Balada Si Air Bersih: Sebuah Cerita dari Asramaku

Krisis air bersih di Jakarts (Media Indonesia)

Dulu, beberapa kali aku lihat air di bak mandi asramaku tumpah-tumpah. Tak ada yang peduli, atau setidaknya jarang sekali yang mau bergerak mematikan keran meskipun percikan air tumpah sudah terdengar. “Cuma air, biarlah, masih banyak di sumur. Sumur kami tak akan kering!” pikir kami—pikirku juga.

Tapi suatu kali kawanku menegurku, “Mengapa dibiarin sih?!” Mulai dari itu, aku sejenk berpikir: Mengapa anak ini harus menegur? Hanya air, apa peduli. Tapi itu dulu, tak demikian adanya sekarang ini. Tapi bagaimana bisa demikian?

Melimpah tapi kekurangan
Baiklah, asramaku ada di salah satu bilangan di Jakarta. Sudahlah maklum, ketika musim hujan datang, sebagian daerah di Indonesia mengalami banjir, terutama daerah ibu kota. Berita-berita sampaikan kalau orang-orang mengungsi dan kekurangan air bersih! Bagaimana bisa? Bukannya airnya malah banyak kalau banjir?

Berangkat dari fakta itu, aku mulai menyadari bahwa ketersediaan air saja tak cukup untuk kehidupan. Air haruslah bersih untuk hidup manusia: mandi, mencuci, dan yang terpenting minum. Begitu banyaknya air yang akhirnya menggenangi pemukiman, hingga berujung banjir, ternyata tak menjamin bahwa orang-orang punya akses untuk mendapatkan air bersih terutama untuk minum.

Kalau kekurangan air, itu juga masalah. Ujung-ujungnya sama saja, terhambatnya akses terhadap air bersih pun mengancam kehidupan.

The Version of My Success

With Mr. Trump. Thanks, sir!

There are so many successful people out there. They achieve something precious for their lives. Some become so popular and get so much praise from other people. We can recognize how Bill Gates successfully built his Microsoft, and how Steve Jobs created Apple Inc. Nobody will denies that those two men have succeeded on their path.

Their lives have become inspiration for lots of people around the world. Their persistence to get their success gives us many lessons to study and to follow. Now, the question is what does success mean? Are those who are as rich as those two not successful persons? To agree or do not agree is part of of those questions. You can keep your answer now. I have a version of my success.

I spent all of my childhood in a country called Indonesia. I was born there about twenty two years ago. Anyway, Indonesia is an archipelago containing more than 17,000 islands. We have so many different ethnic groups. I am from one of them called Java. I was born in a little town, Blitar, which is located at Java Island, on of five largest islands there.

My late father was a local entrepreneur in Blitar. He fixed broken sewing machines and we earned money from that. We did not make much money from that job, just enough to meet our daily needs. My mom was the manager, which mean actually she had no job, just helped my dad. Nevertheless, both are the best parents ever for me!

Apa yang Tabu bagi Orang Amerika

(www.counter-currents.com)

Di Indonesia, soal menyoal tabu ada banyak jenisnya. Bagi yang tahu apa tabu itu, mudahnya ini adalah suatu hal yang bila dibahas atau dilakukan, atau mungkin dipikirkan saja akan menimbulkan perasaan tak enak atau timbul pelarangan, pamali dan tak boleh.

Banyak ha tabu di Indonesia ini: bicara soal orang yang sudah mati, bicara soal alat kelamin, bicara tentang tuhan, melangkahi kuburan, bicara soal sex, mendebat guru, duduk atau berdiri lebih tinggi dibanding orang lebih tua, duduk di depan pintu, tak boleh main lebih dari jam 6 malam, dan masih banyak lagi.

Hal itu semua dianggap tak baik untuk dilakukan karena ada analoginya masing-masing. Maksudnya, ada semacam kepanjangan penafsiran di sana.

Misal, kalau kita bicara soal sex, maka intinya adalah tak sopan dan ini hanya bisa dilakukan oleh orang yang sudah menikah. Itu pun kalau perlu diam-diam. Soal tak boleh duduk di depan pintu, anggapannya nanti jodohnya susah. Dan masih banyak analogi dan penafsiran lainnya.

Berdiri ditempat kebih tinggi daripada orang yang lebih tua berarti bak menginjaknya. Makan sambil berdiri bagaikan hewan. Dan kiranya masih banyak lagi.

