a little of the beauty of the world.
For example, can money make us mesmerized by the beauty of the stars in the sky? Not. Without science, humans can enjoy the beauty of the expanse of stars in the sky, but humans will be more fascinated by the beauty of the stars in the sky when they know the ingredients that make up stars, how the light of the stars can be seen by our senses of sight even though the distance can reach millions of light-years! That's just one of many examples, there are many more examples that make the world awe of such as why the cheetah can run fast, why the eye can capture millions of colours, how the thousands of planets in the universe do not collide with each other, and so on. I am sure that when people know such knowledge, humans will be amazed by the beauty of the world.
The feeling of being fascinated by the beauty of nature like the example above may only be felt by people who are already infatuated with science. The problem that most people in this world face is their indifference to this extraordinary science. In my opinion, this happens because the education system does not make students fascinated by science. From an early age, humans are taught that studying at school is only as capital to earn money when they grow up. An education system like this mostly only runs a system that makes teachers feed lessons to students. Such a system will not impress students and provoke curiosity.
Science is an object whose beauty needs to be felt from within. For example, we are unable to explain the beauty of being on the top of a mountain to people who have never experienced it themselves because such beauty needs to be experienced and brought out from within. Likewise science, people who want to feel its beauty need to feel it for themselves and bring out that feeling of fascination from within, not just being fed doctrines that only dull common sense.
Science is the most decisive source in the civilization of every nation, there is no advanced nation without science! Therefore, to advance a nation, an education system is needed that makes people fascinated by science. Just like a teenager who is fascinated by another gender, when the teenager is fascinated, he will continue to look for things related to someone he likes. The teenager will try his best to be able to reach the person he likes. Yes, ideally humans do the same with science, because when he is fascinated by science then he will not be satisfied to fill his thirst for knowledge. After all, knowledge will never run out forever! Even during life, humans only get a little of the beauty of science.
The result of a person's lack of knowledge is ignorance and ignorance is the root for all calamities and heart diseases such as pride, envy, hypocrisy, selfishness and others, even poverty. Ignorance is the eternal enemy of humans that must be eradicated (but I am not sure that stupidity can be wiped off the face of the earth). Evil is the fruit of ignorance. Every religion teaches that evil is something that must be fought, therefore to eradicate evil on earth we must uproot it from its root, namely ignorance. Evil is like a parasitic fungus on the human brain, if not eradicated to the root it will thrive again.
Yes, to create a peaceful world without evil that tarnishes the human side we need to eradicate ignorance with science. Let's cultivate a sense of admiration for science, feel in love with science to eradicate every manifestation of ignorance that inevitably leads to a despicable act. Because only with a sense of admiration for science we can enjoy the beauty of science and erase ignorance from the face of this earth for a more beautiful, peaceful, harmonious world without disputes, discrimination, feudalism, and all the despicable things that are manifestations of ignorance.
The most essential thing in creating a peaceful world is love, yes love, and only love. Science is only a gateway to the throne of love that brings coolness and peace to every human heart. As the old saying goes, "*you don't know, you don't love,*" science is an introduction to love. Without science, it is difficult to grow a sense of love, because love is not possible without an introduction. That's why science is so important. Once again, let us cultivate a sense of admiration for science so that feelings of love can arise in every human heart and create a world that is peaceful, harmonious, beautiful, without a shred of evil (perhaps this is just a utopia that will not materialize because life is a conflict between good and evil). crime).
Thought Turbulence
Not a few people think what purpose he was created, including me. These seemingly unanswered questions often plagued my mind. I'm trying to find an answer to this question even though it seems useless. I was awakened by a message from a very sweet scripture which reads more or less; "*The best people are those who are better than before*" and "*The most useful people are people who are useful to others and their environment*". Then, I thought how can I become a better human than before? How can I be of use to others?
When I was a child, maybe I had a penchant for reading even when I couldn't read, yes, what I read is the reading that children usually read, namely comics. From elementary school, I may not have been a smart student, although many teachers praised my intelligence, because of my laziness, I was often punished because I rarely did assignments.
