An Open Letter: to my MIS students

It has been ages since the last time I updated this blog. Myriad things have happened. Good times and bad times. Joy and despair. Life is always bittersweet and all we can do is live through it and accept it. If we focus so much on the bitter, the pain will feel endless and living life is pointless. However, if we focus on the happy times we have spent with people who truly matter, all that's left inside is a feeling of gratitude. As such, I am writing this to express all the unsaid things.

When I was in university, my Buddhist teacher, Mr. Lilik, always thanked me and my friends after every class. He told us that it was us, his students, who had given him the opportunity to share his knowledge and to do something good. He also said he learned so much from us. I didn't really understand it then because it was him, with his gentle tone and tremendous patience, who had opened our eyes and taught how to be kind and acceptant of what life brought upon us, while at the same time still consistently persevering. He didn't just teach with his words; he was the living example of everything he taught. It did not make sense to me why he believed he was the one who should give thanks. It was until I became a teacher and met all of you.

The Past among Us: The Persistent Origin

This piece was written originally in purpose to pass an online course in Coursera: The Modern and the Postmodern (Part 1)

It has always been in the interest of human being to find out the origin of our existence. Although the presence of religion has attempted to provide some consoling answers, but actually the question itself is more than just about belief and search of consolation. People often ask why on earth we have come into the very state of human itself as of today, and yet we consist of different races and cultures despite being told that we came from one single human being. People ask how traditions and societal norms have become the accepted custom and thus practiced widely within society no matter how illogical they are. We ourselves wonder why we establish a certain kind of political system along with the law and moral standard regulated by the authority.

Charles Darwin set himself into a journey in his search for the answer. He observed various species from various areas. He took notes of the similarities and differences among species he found. He studied the behaviors of those species and compared them to each other. Eventually he found the trace of past in his present time, and most of all, he saw how even humans are related to all of those animals and plants out there.

Progress of Civilization in History of Modern Era: The Legacies of Rousseau and Flaubert

This piece was written originally in purpose to pass an online course in Coursera: The Modern and the Postmodern (Part 1)

According to Lange MM (2011), philosophical proponents of progress assert that the human condition has improved over the course of history and will continue to improve in terms of the increasing of human well-being over the long term. The progression itself can be defined widely such as having improvement in science and technology, freedom, good quality of life, education, and economic situation; in short, progression is about achieving equality for life opportunity and prosperity among people.

However, the segregation of social class prior to Enlightenment era made it difficult for equality to be established. The distribution of wealth only went to the aristocrats, and the peasants lived only to serve the rich people. This situation was affirmed by the religious institution that they participated in state affair by supporting the position of the aristocrats instead of standing up for the poor.

Contemplating on situation, Rousseau proposed that there are two kinds of inequality: 1) the natural or physical inequality that is by nature, 2) and the moral or political inequality that is because of the common consent of humankind.

Comparative Analysis between Kant's Enlightenment and Marxism

This piece was written originally in purpose to pass an online course in Coursera: The Modern and the Postmodern (Part 1)

According to Kant, Enlightenment is man’s emergence from his self-imposed immaturity, which he further explained as the inability to use one’s own understanding without guidance from another. Quoting Horace, he believed that people are supposed to “dare to know”, having courage to use our own minds mainly to develop the knowledge of science and arts.

This thinking of his might have stemmed from the situation he faced and had observed in its relation to the so-called Dark Age. Through Enlightenment, people can pursue progress in civilization and responsible liberty, which is in contrast from the Dark Age. Back in the Dark Age, people were dictated by the rigid biblical interpretation and Church authority that hampered them from progressing in science and arts. Moreover, the segregation between the aristocrats and peasants caused big socioeconomic gap that would affect many aspects of daily life including education and health.

The idea of Enlightenment that encourages people to think independently and also to learn about science and arts is the core cause that will in long term liberate peasants from their suffering by striving for prosperity and their rights and thus improve their quality of life.

