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Waiting waiting for you
Sunshine I get used to wandering miles away from home, see many different faces and hear different sound of blowing winds. I love to be in the city of
The Story of A Pencil and Me After a week of exam, finally I have a time to breathe…pfff…Even though I still have some papers to do, I feel a bit relax. Temporarily leaving my school texts, I read Paulo Coelho book: Like the Flowing River, a collection of short stories. I enjoyed my silent cold nights in First quality: "just like a pencil, we are capable of great things, but we must never forget that there is a hand guiding our step. We call that a hand of God that guides us according to His will". I agree with this one, sometimes we forget for being humble and too proud of our achievement. In fact, we can not dictate our wishes. Even if we plan our every step with full of details, reality might be different. A certain thing in life is uncertainty. We can die anytime, and even we can not reject the death when its come. How can we consider ourselves great? Second quality: "pencil use sharpener that makes the pencil suffer little but afterwards, he is much sharper. So we must bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make us a better person". Indeed, sad time and trouble are little training to make us stronger and more patience. Everybody has their own problems that need to be solved. In the saddest time of life, we have to remember that God will not let us to bear burdens more than our capacity. Third quality: "the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice". To what extend we need an eraser? Since there is no mistake in life but lesson, I think we need not rub out our mistakes. Sometimes we have to look back to see the past lesson before moving forward and find the road to justice. Don't erase the mistakes, because erasing them will make us forget. We don't necessarily need to erase something we did for a correction. However, we can use eraser for changing negative mind into positive one. For now on, I will erase "I am not beautiful" and "I am broke" in my mind and change them into words "I am fully blessed" and "I am lucky". Fourth quality: "what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you". Well yes, I think it is important to be honest and fair to ourselves. We often neglect our own feeling and not become ourselves to follow society's order. We value something by its appearance; meanwhile the essential thing is invisible to the eye. In my society, it is a bit strange for a woman for still being single in my age. That cultural view is bothering me. I marry someone not because society wants to, but because I want to. Happiness is about feeling inside our heart. Respecting society's norm doesnt mean I have to ignore my own feeling. Fifth quality: "pencil always leaves a mark. In just the same way, we should know that everything we do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action". Life is about how we use the chance, life is about self-responsibility. How do you spend the time of your life? For doing good, bad or even nothing? It is difficult for drawing a strict line to limit what are good, bad and nothing. That's way we need conscience. Conscience will help us to decide what is suppose to do and not to do. It helps us to identify the impact of our decision. Conscience will make us to take responsibility for the choices we made, and not to run away. I guess, that's a mark of our life.
Little Emergency Kit 5 pence...so I will never be broke Elastic.....to allow me to stretch to limit A string.......to tie all things together if they fall apart A rose...to find someone to give
Maybe Ramadhan
i will leave the archipelago
to a place of highlanders where vikings left their paths another world to be understood maybe in ramadhan i will let my self lost and wish you to find me there under the sky of europe
Promoting DemoCrazy
Wow, the vote's gap was quite big! Give me a break, what kind of democracy that US offers for Its very interesting to see US media propaganda and strong government's control that make most of the citizens follow Bush's War on Terror (a silly concept that exploit nationalism, fear, racism, religions, to chase corporate benefits in the energy, armaments, and other important sectors. I think the war is a matter of "bussiness"). Do Americans notice this? Hmmm...Good example for Gramsci's theory on hegemony.
Mind to be Mined I cannot sleep (sigh, its late at night and tomorrow is Monday..Arrgh). Two last emails from North Sulawesi I got this morning are bothering my mind. The first one was a short brief on recent condition of Buyat Bay's pollution victims and the second one was an up date for a mining construction project around the hill of Toka Tindung.
Scattered Idea My green work relates me with a lot of things, issues on human rights, health, law, politics, religion, you name it (ok, get the idea why I never bored dealing with my work.)
I looked at my old files and found my scattered note on the idea that religious group supposed to speak out for the environmental protection or broader aspect such as good governance or poverty eradication. That time I guess I am a bit dissaponted for their action such as "sweeping women walking alone in public space without Hijab" (sigh ..it is weird but its really happens here), or protesting the American Play Boy magazine published in Indonesia (I think it's a matter of limiting the distribution, just ask the distributor to make it expensive and exclusively circulated if you are afraid your children buy it..Anyway, internet access is cheaper, so why bother?). Nothing is progressive; they don't even find a method to combat rampant corruption in this country with their religious movement. I am quite concern for the affect of pollution to women. In most environmental pollution, men and women often do not experience the effects in the same way whereas the different effect can be attributed to three factors: economics, biology, and gender roles. Environmental degradation gives significant effects to socio-economic ladder. It pushed vulnerable group (those who cannot afford to protect themselves from environmental deterioration). Women are suspiciously positioned at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder. In terms of biological aspect, there are many differences between women and men, such as hormonal structure and reproductive system that make women and men are susceptible to different health effects from exposure to toxins and other pollutants [1]. Low level contamination of dangerous substance (i.e. carbon monoxide) from air pollution may not be harmful to a single human. However, even though it is declared as safe for human, it still harmful for pregnant women. Due to women reproductive system, the low level carbon monoxide exposure during three months pregnancy might cause a premature birth because the infant lack of oxygen supply. In other case, residue of a pollutant (i.e. pesticides) will also affect men and women in different ways. A pregnant woman will have double impact since the fetus will automatically be contaminated by the substance through the nutrition supplied by the mother; furthermore, as the pregnancy period over, the baby is still facing danger due to the contaminated breast