Stepping into middle school, my love of reading disappeared. I became one of the students who got the title of "**the most naughty student**". I kept getting into trouble at the time, but apart from that, I got an interest in mysterious things like satanic, freemasons, Illuminati, etc., which is quite rare although not too few people my age are interested in it. At that time I began to deepen my knowledge of these things because satanic, freemasonry, Illuminati, etc. are considered as world controllers. Yes, even if it's just endless conspiracy theories, but I've always been interested in knowledge about the world. This is what attracted me to explore it.
Entering high school, my delinquency peaked. Never mind reading, not a few of my textbooks were still neatly wrapped in plastic until the end of high school. I even had time to stay in class because of my naughtiness and laziness at that time. However, my interest in the world has not been exhausted but has only grown. I started my interest in religion, especially Judaism, which is often associated with all the conspiracy theories concerning the freemasons and the Illuminati that attracted me when I was in middle school. The conspiracy theories I studied made me hate the Jews and anything related to them. When I hate Jews more and more, I am automatically attracted to associations that also hate Jews or are now classified as Fundamentalist Islam.
After graduating from high school and entering a very long vacation I spent a lot of time reading Islamic Fundamentalist studies and even attending some of its meetings. In my upheaval in the Fundamentalist Islamic world which is full of doctrines that the afterlife is everything and only this group of Muslims will enter heaven, I cannot deny that I was dragged into the wave of sweet doctrines that were instilled by them at that time until I finally realized by a question running in my head. A question that may be for some people who have blind faith is quite a brazen question. I don't know if I'm an infidel or an unbeliever, but the question is quite disturbing my belief. The question is "Is it true that God is just if He only gives his paradise exclusively to one group while He creates many different groups?".
Luckily I have some friends who have different religions with me, I asked them why they follow their religion? Their answers were almost all the same, namely because their parents embraced him. Ah, this doesn't satisfy me. Then I asked some members of the Islamic Fundamentalist group who believe their group will exclusively go to heaven, why do they embrace Islam? Their answer was the same as some of my Christian friends, namely because their parents embraced it.
Ah, I was struggling with my thoughts until I finally found a message in the hadith which reads more or less; "All deeds depend on his intentions and everyone will get according to what he intended". If their motive for embracing a religion is the same, namely following their parents, how can God only exclude one particular religion from entering His heaven? If the fundamentalist Islamic doctrines are true, where is the justice of the Most Just God? I don't know if it's wrong or not, but if it's true, I don't think God is fair.
Entering the world of lectures, I temporarily let go of my interest in religion because I think the religion that I understood at that time had an unfair concept of divinity. I am grateful because my curiosity never goes out and I am always thirsty to find out about the world and of course its creator. In the world of this lecture, I got acquainted with a knowledge that discusses all problems and the science that is the mother of all sciences, namely philosophy. Exploring the ocean of philosophy, from Greek philosophers before Christ to modern philosophers, I found many opinions from philosophers about the world and its creator.
These philosophers made me fascinated by science, especially the Greek philosophers who were present long before Islam came. They explain a lot about the creation of the world and even God, although it is only limited to speculation. When I was still plunged into the world of Islamic Fundamentalism, I thought that all this knowledge was born from religion, especially Islam, but the Greek philosophers who were born long before the Prophet Muhammad SAW and even Prophet Jesus turned out to have extraordinary thinking abilities to be able to explain the world and God.
After being quite familiar with philosophy, I returned to the religion that I had left for a while. After getting the methodology of thinking from philosophy, I found a beautiful way of understanding religion. Yes, the logical thinking methodology inherited from these philosophers is a very satisfying intellectual thirst. When I was still studying Fundamentalist Islam, I often heard that philosophy would drive us further away from God because philosophy was considered to be too godly of reason. It is not uncommon to hear that philosophy is the science of "crazy people", because, in philosophy, even things that are considered crazy and unimportant are seriously discussed.
The synthesis between religion and philosophy is very beautiful. The two do not deserve to be contradicted as they are spread out to the wider public. Quoting the words of the Andalusian philosopher, **Ibn Rushd**; “*We know very well that logical thinking will not go against religion because the truth will not go against the truth. One truth will strengthen the other truth*." Ibn Rushd is one of the philosophers who integrate religion and philosophy.
Apart from teaching a very good methodology of logical thinking, philosophy also teaches goodness. One of the greatest philosophers of all time, Aristotle said; "Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all." Aristotle's message is clear, there needs to be a balance between rational progress and moral progress. Aristotle's messages of kindness can be seen from his works that discuss ethics, how amazing the teachings of ethics which are full of goodness are recommended by Aristotle.