A Letter About Justice: Our Quest of Truth

The School of Athens by Raphael

Below is originally written as for assignment required to finish a course in Coursera, Ancient Philosophy: Plato & His Predecessors. (finished on June 5th 2018)

To my fellow born-again ancient Athenians,

Our pathways may have diverged into branches that we won’t be able to recognize each other by the end of this journey. We have sought answers to so many question marks popped up in our heads, but I doubt if we ever truly find them. The best possible choice available to us is, as Plato said in one of his Socratic works, by recollecting the innate knowledge that our souls originally recognized but have forgotten.

How Feminism in My Family Has Shaped Me

This piece was published in Magdalene.co on May 31st, 2018

I would not have realized how feminism has been internalized so much in me if I had never been asked by those who read my book why most of the short stories I wrote are about women and their fights although I’m a male writer.

At first I didn’t know the answer. I also wondered why I subconsciously made those choices for my book. My first guess was because of my nine years’ involvement in English debate tournaments, where equality for all had always been one of the hottest topics debated. Then one day I had a book discussion with Feby Indirani, author of Bukan Perawan Maria (Not Virgin Mary), and she told me: “Who and what you truly are will be reflected in your writing.”

Fenomena Thanos dalam Kehidupan Beragama

Gambar diambil dari: marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com

Hampir satu bulan merajai pasar bioskop di Indonesia dan juga dunia, Infinity War masih menyisakan perdebatan di antara para penggemar film. Beberapa teman menyatakan bahwa mereka kebingungan bagaimana harus bersikap terhadap film tersebut. Ketika dihadapkan pada kenyataan bahwa Thanos memiliki tujuan yang “mulia” untuk menjaga keseimbangan dunia dan agar tidak terjadi kepunahan dan kerusakan lingkungan sebagaimana yang telah terjadi pada planetnya, Titan, beberapa berpendapat bahwa tindakan Thanos adalah perbuatan yang terpuji dan heroik, terlebih lagi karena dia satu-satunya yang berani mengorbankan segala yang dia cintai untuk kebaikan alam semesta.

Sebenarnya narasi mengenai Thanos dalam Infinity War bukanlah sebuah narasi baru, alih-alih justru membosankan. Kita sudah sering menemukan narasi serupa di dalam kitab-kitab suci agama. Di sana kita sudah kenyang menemukan kisah-kisah Tuhan yang megalomaniak mengazab dan menghabisi manusia bukan cuma satu atau dua orang, melainkan satu kota atau bahkan satu bangsa dengan alasan bahwa keberadaan manusia-manusia tersebut membawa kekejian bagi dunia. Ketika Tuhan melenyapkan manusia-manusia tersebut, maka seolah kebaikan di dunia kembali terpelihara.

Denials More Dangerous than Terrorism

On May 15th 2018, an article of mine got published in The Jakarta Post. The link to the online article: http://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2018/05/15/denials-more-dangerous-than-terrorism.html

Memahami Dampak Kekerasan dalam Pola Asuh Orang Tua terhadap Anak

Tulisan ini dipublikasikan di: Pijar Psikologi pada 11 April 2018

Banyak orang memiliki keinginan untuk menikah dan berumah tangga. Umumya, pasangan yang menikah menginginkan kehadiran anak dalam keluarga yang sedang mereka bangun. Namun demikian, sayangnya banyak orang yang tidak menyadari bahwa merawat dan membesarkan anak bukanlah hanya sekadar memenuhi kebutuhan fisik dan pendidikannya saja, tapi juga kebutuhan psikologisnya.

Memahami Homoseksualitas dalam Perspektif Ilmiah

Tulisan ini dipublikasikan di: Pijar Psikologi pada 20 Februari 2018

Secara historis, homoseksualitas (dan juga biseksualitas) tidak pernah secara konsisten dianggap sebagai suatu penyimpangan social apalagi penyakit. Beragam budaya dan keyakinan memiliki pandangan yang berbeda dan bahkan berubah-ubah seiring waktu. Misalnya saja tradisi nadleeh dalam suku Navajo; bissu, calalai, dan calabai dalam masyarakat tradisional Bugis; pederasty dalam masyarakat Yunani kuno; atau bahkan adorasi terhadap keindahan tubuh dan paras laki-laki muda yang disajikan dalam puisi-puisi relijius yang ditulis oleh penyair atau imam-imam abad pertengahan.

