Do we need school, or do we need education? Which one is really matter?

Nowadays, Indonesia is blessed with the presence of an amazing figure in the government. The minister of marine and fishery, Susi Pudjiastuti. The interesting part is that she is only high school graduate, which is quite unusual for the high rank position such minister where most of the time it will be trusted to people with higher educational graduate. It then leads to an amusing issue that children and young people do not want to go to school because of that minister. “Why should I go to school, whereas that our minister didn’t go to school either?”       

Now let's straight the thing up. Starting with the question, “Do we need school, or do we need education? Which one is really matter?”

For those who view school as only the right way to obtain good education, there is nothing wrong about it. First, perhaps parents are unable to provide appropriate education for their child, either due to busy working to make living, or due to lack of skill and knowledge. Second, because it is such a requirement for people to get better job in the future. We have to have such and such certificate when applying for job. 

For second group, who think education can take place anywhere, not only at formal educational institution, they prefer to educate themselves or their children with various ways. Their classroom is as big as this world. They don’t go to school, but they go to the zoo, to the street, to the sea, to the mountain. They visit the expert. Their teacher can be anyone on the street, at market, at hospital, at bakery shop, at mom’s kitchen, or dad’s garage, just anywhere.

For some people, schooling sometimes even can block people creativity. Thus they stop going to school. Sir Ken Robinson is one of that people. A famous quote by Mark Twain says, ‘I have never let schooling interfere with my education’. In the eyes of these people, school and education is just two different things. This is, perhaps, because school fails to accommodate the need of individual upon education. Education that can spark their curiosity, that can nurture their creativity, and so on so forth.  

We may say that school is only one of places to learn, to seek knowledge, to get education, formally. It is only a place where people are prepared to face the real world in the future. With knowledge, and with skill in order for people are able to adapt with the environment. On top of that, in order to fulfill other’s demand. Since our society still concern about the status. People who can’t follow the educational system of the country due to their uniqueness, such as Mark Twain, and Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, they are dropped out from the school.

Now my word, you can be a drop out student, you can stop going to school, only if you are as smart, creative, hardworking, ready to educate own self, and have strong mental as those great people, then go on. With the condition, you have to come up as someone else in the next few years as prove.

Yet, if you don’t think so, don’t ever think about it.  

Ibu Menteri

Indonesia baru saja memiliki presiden yang baru. Begitu pula dengan jajaran menterinya. Satu yang menarik, karna kata orang cukup nyentrik, tentang sosok Menteri Kelautan & Perikanan, Ibu Susi Pudjiastuti. Dengan segala keunikan sebagai seorang beliau. Merokok, bertato, begitulah yang dikabarkan media.

Saya sadar, bahwa saya nda punya hak untuk menjudge seorang ib susi . Wong saya masih nda ada apa-apanya ketimbang beliau, dengan seabreg pencapaiannya yang luar biasa. Yang belum tentu saya juga bisa seperti itu. Really, don’t judge the book by its cover.

Err..mungkin memang banyak orang yang berpendidikan tinggi di Negara kita. Tapi ya mungkin mereka, jika dibandingkan dengan si ibu, belum terlaluu berpengalaman di bidang ini. Mungkin ini salah satu pertimbangan presiden yang sekarang. Bisa juga, karna ada sebenarnya orang yang selevel dengan si ibu (*baca berpengalaman, berprestasi, berilmu) tapi tidak Nampak oleh sang presiden. Yahh, mungkin... mungkin...

Saya stuju dengan kawan saya yang bilang bahwa, para pemimpin negri itu, sedikit banyak adalah cermin masyarakat bangsa tersebut. Meski juga wajah para anggota cabinet itu ngga bisa digeneralisir sebagai rata-ratanya pribadi bangsa secara umum (iki kok mbulet tho?)