One of the messages in Islam that made me realize to study philosophy was "There is no religion for the unreasonable". In my opinion, Fundamentalist Islam does not make good use of its intellect and is only religious on the surface. Therefore, they are busy fixing the visible things. What a boring way of religion because they ignore things that are more essential and philosophical than religion.
Back to the religious message that made me realize "The best humans are those who are better than before" and "The most useful humans are humans who are useful to others and their environment". As far as my wandering and turbulent thoughts are concerned, I think the most effective thing to become a useful human being is a human who knows. To become a better human being than before, the easy way is to increase knowledge every day by reading, so today must be better than yesterday because today's knowledge is more than yesterday.
To become a useful human being for others and the environment, of course, it is necessary to realize the knowledge that has been learned. To be useful for others, it seems that everyone knows the recipe, but with extensive knowledge, of course, we will be able to help more people. One of the ways that I can do now is to write in the hope that it can awaken the reader's concern with others, the environment, and in particular with science. Because throughout history the people who were most instrumental in building civilization were knowledgeable.
The struggle of my thoughts to seek the truth is certainly far from over and indeed I hope that the struggle of my thoughts does not end until death picks up, because there is no absolute truth in this world. The turbulence of my thoughts certainly didn't mean much to other people, considering that my wanderings in the intellectual world were still young. Maybe my odyssey in the intellectual world was only five to nine years old and the books I devoured were still very few to be able to become an intellectual who was able to put his knowledge into practice.
It's a far cry from comparing myself who has just read dozens of books with other intellectuals who may have read hundreds to thousands of books. Yes, I hope to be like them, practice the knowledge that has been learned so that I can become a better person than before and become a useful person for other people and the environment with the knowledge that has been learned.
Alienated Humans
Today, humans in every corner of the world are almost uniform in their clothing, architecture, and way of thinking. Although not the same, but these similarities eliminate the uniqueness in culture and the human person. Yes, humans are *alienated* by their uniqueness as individuals. No need to look too far into the world, let's explore each country respectively.
Imagine if we lived hundreds of years ago and we travelled around a country, then we would find a rich culture that is reflected in the diversity of dress styles, building architecture, ways of thinking, rituals, customary regulations and much more. If we visit **Padang**, **Yogyakarta**, **Makassar**, and other cities in the archipelago, we will find very significant differences. It would be nice to see such cultural diversity.
After the currents of *globalization* that took part in bringing *westernization*, everything changed! Yes, this society is changing though not totally. Now, if we visit the big cities in the archipelago, there is almost no difference, especially the urban people. All dressed in the same style, the architecture of the buildings tended to be the same, and their thoughts were almost the same in favour of individualistic western thought.
Urban people or so-called **metropolitan** people may forget their historical roots. They forget the culture of their ancestors and worship western culture which they think has no gaps like gods. The metropolitans usually live solely to earn money and their existence amidst the siege of **individualism**.
I am both grateful and envious of the rural people who still maintain the original culture and still feel strong. I was touched when I heard the story of a friend who came from remote villages to study in Jakarta. He was the only resident of the village who attended college. He told me that in his village there were no coolies or anything like that, if there was a villager who wanted to build a house or renovate it, the villagers gathered and worked on it together without being paid or expecting payment. Ah, this is our true culture! The original culture that was properly guarded by the "*Founding Fathers*" of **Indonesia**, the culture of cooperation!
As a child who grew up in a metropolis, I was quite surprised to hear this story. Because it is almost impossible to happen in **Jakarta** and other big cities. Since childhood residents of the metropolis have been stressed to make money. Schooled as a provision to earn money. Loaded with the doctrine that money is everything and without money, we will not be happy.
The grip of capitalism is so strong that it uproots human values embodied in culture. This grip gave birth to new cultures that are deeply rooted in the majority of people today. In this new culture, people are almost uniform in their style of dress, way of thinking, etc. but they are indifferent to each other. As long as a social relationship gives birth to a symbiotic mutualism, so long the relationship will run, but if it does not benefit one of the parties then the social relationship will run aground.