Hal yang sangat berbeda akan kau temukan bila kau melihat kehidupan orang Amerika. Hal-hal semacam di atas, bagi mereka tak punya analogi dan oke-oke saja dilakukan. Tak ada ceritanya duduk di depan pintu akan menghambat jodoh. Berdiri lebih tinggi dan mendebat orang yang lebih tua sah-sah saja. Sex pun adalah hal biasa.

Lalu apa tak ada yang tabu bagi orang amerika? Ada-ada saja.

Bukan saja hukuman sosial
Amerika adalah negara yang tumbuh bukan berawal dari kerajaan atau sebuah kedigdayaan suku tertentu. Ia benar-benar dibentuk oleh para imigran yang ingin mencari dunia baru.

Orang Amerika yang Low Context

Rob Swiers and me and I just call him Rob

Ketika belajar di NDSU, aku sering naik bus untuk menuju kampus, ke pusat kota, atau juga ke tempat lain seperti tempat untuk volunteer. Aku kenal dengan salah satu supir-nya yang pensiunan Angkatan Laut Amerika atau the Navy.

Kelly Hostetter namanya. Seorang pria yang kukira sudahlah berumur dan ia pun sudah beruban. Aku biasa sapa dia dengan namanya saja, “Hi, Kelly!” begitu saja. Tunggu! Aku berkawan dengan orang tua beruban? Juga tak memanggilnya Pak?

Itulah orang Amerika. Kecuali ia bukan ayah kawanmu atau gurumu, kau tak akan panggil dengan Mister atau Sir. Kepada mertua saja, orang sana sering hanya memanggil nama saja. Mana mungkin itu dilakukan di Indonesia?

Situasi tersebut menunjukkan bagaimana orang barat memiliki budaya yang low context. Ini adalah sebuah budaya dimana masyarakatnya tak banyak analogi dalam bermasyarakat. Mereka tak banyak prasangka dan menjunjung tinggi rasionalitas.

Free-sex di Amerika

Young couples (cnn.com)

Akhir-akhir ini aku sering ditanya tentang sebenarnya apa benar free-sex itu dilakukan oleh remaja di Amerika. Aku sering ditanya hal ini ketika kami sedang menonton film Hollywood bersama-sama yang sebagian besar mempertunjukkan adegan ciuman, sex dan sebagainya.

Jawabanku adalah ya dan tidak. Sebagian besar masyarakat di US sebenarnya adalah masyarakat yang religious. Mereka punya banyak gereja dan di kampus banyak sekali kelompok-kelompok bible study. Aku juga yakin bahwa dalam Christianity tak ada aturan yang melegalkan free-sex.

Tapi pada kenyataannya, banyak pula yang tak religious. Amerika itu luas sekali, dan manusianya bermacam-macam. Banyak yang tak mengikuti agama manapun.

Nah, kembali ke soal free-sex, bagi kebanyakan orang US, sex adalah bagian dari hidup yang tak perlu dianggap tabu. Sex adalah bagian dari kebudayaan yang relax dan memang perlu. Oleh karena itu, sex dilakukan sebagai kebutuhan natural seseorang. Tak ada urusannya dengan sopan atau tak sopan, bermoral atau pun tidak.

Prinsip orang Amerika pada dasarnya adalah asal tak merugikan dan menggangu orang lain, segalanya sah-sah saja.

People Have Dreams

I opened my Facebook one time. A notification popped up. My friend tagged me to a video: A short remarks from Nurcholish Madjid (1939 – 2005) about civil society. I opened it.

I found Madjid clearly said that civil society is a dream of Indonesia in the future. It struck me when he mentioned civil society is there when people obey the laws, so that the people are civilized! It struck me because when I reflected what he mentioned to what is going on around me, it even hurts!

Our media is full of news about endless corruption and stuff. The government, the ones who are meant to shine the people to get their bright future, just gets their people thrown away out of the windows. While they are proud of stuffing their mouths with full of fancy foods, people are starving to death.

People here are even lack of education. That means people are failing to see their bright futures. People fail to see what they are up against: poverty, hunger, unemployment, injustice, human right violation and so forth. These situations could even end up with some other painful situations: crimes and even murders. I bet life has driven people nuts. No times to think of the future.

