Religion and Philosophy

I will open this essay by the big questions which have stayed for a long time in my heart, what is religion? Does each religion have God? What does God mean? Where is God? Who made God? These kinds of question already existed in my heart until now. Even if, I have spent my time to study about my religion but it does not make me satisfied yet to answer each question. The biggest reason and answer of my question are just because humans’ brain and thought can not think about God’s fervency. In my mind, how can we believe one thing if we do not see the real shape of what we believe in. For me, it is just the same like other existing religions that has the understanding about “Dogma”. I will always think, research, and prove which religion is really the truth.

The phenomena that happen to me is actually not far difference with what happen to many religion philosophers. However, we need to first basically understand what religion and philosophy are, what are the relationships between them, and whether philosophy is congruent with religion or not. And those statements will be the roles and parameters of what will be my analyses in this essay.

On the first, religion is defined as pursuance factor to God by certain doctrine. This definition is taken from the general lecture lectured by Mrs. Saras Dewi the head of Philosophy Department University of Indonesia. By this definition we can analyze that actually the pursuance here is not having the reason but because of certain doctrine. If we love something, we mostly never care about the reason what makes us love to this. But believing in religion we can not use this common statement. We need to understand deeply first about it, than we love it.

On the second, because of the phenomena in the previous paragraph that we can not just directly love particular religion before we know it deeper, so we need to hugely research on it. Therefore, in sequences of particular period there were people who did research on it. Philosophy takes apart on it.

TLL, the fifth journal, TECHNOLOGY TO TEACH STUDENTS’ THINKING SKILLS

Each creature was created completely with their mind used to think and how to deal with the phenomena come upon them. Starting when we were child, we used our mind to deal with surrounding us. Babies directly cried when they got hungry and needed their mom to give them milk. Everything that people do will need brain to think and be saved as thought.

As teacher candidates we will face so many kinds of students in the class. Some of them are well-renown as clever students by their friends, and some are not. The most important point is that no student is stupid. Each of them has their own ability. But the problem is that the difference of maximizing their brain to think. Some of them like to play rather than to study. Hence, there will be difference upon the quality of thinking among them. So, as teachers we have to encourage students to maximize their thinking quality in order to make them able to critically analyze certain cases and phenomena toward the subjects they learn. By using Web 2.0 tool, we can implement every kinds of activity for students to order them think in many ways. We can put many kinds of multimedia in Web 2.0. it then will be able to teach students in each skill of language. We can use Web 2.0 to provide listening, writing, reading, and speaking skills. What is importantly needed is teachers’ creativity to provide interesting activity.

MULTICULTURALISM AND THE SAMENESS OF RIGHT TO BUILD A BETTER NATION

MULTICULTURALISM AND THE SAMENESS OF RIGHT TO BUILD A BETTER NATION

By

M. Iqbal Maulana

2010120050

Section D 2010

Sampoerna School of Education

Indonesia is well-renown as the biggest multicultural country in the world. Indonesia is consisting by various ethnics, languages, and cultures. However, the power of Pancasila as the foundation of Indonesia can manage and unite this multiculturalism. By having this multiculturalism, Indonesia is pointed out by the world as the incredible country and so many researches carried out there. On the other hands, having more than one culture is not as that a piece of cake. It needs more effort to keep them alive with their originalities. Besides multiculturalism becomes Indonesia’s own pride, there is some cases occurred toward this issue. There is some movements which do not support the journey of Indonesia governance, in short they do against the policy of the country.

Saminism or most renown as sedulur sikep is one of the minority ethnic groups in Indonesia which contributes a lot in multiculturalism in Indonesia. Saminism is a movement which is well-renown and established against the policy of communism implemented by Netherlands when they come to Indonesia to colonize all Indonesian societies. They do not involve in supporting the policy made by this colonial country. They are against towards all the policies given to them. They do not pay for the taxes, go to study in schools, and conduct trading. In their mind, if they do those things it will make them support this colonialism in Indonesia. And if it is done, it means that they will let Indonesian societies to be colonized ever after. But the problem is that, they still do those kinds of the thing when Indonesia is already independent and not being colonized by the colonial country. This becomes a problem because they do not support their own country where they live and spend their life.

Before judging and placing this Samin people in to particular corner, there are some cases that I would like to analyze here. After reading some resources and articles, there are some other characteristics they have so that they are called and included to minority ethnic group and multiculturalism. What I have explained in previous paragraph is considered by most of people in many discussions and debates as the bad understandings and concepts of Saminism. However, there are some other good and fascinating understandings and concepts which most of other common societies do not have. Here, the detail of these concepts which Samin people still have in the status quo right now is explained:

Good understanding	Bad understanding
1.       They are against colonialism	1.       They are not going to school
2.       They  really like PEACE	3.       They are not paying taxes
4.       They never lie in their life	5.       They are not reporting their marriage to KUA
6.       They never fight each other	7.       They are not supporting Government
8.       They hate violence	9.       They are covering themselves from the modernization
10.   There are no stealing and robbing among them	11.   They are not having trading to other people outside
12.   They keep their nature, and no exploitation
13.   They are really open-handed to every one who needs help

The main aim and thinking analyses of this paper is on how to still keep this minority group alive, but they can still involve and support the governance of Indonesia. The thing which can be proposed to carry out in this paper is that to minimize or even erase the bad understandings and concepts they have. However, the good understanding and concepts of saminism will still exist. By this way, samin people will not lose their identity and on the other hand they can also support and get involved to the Indonesia policies. There is no any disadvantage for them if they conduct this. They can throw away their bad concepts and still can show their Saminism as their identity by their good thing. So, the aim of this paper will happen which is about how to make multiculturalism has the same right to build and support Indonesia as a nation.