This new culture gave birth to people who are uniform but not indifferent, very unique! Where there are many adages such as "*Don't be too kind to other people or you will be harmed*", "*My attitude depends on your attitude*", and others that are in line with the adage. Worse, many people today are lulled by this adage. This new culture shaped people to be individualistic and selfish!
I prefer the adage that smells like the words of Jesus in his sermon on the hill "*Whoever slaps your right cheek, turn your left cheek*". The human values embodied in the teachings of **Jesus**, the Prophet **Muhammad**, **Martin Luther King**, **Mahatma Gandhi**, **Mother Teresa**, **Nelson Mandela**, and other wise men who oppose this egoistic individualist culture are very cool, although it must be admitted that it is difficult to implement.
This new negative culture is **capitalism-materialism**. Yes, this culture is very boring and dry. How come? Humans are required to follow fashion trends in clothing that is only used by a few trademarks that are considered to have the authority to make profits. Fashion trends are always changing and will continue to change because if they stop, the brands will lose money.
It is not difficult to create new fashion trends for trademarks that are considered to have authority. They just need to support **Hollywood** celebrity to use their products or have model models wear their clothes in beauty contests. Humans are made worthless, humans are contested like cattle! It wasn't long before people followed that style and bought things from that brand. Ah, aren't there any more people who think against this?
Besides being boring because this new culture uniforms people, this new culture is also very dry. Why dry? Yes, because this culture makes orientation materialistic or only oriented to material objects. This material orientation makes people only want to get instant and real results. A fairly clear example of the effect of material orientation on life is in the field of education.
In the field of education, this material orientation makes students worship the values listed on the diploma. Yes, this diploma will be used as capital to navigate life because it is the diploma that will be used as a benchmark for the contents of the human head. This thing called a diploma finally obscures the importance of knowledge! Abstract science is not considered important. That way, whatever way is taken to get a high score listed on the diploma, because a person's integrity will be seen through his diploma and not his knowledge.
Recent scientific research proves that apart from being biological, psychological, and social beings, humans are also spiritual beings. In short, humans naturally need spiritual values. Therefore, putting aside spiritual values will alienate humans themselves. In addition, many negative things can be explained by the degradation of spiritual values caused by material or materialistic culture.
One of them can be seen in big cities or especially in Jakarta. For example, how many mosques can we find? We will have no trouble finding a mosque in Jakarta because almost every few kilometres a mosque is built. Yes, Muslims compete to build mosques and sometimes even compete with each other with the nearest mosque.
This is the result of material-oriented culture. Religious people feel that making material objects such as houses of worship, is a sign that they are the closest people to God. Even though it has many mosques, the behaviour of Muslims does not show Islamic behaviour. So many Muslims live behind bars due to his actions. From those who are diligent in carrying out Islamic law to those who do not know anything about the law, they are in prison.
This new materialistic culture is very dry because spirituality is so sidelined if it does not want to be said to be removed. Let us think critically in facing a new era that brings the new culture so as not to uproot us. Culture as a product of human creation should not conflict with our nature or nature.
The new culture is not always bad. Western culture that tends to be individualistic, egoistic, and hedonistic is also not always bad. There are so many examples of their culture, such as their enthusiasm for learning, scientific progress, and technological progress, so we need good filtering to get the good values that the new culture brings.
The cultures that must be criticized are the cultures that produce alienation for humans, such as the culture that is developing widely in society. Humans are biological, psychological, social and spiritual beings. These four aspects are human nature, however, we as humans should not allow culture as a product of human creation to take away our essence.
As a believer in the power of God, I believe that one of the goals of humans on earth is to be a leader on this earth. Leaders here mean good managers, I have read in the literature that says that Islam is a religion that is by nature. That way, humans as leaders must manage this earth according to their nature, for example, humans should not pick unripe fruit because it is not by the nature and purpose of creating the fruit. Humans must help all the purposes of God's creation in the world, therefore humans are also called **Khalifatullah** or God's representatives in this world.
Humans who are detached from their essence will certainly experience deviations in purpose. Due to the uprooted roots, the orientation becomes uncertain. Humans like this will become humans who are afraid, closed, hypocritical, stupid, and others. Therefore we need to understand our nature as humans to fulfil the purpose of our creation as humans created by God.