Buku Kumpulan Cerpen: Malam untuk Ashkii Dighin

Since last November 2017, I've started selling my newly published book titled "Malam untuk Ashkii Dighin". The book consists of 15 short stories with mostly surreal style.

It's been 2 months since the book was published and it's already sold for as much as 130 copies. Because I chose indie-publishing mechanism, and for the reason of affordable pricing, the book cannot be found in notable bookstore in Indonesia. For those of you who are interested to buy the book, you can directly contact me as for now.

You can see some of testimonies from the readers on my Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/liswindio and also check for the goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36526871-malam-untuk-ashkii-dighin

 Thank you in advance!

Jakarta Diversity: Walking Out on Governor Anies

On November 18th 2017, an article of mine got published in The Jakarta Post. The link to the online article: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/11/18/jakarta-diversity-walking-out-governor-anies.html

Ulasan Buku: Saksi Mata

Judul: Saksi Mata
Penulis: Seno Gumira Ajidarma
Penerbit: Bentang Pustaka
ISBN:  978-602-291-190-6

Salah satu fungsi karya sastra adalah untuk merayakan kemanusiaan, atau sekurang-kurangnya menjadi penanda zaman tentang hal-hal yang berkenaan terhadap masalah dan konflik kemanusiaan. Banyak sastrawan yang mengangkat topik-topik terkait penindasan dan kekejaman terhadap suatu kelompok masyarakat dalam tulisan-tulisan mereka.

Dalam kumpulan cerita pendek karya Seno Gumira Aji (SGA) yang berjudul Saksi Mata, SGA menceritakan beragam kisah penderitaan yang dialami oleh sekelompok masyarakat yang terjajah dan ditindas oleh serdadu pemerintah atau anggota militer yang dikirim ke daerah terkait untuk menekan pemberontakan.

Tiga belas cerita pendek yang terdapat dalam buku ini memiliki keterkaitan waktu dan lokasi yang dapat terlihat dari peristiwa-peristiwa serupa yang dialami oleh mereka serta nama-nama tokoh yang umumnya khas digunakan oleh masyarakat Amerika Latin yang beragama Katolik. Ketika banyak penulis modern sejak sekitar tahun 2010 baru memulai membuat kumpulan cerita pendek yang memiliki benang merah antara ceritanya, SGA telah melakukan ini sejak 1994.

Ulasan Buku: Perempuan Patah Hati yang Kembali Menemukan Cinta Melalui Mimpi

Judul: Perempuan Patah Hati yang Kembali Menemukan Cinta Melalui Mimpi

Penulis: Eka Kurniawan

Penerbit: Bentang Pustaka

ISBN: 978-602-291-072-5

Sosok Eka Kurniawan sebagai penulis dikenal secara luas khususnya melalui novel yang berjudul Cantik Itu Luka. Belakangan, salah satu karya Eka yang berjudul Lelaki Harimau menjadi nominasi di Man Booker International Prize dan karenanya Eka kembali menuai banyak pujian atas kepiawaiannya sebagai penulis.

Pun demikian, pujian bukanlah satu-satunya yang diterima Eka sebagai seorang penulis. Tidak jarang kritik pedas atas tulisan-tulisannya pun dilontarkan oleh banyak pihak. Hal yang mendasari ini bisa jadi karena konsistensi Eka Kurniawan dalam membuat tulisan yang magis dan menakjubkan tidak selalu ditemukan di semua buku-bukunya.