Offline. Yes,I'm alright. Thank you

It's sort of funny, for me certainly. When for instance, our cyber social tools, say watsapp,line,fb,etc are offline for a quite long,people start wondering,asking whether we are alright or not? It gives me the idea that,our existance in this world nowdays is quite easy to detect. By looking at the 'last seen' for example. Perhaps,since we spend much times to be exist in such world I guess. I mean,we chat more in cyber world (*read: typing and busy with fancy gadget) rather than actually chat (*speaking) with the real human at the very face. As a matter of fact,we might be more connected,alive in cyber world than in the real life,literally real I mean. Technology is changing our life style for sure. Offline for one day could mean sumthing might happen,And it brings worry to others. Well... quite assumption I must say. Oh really...sometimes we need take a break from cyber life. #Just saying :)

education in Finland

points learned:

1-      Early invention program of student’s learning difficulty,  

2-      Putting much attention from extra time to the student who need special attention

3-      Decentralized education; national core curricula, but teachers and schools are free to adjust it with students' necessity

4-      Teachers are Master students, connecting theory & research with daily teaching practice & issue.  

5-      Great investment of educational research. best student to become a teacher

6-      Mentoring program for teacher (senior teacher), having experience on teaching, and back to university to gain and consult about teaching theory

7-      Weekly meeting, reporting student progress.

Three Great Psychology Lecturers

Somehow, I feel some sort of funny. I have been learning psychology along this time in this university. Alhamdulillah, I have learnt so much, yet I’m sure there’s still so much as well to be learnt. Particularly from these great lecturers, who come from two extreme madzhab, if I may say.

One from Islamic religious background, while another from the oldest western school of thought of psychology, Freudian. The Islamic one totally opposes Freud, the other one totally adore him. Luckily, unexpectedly, I learn psychology from both of them. I’ve never thought before that I could meet a Freudian. Kind of upset at first, yet I feel so blessed now. Opss… not because I become a Freudian, but because I learn another side of Freudian.

The first great lecture, he was really great indeed. A Prominent Muslim psychologist of this century If I may say. Prof. Malik Badri. I was so blessed to be one of his student few years back during my degree. From his book, Dilemma of Muslim Psychologist, I then knew what went wrong with western psychology.

Prof. Malik Badri*

Another great lecturer was Dr. Alizi. He introduced us how psychology (western literally) and Islamic teaching can work together. He showed us the beautiful of Islam in the eyes of psychology, and vice versa. He made us to think that Islam and psychology is actually close. And he really made me wanting to learn about Islam more. Both of them really put a strong Islamic psychological foundation upon me at the end.

Dr. Alizi Alias*

Then come another year of seeking knowledge process. Allah allowed me to meet Prof. N and learnt from him. He’s totally Freudian, and he declared it proudly at the beginning of the class. Me, I was kind of shock. I mean, all this long I’ve always picture in my mind some sort of bad image of graduated-western psychologist. And still couldn’t believe that in the so-called Islamic university, we have western, or to be more precise, Freudian lecturer. Godness….

Yet after all, it’s not as bad as I thought. I enjoyed it so much. I liked him, I mean as lecturer, and enjoyed his class so much. Yes he is Freudian, he teach us about Freudian school of thought, even up until now. But he also admitted that after he joined in this university, he also learnt so much about Islam. In his class, he always tries to insert the Islamic values/teaching in his lecturer as much as He know, and asked us to help him, to correct or to add upon it.   

So far I can remember, I never miss the class of these three great lecturers. More Less, they made me what I am now. I'd like to express my gratitude and thanking them for teaching and helping me understand about psychology, both from Islam & western perspectives. 

Jazakumullah kher my lecturers,

May Allah always blesses you...

Pernak-pernik Kebijakan subsidi BBM

Apa dampak buruk dari kenaikan BBM? Yang pasti... kenaikan itu akan diikuti dengan kenaikan harga-harga barang,dll. Membuat masyarakat,trutama yang berada di garis tengah dan ke bawah makin harus mencermati pengeluaran mereka,atau lebih tepatnya menyeleksi kebutuhan mreka,agar dapat bertahan hidup.
Kemudian apa?
Kenaikan living cost,jika tidak dibarengin dengan kenaikan pendapatan per kapita penduduk,maka ini bisa merambat ke masalah sosial. Angka kemiskinan mungkin akan merangkak naik, Hingga bisa membuat mreka gelap mata. Jika begini,tidak dipungkiri angka kriminalitas juga akan meningkat.