For human progress and fulfilment of goals as servants of God, it is necessary to maintain existing values so that our original identity is not uprooted and does not alienate us while developing new and better values. Hopefully, this article can be useful for readers even though this article is still very far from perfect.
An activist and demonstrator in the past
At 10 pm when I was reading a novel about love, the hunger in my stomach suddenly came over. I forgot that I haven't eaten since this afternoon. Immediately I closed the book and went to a mini-market to buy a packet of noodles and an egg for me to eat. On the way home, I saw a friend walking, I approached him and he invited me to stop by his house. While in his room, I saw a large poster with a picture of **Soe Hok Gie**. It seems my friend is a person who is influenced by the thoughts of a demonstrator in the past.
**Soe Hok Gie** was indeed a *demonstrator* figure in the past who influenced many students today. I also admired his critical thinking at that time. Maybe the readers here have never heard of his name. Ok, I'll introduce Who Soe Hok Gie was and what his influence was in the past.
A Brief About Soe Hok Gie
He was a student at the University of Indonesia in 1966 as well as an activist who tried to destroy the power of the old order led by **President Soekarno**. According to him, the government at that time had failed in carrying out its duties and policies that were never in favour of the people. Soe Hok Gie is a very idealistic and visionary student. Since childhood Soe Hok Gie was very fond of reading, he often visited public libraries and reading parks on the roadside of Jakarta.
Soe Hok Gie used his writing skills to criticize the Old Order government so that the writing succeeded in moving the enthusiasm and unity of the students in carrying out social protest movements through large demonstrations. Soe Hok Gie also carried out an underground movement in carrying out his actions through collaboration with several parties including Ampera radio and high-ranking officers from members of the army to smoothen student actions. Soe Hok Gie had an important role in the student movement in carrying out social protests in the transition of the Old Order government to the New Order. From the figure of Soe Hok Gie, we can learn how active young people are to make changes for the better, and use their ideals to try to humanize humans.
Not only that, but Soe Hok Gie also remains critical of what happened during the New Order era, he argues that freedom of thought at that time was severely restricted by the government in power under the Suharto regime. Soe Hok Gie has a very strong attitude in holding firm to his stance. Seen when his contemporaries flocked to become members of the DPR at that time, Soe Hok Gie chose not to join because he thought that the best way to monitor the government was to not join the government itself and be shackled in a system that he considered as a vicious circle. Once upon a time, Soe Hok Gie sent a gift to his friends who are members of the DPR containing lipstick and powder. Where it was a satire for his friends who were in the DPR Building because they forgot the interests of the community at that time and were stuck with power.
Soe Hok Gie is an idealistic and humanist figure, who dreams of an ideal life and is very difficult to compromise with many parties who are not in line with him. Soe Hok Gie thinks that allowing a mistake is a crime. That was the guideline for Soe Hok Gie to continue protesting the injustices that had occurred and gave birth to a strong demonstrator. Soe Hok Gie was an idealistic minded person and firmly adhered to the value of truth until the end of his life. Soe Hok Gie died on Mount Semeru, he was a nature lover and one of the founders of the **MAPALA UI** organization. Soe Hok Gie died in 1969 after which his diary was recorded and titled **the record of a demonstrator**.
That is why many of my friends who are still students are very active as rebels and demonstrators who are influenced by the ideas of one of their role models, namely Soe Hok Gie. I admire Soe Hok Gie because he has high human values. As the closing of this article, there is a hopeful quote that Soe Hok Gie once wrote in his notebook, namely:
*“I dream of a world where scholars, workers, and youth rise and say, “stop all the hypocrisy! Stop all killing in any name" and the politicians in the United Nations, busy arranging the lifting of wheat, milk and rice for hungry children on 3 continents, and forget about diplomacy.*
*No more hatred towards anyone, any religion, any race, and any nation, and forget about war and hatred, and just be busy building a better world.”*
*The lead image source by Google Image*
The Main Debate Between Al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd
Before summarizing **Ibn Rushd** work entitled "*Tahafut at-Tahafut*" (Confusion of Confusion), it should be noted that this work was born as a reaction to the work of an earlier Islamic thinker, namely **Al-Ghazali** who spawned a work entitled "*Tahafut al-Falasifah*" (The Confusion of the Philosophers). ).