Ulasan Buku: Pandaya Sriwijaya

Judul: Pandaya Sriwijaya

Penulis: Yudhi Herwibowo

Penerbit: Bentang Pustaka

ISBN: 978-979-1227-70-4

Seorang teman pernah berkata kepada saya, bahwa salah satu keinginan terbesarnya adalah diberikan kemampuan (entah dengan teknologi atau melalui keajaiban metafisis) agar dapat menjelajahi masa lalu secara utuh. Dia ingin membuktikan langsung kebenaran klaim-klaim historis yang hingga saat ini seringkali diperdebatkan dan dipergunakan sebagai landasan moralitas oleh banyak pihak. Mungkin baginya menarik jika kita bisa mengetahui beragam kejadian di masa lalu dan menjadikannya sebagai pengalaman dan pengetahuan kita yang utuh, kemudian memberikan pelbagai inspirasi kepada kita, misalnya untuk membuat novel.

The Paradox of Existentialism Between Religion and Evolution

"Dostoyevsky is saying, here is that:
to be a Christian is to choose, because you have to choose of your own choice. And since you can't choose to be good -- because that'd be too rational -- you have to choose to be bad. It's existential."

(The Ice Storm, by Ang Lee)

Since watched the movie I've been thinking if doing good is too rational, and that's what humankind is "programmed" and expected to be, then the notion of being existential is indeed to choose doing bad, to act against the "codes" designed by the "programmer" or by nature, otherwise humankind is a mere group of robots.

My Existentialism Through Literary Activity

Please pardon my narcissism, but I feel like sharing (and hence, enjoying) the publicity of my name in media. Thanks to Komunitas Sastra Pawon (Pawon Literary Community) in Solo that I've joined since few months ago that has made this come true.

http://solo.tribunnews.com/2017/01/26/balai-soedjatmoko-solo-akan-gelar-bincang-buku-berjudul-berkini-tiada-tara

Sepuluh Buku yang Seharusnya Berusia Panjang

Ditulis untuk kontribusi pada buku antologi ulang tahun Sastra Pawon yang berjudul "10 Buku yang Seharusnya Berumur Panjang"

Dalam dunia buku-buku bacaan, ada banyak buku yang bagi masing-masing pembacanya meninggalkan kesan mendalam dan bahkan dapat mempengaruhi pandangan hidup si pembacanya. Buku-buku ini, sayangnya, tidaklah selalu buku-buku yang mudah ditemukan di toko-toko buku di sekitar kita. Beberapa dari buku-buku ini bisa saja belum atau tidak jual di negara kita, atau bisa juga merupakan buku tua yang sudah tidak lagi diterbitkan oleh penerbit manapun. Tentunya sebagai pembaca buku, kita berharap buku-buku yang menurut kita sangatlah penting dan berpengaruh ini dapat pula dibaca dan mengubah hidup pembaca-pembaca lain secara positif di luar sana. Dalam kesempatan ini, saya akan berbagi perspektif mengenai 10 buku yang menurut saya seharusnya secara periodik terus dicetak ulang dan akan berumur panjang (tapi tidak dalam urutan).

#14 no title

It's 2017 and unsurprisingly the quotes (from Grey's Anatomy) still relatable

I don't get it when I see people glorify love and romance and especially when they say they are happy in love, especially then. I don't get it when people say they believe in love and they will work hard to find it, when they do whatever in their might searching for someone they want so much to rely on, to spend life until death sets them apart. I don't get it why people can just be okay with when they're in love, when they let themselves absorbed wholly by the whirlpool of the emotional turbulence because of love.

I don't understand why it becomes the societal norm, why it is globally agreed as normal and seemingly nobody feels bothered by it. I don't understand why every new generation conforms to the habitude when they are ruled by the desperation of romance, by the helpless need of love. Why is it that everyone simply gives themselves in to the notion of love? Why isn't there anyone who sues or objects to such tradition that has been lasting for so many millenniums? Why on earth did love become part of our civilization? Why on earth did love emerge as one of our evolutionary behaviors? If it's just for the sake of species reproduction, lust can be really enough.

Nobody knows us, not even us, not even anyone

PS: I don't know where the quotes are originally authored by, thus I cannot provide citation. Please tell me in case you know. Thanks