The bad concept and understanding which is raised and come out here is on how to erase their paradigm about studying in schools and direct them to the knowledge improvement.  By erasing this concept, it again does not mean to erase their identity because we still let and do not erase their good identity. They will still be called by Samin people though they are going to school since they still have their good concepts like what are listed in the previous table.  I still believe that though they join study in the school they will not lose their identity because their good concepts and understanding do not belong to other common people in Indonesia. For the example, Samin people never tell lies. However, it is very difficult to look for people surrounding us who do not lie. For the evidence, there are so many corruptors in Indonesia alive. With this little example, I do believe that Samin people have no problem if they join to school and erase their bad concepts and understandings.

The system which I would propose in this paper for their education is that by letting them go to home schooling. The home schooling here means that the government should provide special school just for Samin people. They will be educated there. So, their parents will not worry that their children are contaminated by other students outside Samin. By this mechanism I do believe that Samin people will just agree to this system easily. They will become more educated people with the special good concepts and understanding which not all people have it. They will have the same right like other societies in Indonesia to have education. By this education also, they will involve to fill Indonesia independence ever after.

Lastly, I do believe that government will be very easy to handle and implement the mechanism I propose above, because the government has the authority to manage their societies. So, the multiculturalism in Indonesia will still exist and they will have the same right to build this nation.

Reference

 

Nurkhoiron, M. (2002, Agustus 12). pajak, samin, dan kita. Retrieved November 10, 2011, from interseksi: http://www.interseksi.org/publications/essays/articles/pajak_samin_kita.html

Sastroatmodjo, S. (2011, Mei 07). masyarakat samin, siapakah mereka? Retrieved November 10, 2011, from google books: http://books.google.co.id/books?id=5cq3Jr8QoEcC&pg=PA241&lpg=PA241&dq=masyarakat+samin+harus+sekolah&source=bl&ots=ZDegdPSkhE&sig=sbF579OjkE_ER3zJKwbtndg7398&hl=id&ei=qEW7TveQJqShiAeDg7TIBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&

the 3rd Humanistics Essay

my identity among others

My name is M. Iqbal Maulana. A little story of my background is that I was born in Pringsewu, one of the small towns in Lampung Province. I was the one who was born from the multicultural background of family and multicultural background of environment. My father is coming from two ethnic backgrounds, they are Sundanesse and Betawinesse. My mother is Javanesse indeed. However both of my parents live in Lampung.

Lampung is for me the unique province. It has so many ethnics there. There are Javanesse, Sundanesse, Bataknesse, Palembangnesse, and even almost all ethnics in Indonesia exist there. It is because Lamung is the one of the places for transmigration program conducted by government from Java Island to Sumatra Island. The origin people and language also exist in Lampung. However they just live and exist in a particular area of Lampung itself. Almost all areas of Lampung itself are occupied by other ethnics beside Lampungnesse. So, I hope this little background can make everyone who reads this essay imagine the condition of the place where I was born.

When I was a child I was never taught by my parents to speak the languages which belong to them. I speak Bahasa to communicate either to my parents or to my social environment. However it does not mean that I am unable to speak Javanesse or Sundanesse which belong to my parents’ language.  I can speak both. For me, mastering various languges will be helpful when we interact to other people who have various languages too.

To make it short, I admit and declare to me myself that actually I am a Javanesse person, since the majority of people surrounding me are Javanesse. However I am not totally Javanesse, because I can just absorb Javanesse just from the language, not including the culture. It is because I do not live in a real place where Javanesse people live. I am Javanesse seen from the language I master but I am Lampungnesse seen from the culture and the way I interact with people surrounding me. It is confusing to become like me, isn’t it?

Since my identity is too complicated indeed, it of course causes some problems during my journey in interacting with people surrounding me, especially my classmates. They often say that “hey Iqbal what and who are you actually? Your face nature looks like hard people but you can speak Javanesse very fluent. Tell me more about you!”. This phenomenon always happens when I come to a new place. My face, behavior, and the way I speak (with a loud voice) are exactly the same to what Lampungnesse people do. However I always introduce myself to people I meet that I am a Javanesse by showing them that I can speak Javanesse very fluent. Javanesse people tend to be softer or even the softest ethnic among the ethnics in Indonesia. However, this criterion does not belong to me at all. I am Javanesse, but I am hard, having loud voice when talking and not soft at all. These are very contrast from what Javanesse people behave like. People tend to argue that I am arrogant, rude, cruel just like what Lampungnesse and Sumatranesse (Lampung is also located in Sumatra Island) do, however it is not as that true.

In the last, having more than one culture is not easy at all. Sometime I get confused on how I should behave like. Should I behave like Javanesse or Lampungnesee?

the 4th reflection journal TLL

technology to teach writing

In mastering languages, there will be four aspects to master. They are speaking, reading, listening, and writing. Being a language teacher, we must be able to arrange the strategies which are suitable to use in teaching students. In conducting teaching, today’s teachers already tend to use various media in delivering material for a particular language skill. 

For the second time of my reflection journal, I will talk about the media/technology used to teach writing for our students when we are a teacher. Writing is when we are trying to put our ideas passively. Students now on tend to put and deliver the ideas through active activity like speaking. They do not tend to put their idea in writing because writing is now boring for them.

To increase our students’ awareness in writing, we have first to train them to read. Because by reading, it will give them more input/knowledge in their mind. If they have already obtained more knowledge, it will ease them more to write.

This is our duty as a future teacher to create interesting strategies to increase students’ willingness to read. We can use some websites which are very interesting to use. There are now so many websites provided reading material with colorful appearance, full of pictures, and so on. We can function them.