Al-Ghazali in his book Tahafut al-Falasifah criticizes the previous philosophers, especially **Al-Farabi** and **Ibn Sina** on twenty issues. In his book, al-Ghazali discusses these problems in detail and systematically the 20 problems by presenting the views of previous philosophers and then he presents his criticisms in detail. Al-Ghazali wrote the book because, in his view, some of the philosophers' views were not in line with or against the teachings of a religion or the Qur'an in particular.
Responding to the book Tahafut al-Falasifah Al-Ghazali, Ibn Rushd who was born in 1126 in Cordova, Andalusia wrote his book entitled Tahafut at-Tahafut (Confusion from confusion). If Al-Ghazali wrote in the spirit that some philosophers' views or problems in philosophy were contrary to religious teachings, Ibn Rushd wrote in the spirit that the problems in philosophy did not contradict religious teachings at all. Ibn Rushd in his Tahafut at-Tahafut answers all twenty questions criticized by al-Ghazali in detail.
In the twenty issues raised by Al-Ghazali in Tahafut al-Falasifah, three issues make Al-Ghazali think that the philosophers were infidels, including "The Eternity of Nature, God's Ignorance of Something Particular, and the Absence of Physical Awakening". These three issues made al-Ghazali think that philosophers had opposed religion and became infidels because they followed the confused thoughts of Greek philosophers such as **Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Galen, Plotinus** and so on.
In this short article, I will only discuss the three main issues written above out of a total of twenty issues discussed by Al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd to shorten the description and fulfil the task of the paper which only allows this description of five pages.
Al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd did not live at the same time, therefore the debate in this book does not occur in two directions. In the book Tahafut al-Falasifah and Tahafut at-Tahafut, there are only quotes from previous thoughts and only after that both Al Ghazali and Ibn Rushd commented on them systematically and in detail.
1. Eternity of Nature
The conservation of nature is the thought of the Greek philosopher named Aristotle. Philosophers such as Ibn Sina and Ibn Rushd and theologians especially Al-Ghazali, each of them both believed that nature was created and had a cause. However, the difference between the two is that philosophers state that nature was not created in time, this means that nature is eternal in the sense that the existence of nature coincides with the existence of God. So according to philosophers, there is no pause or time when nature was created. While theologians especially Al-Ghazali stated that nature was created in time or new, this means that there was a pause when this world was created with the presence of God who had no beginning. So there was a time when there was only God, while nature had not yet been created. The arguments for each will be explained below.
According to the philosophers, nothing new can originate from the eternal and this is by the principle of the identity of cause and effect. This means that if God is an eternal cause, it will produce an eternal effect as well. If God is the perfect cause, then the effect will be certain. Therefore, philosophers believe that nature is eternal, that is, it exists when God exists. Thus, the existence of nature coincides with the existence of God and there is no time gap between when there is God and then after a while nature exists. Philosophers assume that nature was formed because of the presence of God. Usually, philosophers make an analogy like the sun and light that exist simultaneously, namely when there is sun, at that time there is also light.
If it is assumed that nature came into existence after some time, in other words, that nature came into existence after it was gone, then this means that nature at that time was still in a possible state. So the absence of nature at that time was due to the absence of a determinant or the will to make it happen. If then nature exists after it was gone, then we still ask whether the determinant has encouraged the creation of nature or not? If not, then the natural conditions will be the same as before, namely in the possible state. If the determinant pushes, then we still question who created the universe? Why had he only appeared now, and not before? In addition, if nature is new or manifested after the previous absence, then this will necessitate a change in God's self. Because if God remains and does not change, then nature will not be created, because before God's creation it was fixed, and after God's creation, it was also constant.
Al-Ghazali in answering the statements of the philosophers mentioned above proposed the idea of an eternal will. What this means is that the new can emerge from the absolute eternal, that is, by eternal will. So according to Al-Ghazali nature appears with an eternal will and at the same time when the will exists. By the will of God, the non-existence will last until the very end and the existence of nature will begin when the will to manifest it begins. Thus, it means that when God has not willed nature to exist, then nature does not exist, and when God wishes to make nature exist, then nature exists.