But, Madjid’s idea about nur’any or our deepest heart finally tickles me when I am overwhelmed by all these problems. He came up with a small but very important thing: listening to and obeying what our nur’any says.

These All Are for My Nation

Explaining some stuff about Indonesia at CEC at NDSU

“In the same time, we are not only this nation citizen, but also a global one. In order that, we have to be able to express our idea in a global expression!” (Anies Baswedan)

Growing up in a little town Blitar, where Soekarno’s grave is located, I've learnt to dedicate my life to this nation. Bung Karno—Soekarno’s nickname—had stated that we must be an independent nation (bangsa yang berdikari). Also, my father, who is a local entrepreneur, always said that ever since I was a child, I have to have a strong willingness to be independent. Depending on others may be permitted at first, but at last, independency is the only way to stand firmly on my own feet. And, my mother said that do not ever forget to pray, because God never sleeps!

When I entered university, then I understood that I am now connected with global community. I am a citizen of the world. I also learn about how to strengthen my self in this world through three pillars: leadership, entrepreneurship, and ethics. Through these values, everybody can be more competitive to face many challenges of life.

Let It Snow and Rain

Go sledding!

A few days ago, I’ve heard that Fargo had its first snow. It was too early, everybody says. It was a fluke? Probably. But that’s not what I’m going to talk about.

If you ask me what is it worth if you let me see snow? I’d probably say that I’d buy you food for a whole year. I am kind of half serious and half joking, though.

Part of me is serious. Last year, when I was looking at this stuff at first, I could not help but admired it. It was so white that I could do nothing but staring at it like a child gets his birthday present. I hold it. I smiled at it. I balled it up. I fell on it. I was knee-deep in it. I even tested it to make sure that what was right in front of me was what people call snow.

The dream of us
Snow is like dream for everybody in Indonesia. We watch movies, shows, and news that show us snow a lot. But it is our TV screens that do it. We can’t feel it first hand. We just let our mouth half-open and keep wondering how it feels. We always dream to someday hold it. Firsthand.

Study-loads!!!

JAKARTA-JAZZMUHAMMAD - Sepulang dari US, aku sering ditanya, apa perbedaan kuliah di Indo dan di sana? Susah-susah gampang menjawabnya. Banyak sekali berbedanya. Mulai dari pakaian, lingkungan, kegiatan after-school, student government, absensi dan masih banyak lagi.

Tapi sebenarnya yang paling teringat adalah bahwa kuliah undergraduate di sana tak ada skripsi! Titik! Anda senang? Tunggu dulu.

Bahwa fakta ini sangat menggembirakan adalah benar adanya. Skripsi adalah, kalau tak berlebihan, tugas paling tak disukai. Setidaknya Sembilan dari sepuluh mahasiswa akan mengatakan demikian. Yang satu? Mungkin maniak menulis. Siapa tahu?

Ketika fakta bahwa kuliah di US tanpa skripsi itu menyenangkan aku sampaikan pada kawanku di US, ia langsung bilang, “That’s not true. Not true. We’ve capstones.”

Kuliah tanpa skripsi kalau dibayangkan adalah seperti surga dunia. Bayangkan kalau kita di Indonesia kuliah tanpa harus menulisnya, Oh my God! That’s gonna be a lot of fun!

Go Bison: All I know about NDSU

Global Ugraders of Indonesia

Well, I was there only for one year. I got a scholarship from the US Department of State under a program called Global Undergraduate Exchange Program. So, have I known NDSU pretty well?

If you count whether or not the president of NDSU and I are friends to see if I knew NDSU well, you might as well just jump on another blog and swing by a gun shop, grab any gun and point it at me and shout: this guy is making up something!

But, never mind, that is just an exaggeration. I have a whole bunch of friends over there, though. So I might have known NDSU well. I might have.

Okay, first off, this is the biggest university in North Dakota. It’s in Fargo, which is not the capital but the biggest city over there. The place is really cool and clean. You’ll see a lot of green areas where you can hang out with friends. Fresh air and nice atmosphere will lure you to stay there.

As typical big universities in the US, NDSU was founded way back then. When was it? It’s none of my business. An excuse? Yeah, but I have another answer: Wake up and smell the Internet, Buddy! Just kidding. It’s founded in 1891 and back then it wasn’t NDSU yet but North Dakota Agricultural Collage.