milk. In Indonesia, most victims of environmental conflict are women and children. From the Buyat Bay pollution case in Manado due to a big mining activity (releasing mercury to the air and toxic tailing to the sea), the women's health quality is significantly dropping off. In 2004, from 100 respondents, it is reported that 94% of peolple had health problem. Those who had health problem were 60% of women, 40% of children and toddler [2]. Another case, in Kenjeran beach, Surabaya where 45% of the people work as fisherman and 55% of them work as labor force, the environment is polluted by heavy metal Hg, Cu, Pb and Cd. People eat contaminated and low nutrition food. There are 60% of toddlers live in malnutrition and 56% of women suffered from anemia [3]. Other symptoms might be reported but there is no extra attention from the government to the deeper research of the pollution and its impact. Based on the above conditions, triggering the concept of religion to be one of the problem solvers is an interesting topic. To be specific, Islam paramount the importance of social justice and insists on the distribution of the wealth. Regarding the environment and nature protection, the tasks of human being is not to contend with nature and to dominate it. We live in a friendly environment which we must care and respect for. According to Islam, damage of all forms and kinds is forbidden. One of the fundamental principles is the Prophetic declaration: "There shall be no damage and no infliction of damage" (Al-Hakim). Prevention of damage and corruption before it occurs is better than later treatment. Another important juristic rule is, "The averting of harm takes precedence over the acquisition of benefits. "Accordingly, all activities which aim at achieving good and securing benefits by way of satisfying human needs, providing services and developing agriculture, industry, and means of communication should be carried out without causing significant damage, injury, or corruption [4]. In fact, there is a wide gap between understanding the concept and implementing it. Although Islam stressing the social welfare and natural protection, the people lives with corruption and oppression; human degradation is also a common sight in societies; conspicuous wealth and abject poverty often exist side by side; and the environmental damage keeps increasing. Besides the gap, the state is also gender bias in interpreting the concept and rigid in implementing it. In some Islamic countries, women's political right is still in debate. The debate is centered on the problem of whether Islam puts forward and teaches about women's political rights or not. Mainstream Islamic discourse maintains that women should remain in the domestic sphere, while politics is part of the public domain managed by men [5]. Patriarchal interpretation and rigid implementation restrict women's access and any role in society. This is brought into social construction, education and even state system. Based on that perception, it is not important for women to have higher education and to have access in political channels. In Aceh, under Sharia Law, woman has become the primary targets of enforcement rather than man. Beside religion and the state factor, the women's weak accesses to information, education, participation and justice are influenced by the high work load, social construction and the gender role. The weakness in those accesses, are causing women to have a very limited knowledge on their living environment and the impact of activities around them. It is very important to promote that Islam is also put forward women's involvement in politics from beginning. Women should involve in decision making process since the political products and decision will impact their life. I think for a broader idea, Muslim should aim to rediscover the values and ethics of the concept and use it to promote civil society, participatory and accountable governance. This should be done with the grass roots, with full participation of all members of society. [1] Joni Seager, Rethinking the Environment : Women and Pollution, Political Environments #3,Spring 1996 [2] Teluk Buyat Tercemar dan Beresiko Bagi Masyarakat, Lembar Fakta ICEL,JATAM,WALHI,TAPAL 2004 [3] Pantai Kenjeran pun Tercemar Merkuri, Kompas, 21 Februari 2000 [4] Environmental Protection in Islam, Protection of Man and Environment from Harm [5] Syafiq Hasyim, Understanding Women in Islam, An Indonesian Perspective, ICIP 2006
Picky Consumer I might not a good companion for shopping (big smile)...and a kind of annoying person (am I ?). Yeah, I am a sort of picky customer. It's a kind of habit that I divide for "things I need to buy" and "things I want to buy". I also have another rule: trying to purchase something ethically by finding the history of products. Actually I never intend to force my view on others, really, just sometimes out of control…big smile (especially if I am with my close friends because I know they accept me as I am). I believe that we, the consumers have a great power. We can push industries to pay more attention to respect human rights or to protect the environment. A massive movement can lead significant changes on the way of production. Finding adequate information will help us to consider the entire history of the products and services we buy, including the policies of the companies that provide them. I remember a world wide campaign in 90's for boycotting sweat shop products such as Nike. Everybody was shocked to know the cheap labor force behind the extremely expensive pair of shoes. It lead a guilty feeling for being irresponsible buyer. The company is pushed for better management and treatment for its labor. It was also a moment that awoke my awareness to be more responsible for the things I consume. Now a day, the impact of global economy and trade chains interaction are not only rising cheap labor force issues but also unsustainable way of production, exploitation, natural resources conflict, and the worst is a war. I know the problem can't be solved by critical consumer movement alone. However, making a wise decision when we purchase something is always important. Before buying, just asked ourselves : "Is the item made in line with my values? Am I supporting the local economy? Are the people who produce this product treated and compensated fairly? Is this item built to last? Is it safe to be consumed? Here, I would like to share categories of consumer (sorry, I forgot the source of information, will put on this blog as I found it, promise). I hope we can work together for betterment starting from being a responsible consumer. Very dark green: is nearly always buying environmentally friendly products. They try as far as possible to buy such product. Pale green: is tending to buy green products if they see them Armchair green: they care about environmental issues but their concern does not affect their spending habits. Ethical spenders: buying good which do not, for example, involve dealings with oppressive regimes, sweat shop, irresponsible selling.
Seven Social Sins "Politic without Principle, Wealth without Work, Pleasure without Conscience, Knowledge without Character, Commerce without Morality, Science without Humanity, Worship without Sacrifice." (Mahatma Gandhi)
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