In refuting Al-Ghazali's argument about the eternal will or in the creation of a new world, Ibn Rushd begins by paying close attention to the difference between the two concepts, namely action and will which is predicated on God. According to Ibn Rushd, assuming that nature comes into existence after a time interval which God wills eternally is acceptable, but not followed by God's actions. This means that when God acts, the product of God's action must exist directly unless God is not omnipotent. Therefore, there is no time gap between God's actions and their products. This means that nature is seen as a product of God's actions, not His will.
In addition, the will is the desire to perform a certain action and when it has been done, the desire will stop. Thus to establish an eternal will in the creation of a new world is contrary to what is meant by the will itself.
2. God's Ignorance of Something Particular
The opinion about God's ignorance of something particular was also originally the fruit of Aristotle's thought which considered God as the First Mover. The idea of God that developed in philosophy in the Islamic world is a mixture of the Good God of Plato, the God as the first mover of Aristotle and the theory of emanation of the One God of Plotinus.
Philosophers such as Al-Farabi and Ibn Sina say that God knows Himself as well as other than Himself, but He knows it universally. God knows everything universally according to them so that God's knowledge does not change and remains, so that if it is assumed that this is not the case (knowing specifically) then God's knowledge will change and this necessitates that God himself will change because of the new knowledge that enters himself. God.
In Tahafut al-Falasifah, Al-Ghazali in explaining the opinion of the philosophers on this matter is to give an example of a solar eclipse. In the process of a solar eclipse, there are three processes and conditions, namely; first, when the sun has not yet eclipsed, this is the state in which the eclipse will occur. Second, when an eclipse occurs, this is the state where the eclipse is happening, and thirdly, when the eclipse has occurred, this means that the eclipse has ended and the eclipse has already existed. If one thing knows something else like this, there will be a change in the knowing subject. This is because previously the subject only knew of an eclipse that had not yet occurred and after it happened, only then did he know that an eclipse was happening and so after that. The philosophers claim that God does not have different states as mentioned above because something that is permanent and does not change can not be imagined to know these states.
However, philosophers claim that God knows solar eclipses from the beginning without any difference. For example, God knows that the sun exists, because the sun is His result or emanated from Him through immaterial minds. Then He also knows that the sun will experience movement until it can finally meet at the same point as the moon so that an eclipse occurs and so on. All that God knows universally.
The example above is about something that can be divided through time. Likewise, things that exist in space and matter such as horses, cows, humans and others. In this regard, philosophers say that God does not know the details of events that happened to horses, cows, or humans personally. However, He knows it universally, as do humans, animals, and the potentialities of these events. He knows that in the human body there are several organs, then humans have the power of perception to perceive things outside of themselves. But all that is known to Him universally.
As for how the individual personally does not know it because that particular knowledge is captured by the senses, not reason, other than that the object is changing. While the mind in knowing something is not like that, meaning that the mind knows something universally.
The above opinion according to al-Ghazali is very contrary to religious teachings. For example, God does not know Islam or obedience and disbelief in individuals caused by his actions under certain circumstances. Then God does not know humans (individuals) personally because God only knows humans universally.
In discussing God's knowledge, Ibn Rushd criticizes Ibn Sina because he considers the model of knowledge to be universal or in other words God knows everything universally. However, Ibn Rushd also rejected al-Ghazali's criticism that the philosophers had reduced God's knowledge of knowing everything. Because according to al-Ghazali knowledge is the result of life.
According to Ibn Rushd, we cannot predict God's knowledge in a universal or particular fashion by analogy to human knowledge. Because according to him the mode of human knowledge is different from God's mode of knowledge. Human knowledge is the result of something known, while God's knowledge is the cause of something known. Thus the knowledge predicted to God and man is vague or dichotomy because God's knowledge is the cause of existing entities, while the existing entity is the cause of human knowledge.
3. Absence of Physical Awakening
Islamic philosophers such as al-Farabi and Ibn Sina said that in the afterlife the resurrection is only spirit and not physical resurrection is the influence of Greek philosophy, especially the theory of the world of ideas from Plato. Al-Ghazali refutes this in his Tahafut al-Falasifah book because in the Qur'an itself it is said that humans will experience various physical pleasures in heaven or physical misery in hell.