Potret Negri di Lampu Merah

Wajah wajah itu menatap ke arah jalan raya di depannya yang hilir mudik dengan berbagai jenis kendaraan. Sendu sekali. Sementara dipangkuannya, dan di keduatangannya penuh dengan bungkusan-bungkusan plastik kecil berisi panganan untuk dijual. Bermacam-macam. Ada tahu goreng, kacang rebus, atau jajanan pasar lainnya. Hari masih pagi, namun panas matahari sudah mulai terasa memanggang kulit. Ditambah pula dengan debu-debu yang berterbangan dibawa angin kering. Duh, suram sekali wajah negri ini.

Dan sosok-sosok itu masih duduk disana, masih dengan tatapan kosong namun masih ada sedikit asa disana. Yang hadir bersama munculnya lampu merah dan sepanjang antrian kendaraan yang berhenti. Sigap mereka akan berlari, menawarkan dagangannya yang tidak seberapa itu kepada siapapun yang sedang terjebak lampu merah. Hanya menjajakan, tidak memaksa.

“tahu nya mbak.. Mas..” “kacang rebus pak.. Bu”.

Dan untuk yang kesekian kalinya, diri ini hanya bisa memunculkan senyum sambil menggeleng lemah tanpa suara. Namun di dalam hati mengutuki diri sendiri.

“kenapa disaat-saat seperti ini justru malah ngga ada uang pecah di dompet. Kenapa sih aku selalu lupa nyiapin uang receh kalo lagi safar?? Why?”, batin menjerit nelangsa, sambil meminta maaf, masih, di dalam hati.

Menjelang pilpres '14

Politik itu kotor,menurut kebanyakan orang. Dan iya...menurutku juga. Politik yg sekarang seperti lumpur. Kotor,hitam. Dan yg terjebur kedalamnya tentu akan kotor. Tapi... kotor fisik...bukan berarti dpt melunturkan keputihan jiwa orang yang tercebur atau menceburkan diri kedalamnya. Orang baik,tdk serta akan jd jahat ketika ia terjerumus masuk lumpur. Sekarang..tinggal bagaimana caranya menjaga jiwa agar tetap putih. Hingga bisa memutihkan lumpur. Mission impossible??

Luck, does it really exist?

Some people just dont believe in luck. There's no luck. There's only 'result' for the effort. If the effort is less, then the result will be 'less'. And vice versa. For sure,The word Lucky should be redifined. Is it only to describe something happened by any chance? Expected or unexpected?

"You've juz got lucky", Does lucky could be obtained? Or is it given? For some, luck will come only after some efforts have been accomplished. But for others, it's juz happened so. An Unexpected outcome.

If more people become disbelieve in luck, surely it would perish from daily life, from dictionary, from the world, from history (probably).

I wonder then... who found the word 'luck' in the first place? Why did he/she do that? On top of that, why then Allah let it happened?

#MindScrabble

Theoy of evolution & the probable unseen propaganda

Some people believe in theory of evolution, that state man's ancestor is ape, then evolved into a new more good looking form, A Man, that we know today.
Others believe, man is definitely a Divine creation. Created directly by the hand of God in a perfect shape. In the form like it is now. Man is man, not an ape, not an animal.
The religious believe strictly emphasize that man is a God creation, not a result from an evolution.

I barely think, for those who insist that man has evolved from a form of ape into a man, don't you think... those people might be trying to alienate us from religious believe? to not believe in religion.

Well.. it could be

Karna saya bukan mereka

“Kita semua sama-sama di kasih jatah waktu 24 jam sehari. Sama-sama dikasih panca indera lengkap. Alhamdulillah. Jadi ngga ada alasan untuk ngga bisa, sementara orang lain bisa. Kalau dia bisa jadi penulis buku terkenal, ya kita juga bisa”.

Jujur, saya masih sering ngga setuju dengan cara berfikir yang begini. Ok lah, sebenarnya ini adalah bentuk sebuah dorongan. Motivasi untuk menjadi diri yang lebih baik. Dengan banyak melakukan hal-hal positif dan menjadi sosok nyata dari slogan ‘khairunnaas ‘anfauhum linnaas’.

Tapi bagi saya, yang terasa justru sebaliknya. Ada pesan tersirat dari kalimat itu. Terkesan seolah seperti membandingkan diri kita dengan orang lain; ‘kamu kok ngga bisa kayak dia sih? Sukses, aktif, hebat, bisa begini begitu, dan bla bla bla…

Ketika saya bilang ini, orang bisa balik nyambit; ‘tuhh…excuse lagi kan kamu. Diajak jadi orang yang lebih baik, ada aja alasannya”.