Regarding this third issue, Ibn Rushd accused Al-Ghazali of saying contradictory things. In his book "Tahafut al-Falasifah" Al-Ghazali writes that there are no Muslims who think that the resurrection will occur only in a spiritual form. But in another book Al-Ghazali writes that for the Sufis awakening will occur only in a spiritual form, not in a physical form. Thus there is no consensus regarding the resurrection of the Day of Judgment, both in physical and spiritual forms. Therefore, the philosophers who argue that there is no physical resurrection cannot be disbelieved.
According to Ibn Rushd, it is not true what Al-Ghazali said that the philosophers denied the physical resurrection. Physical awakening has spread at least a thousand years ago (from the time of Ibn Rushd) during the time of the Israelites. Even their faith in the resurrection is greater and highly respected because this issue can be used to guide people in achieving personal happiness.
Ibn Rushd argues that it is only for ordinary people that the issue of awakening needs to be described in a physical form because physical awakening encourages them to do good works. For ordinary people, physical resurrection is easier to grasp by imagination than very abstract philosophical explanations of spiritual awakening will make them feel afraid or motivated to carry out or stay away from God's commands because they are easy to visualize.
Faith in the physical resurrection is a must for the realization of moral virtues, theoretical virtues, and outward practices because one will not get a real-life in this world except by outward deeds.
In closing this assignment, there is a quote that I think is extraordinary from Ibn Rushd when defending philosophers from accusations of infidelity which reads more or less "*We know very well that logical thinking will not go against religion because the truth will not oppose the truth. One truth will strengthen the other truth*".
I Become My Friend's Guide at Borobudur Temple
In March 2018, boredom and disgust of the chaotic and annoying capital city began to appear in my head. It feels like going to the mountains or the sea. Suddenly a friend from Medan called and said that he wanted to go to the island of Java.
My friend, Petrus, really wanted to see first-hand one of the natural wonders in **Indonesia**, namely the **Borobudur temple** in the city of **Magelang**, Central Java. I immediately picked him up at the airport and stayed one night in the small rented house I was staying in.
In the morning after breakfast and drinking coffee, we both went to the train station to the city of **Surakarta**, Central Java. We didn't go directly to Magelang city even though that was our destination. I want to stop by my hometown first then to Magelang city. After staying one night in my hometown, we immediately went to Magelang city using my uncle's motorbike. From my hometown to the city of Magelang is not too far. The distance it takes is only 45 minutes to get to the destination.
After arriving in Magelang, I stopped my motorbike at one of the temples in Magelang called **Mendut Temple**. I deliberately didn't go directly to Borobudur temple because I wanted to introduce one of my Javanese ancestral heritage to my friend. Mendut Temple is not as famous as Borobudur, this **Buddhist**-style temple was built during the **Syailendra dynasty** by **King Indra** in 824 AD. Inside Mendut Temple there is a very large **Buddha** statue.
After walking around Mendut temple, we continued our journey to the main destination, namely Borobudur Temple which is 3 kilometres from Mendut temple. There are many temples that I want to introduce to my friends, but I feel lazy if I stop by too much. When we arrived at Borobudur temple, my friend was amazed by the splendour of this **historic building**. Naturally, this old building is one of the natural wonders in the world and also a legacy from our ancestors that must be preserved and cared for properly.
I tell all the historical stories in this Borobudur temple. As many people know, the Borobudur temple is the largest Buddhist temple in the world. Built-in the 8th century AD during the **Syailendra dynasty**. Many tourists from various countries come to see this magnificent temple. Lots of highly artistic reliefs, stupas and artefacts.
Borobudur Temple will be crowded with visitors during the great day of the Buddhists. This temple will turn out to be very majestic. Decorated with decorative lights and moonlight at night, making this temple even more magnificent. Usually, the highlight of the **Vesak** day will be centred at the Borobudur temple. So do not be surprised if this temple will be visited by Buddhists from all over the world to celebrate **Vesak Day**.
After about 1 hour more we circled this Borobudur temple, my friend was very satisfied. It was the first time he saw a Borobudur temple of this size. Usually, he only sees on television, magazines, and the internet. Then I took him to a souvenir shop near the Borobudur temple so he could bring gifts from here.
After finishing this trip, I invited him to return to my hometown to rest and enjoy a cup of **coffee** and a **cigarette**. Because the next day I will also take him to the province of Yogyakarta which is also a lot of historical places there.
All photos or images in this article are entirely mine. But I don't mind if you take it.
@dark_spirit666