Macettt dah! Seriously! Ini kok malah jadi kayak saling membela diri dan menyerang ya??

Taat penuh & taat tanya

Ketika misalnya, sang guru memerintahkan muridnya untuk melakukan sesuatu, tanpa disertai penjelasan, hingga akhirnya sang murid bertanya, mengapa ia harus melakukan itu, apakah itu salah?

Atau saat sang prajurit mendapat titah dari komandannya untuk melaksanakan satu perintah, lagi, tanpa dibarengi dengan keterangan apapun, lantas sang prajurit bertanya, mengapa saya harus mengerjakan ini, apakah dia salah? Sudahlah, jalankan saja. Tidak perlu banyak tanya.

Atau satu kali, sang ibu menyuruh anaknya untuk mengerjakan satu hal, hanya berbekal perintah, kerjakan ini, dan jangan banyak tanya! Ketika akhirnya tidak mau mengerjakan perintah sampai sang anak tahu alasan mengapa dia harus mengerjakan perintah, apakah ia layak disebut pembantah? Bandel?

Ketaatan jundi pada qiyadah (deuuh, bahasanya), benarkah selalunya dalam bingkai ketaatan penuh? Ketaatan penuh, yang bercirikan patuh mengerjakan apa yang telah diperintahkan tanpa banyak tanya.  Tanpa perlu tahu alasan mengapa ia harus melakukan itu. Apakah begini ciri seorang jundi yang baik? Jika iya, maka ini bisa menumbuhkan sebuah penyakit yang disebut taqlidul a’ma (ketaatan buta). Jiwa kritis sang murid/prajurit/anak dibabat habis dengan satu kalimat perintah; “lakukan saja, jangan banyak tanya”. Ketaatan buta akan melahirkan fanatisme. Yang berbahaya adalah ketika fanatisme ini akhirnya membutakan mata hati, tidak lagi bisa membedakan mana yang baik dan mana yang tidak, terhadap apapun yang diperintahkan/dilakukan atasannya. Maka kemudian muncullah pengkultusan Atasan. 

Bag of happiness; love from Muslim

Renew the feel as Muslim

Iman is like a tide. It's fluctautive. Sometimes it goes high, sometimes it goes down. When our iman is high, we feel full of energy to perform ibadah, to do good deeds, and so on so forth. But when the iman is low, we experience lazyness, feeling sad even depresses, unable to control emotion, think negatively, then everything looks so gloomy and bad in our eyes.
Come to think about it, it looks similar with the symptoms of Bipolar disorder. When Someone in Good Condition, he/she will definetely, even excesively feels full with postive attitude and behavior. However, once he/she are in depress mode, the vice versa will happen. When our iman is down, we might do many bad things. It makes people easy to commit sin, and become lose from the right path. At the end, they are surrounded by emptyness.
Until He saves us again. Again and again, for many times. He indeed truly loves us.
And we feel like a new born. like we are just become a Muslim.
That's what I learn from these our muslim brother who just come back to HIM.
May Allah always guides us

separuh diri yang lain

Semestinya, kita bertanya pada diri sendiri.
Mengapa kita begitu takut untuk menjadi diri sendiri?
Mengapa kita begitu bersusah payah untuk menyembunyikan siapa diri ini? Padahal, sedikit banyak, meski tak seterang lampu pilips, mereka pun sudah tau siapa kita.
Mengapa? 
Padahal yang kita miliki, yg sudah Dia beri ini,bukanlah suatu keburukan. Minimal di mata-Nya.

Ohh...mungkin karna kita takut dijauhi. Kita takut kehilangan mereka. Khawatir mereka tidak bisa menerima diri ini. Juga takut kehilangan ini itu yang lain.

Ya Tuhan! Bukankah itu sama saja artinya kita belum bisa menerima sepenuhnya diri kita sendiri?! 
Bisa-bisa,kita di diagnosa punya penyakit low self esteem akut oleh para psikolog. Tidaaakkk!!!

Yahh...sudah saatnya kita mencoba membuka diri untuk menerima diri kita sendiri...

*episode berkaca