Sebuah Cerita Tentang Siang dan Malam (part 1)

Suatu kali, ketika Hari mulai berganti dan Malam pun hadir. Hari bertanya kepada Malam.

“Kamu selalu menemani manusia tidur. Sedangkan kamu sendiri tetap terjaga sepanjang waktu. Tidakkah patut kalau kamu marah, karena manusia tidur terlelap dan tidak pernah menghiraukanmu?' tanya Pagi dengan sedikit tersenyum simpul menggoda sang Malam.

'Mereka lebih menanti kedatanganku,' tambah Sang Pagi.

“Aku begitu bangga pada diriku sendiri bisa menjadi malam. Aku bisa melihat mereka tertidur pulas. Apabila mereka nyenyak tidur itu pertanda apabila aku berhasil melaksanakan tugasku,” sahut Sang Malam.

Lalu sambil melempar senyum kepada Hari, Malampun bergegas pergi untuk datang ke Bumi.

“Sampai Jumpa!” katanya dengan penuh semangat.

Pada suatu waktu. Terjadi sebuah kekacauan kerja antara Malam dan Hari lantaran hadirnya seorang pengacau, Badai namanya.

Badai memporak – porandakan arah angin dan meniup awan kencang – kencang. Akibatnya, para gerombolan air di langitpun ikut bertebaran. Suara gemuruh dan angin kencang begitu menggangu manusia hari itu.

Malam hanya bisa tertegun diam.

'Andai aku bisa membuat mereka tertidur dengan tenang, meskipun badai mengamuk seperti ini. Andai Pagi segera datang sehingga aku bisa pergi untuk menghindari hal ini.' ujar Malam dengan gelisah.

'Aku gagal memberi mereka ketenangan. Malah ketegangan yang aku hadirkan. Sekarang mereka tidak bisa beristirahat. Aku harap Pagi benar – benar datang secepatnya.'

Lalu malam menutup matanya.

bersambung...

Hidupmu itu apa?

Hidupmu itu bukan bapakmu, yang membesarkanmu

Hidupmu itu bukan ibumu, yang menyusuimu

Hidupmu itu bukan suamimu, yang menemanimu

Hidupmu itu bukan istrimu, yang menghangatkanmu

Hidupmu itu bukan anak laki - lakimu, yang membanggakanmu

Hidupmu itu bukan anak perempuanmu, yang membawakanmu senyum

Hidupmu itu bukan cucu perempuanmu, yang memberimu sum sum

Hidupmu itu bukan cucu laki - lakimu, yang menggulungmu

Lalu apa itu hidupmu?

Hidupku itu adalah bapakmu, yang tidak ku kenal

Hidupku itu adalah ibumu, yang namanya tak ku tahu

Hidupku itu adalah suamimu, yang sudah jadi debu

Hidupku itu adalah istrimu, yang kau tinggalkan

Hidupku itu adalah anak laki - lakimu, yang menangis lapar

Hidupku itu adalah anak perempuanmu, yang melacur

Hidupku itu adalah cucumu perempuan, yang mencuri

Hidupku itu adalah cucumu laki - laki, yang pergi kesebrang untuk berperang

Untuk apa hidupmu yang lalu?

Teachers and Thoroughbred race horse sires

Will a good learner (a student) make a good teacher?
To answer this question, I will tell you five stories of some notable race horse sires.

Northern Dancer is a name of a very influential thoroughbred race horse sire. And he was a very good race horse himself, winning some notable races. One of which is the prestigious Kentucky Derby. His descendants are passing along his greatness by dominating some important races even long after he's passed away.

Aside from Northern Dancer, a larger than life race horse is Secretariat. Many think him the greatest race horse of all time. Wining the triple crown, the highest achievement of thoroughbred racing in the US, is one of his legendary legacies. He sires around 600 foals, but only few managed to be good runners.

Another famous figure for his inspirational efforts during his racing era, Seabiscuit, made some memorable accomplishments on the race track, but none of his descendants is at his caliber.

The fourth of all is Mr. Prospector. He didn't show exceptional performances in his career as a race horse, but did in his siring one. He's definitely a good sire. Many of his offspring are good runners.

Lastly, Suffi Dancer didn't show so much talent both at the race track and breeding shed. He seemed to posses difficulties to produce good descendants.

Teachers at the same way can be explained through this concept.

Let's assume that the ability to run in race horses is equal to the ability to learn or study in human. Good race horses measured by the number of victories and earnings are comparable to good learners measured through many different tools, the favorite is of course grade. Meanwhile, the ability to produce good decedents or good runners are equivalent to the ability to teach, making some good learners successful.

Often times, we see the Northern Dancer type of teacher. S/he is a good learner himself and can make more learners (students) successful. Or else we find Secretariat type, a good teacher for limited number of learners.

At some points of time, we meet the Seabiscuit type of teacher. He's a good learner, but can hardly produce 'quality' students. Or maybe, we once encountered the Mr. Prospector type of teacher, S/he is (or was) not a successful learner, but makes a good teacher. Having him teach, students show a good progress and grades. And meeting Suffi Dancer type of teacher might be the experience for some.

The teacher-and-sire concept seems to work tremendously in child education. Young learners seem to be looking for the guidance. Guidance and teaching are like gene for them. It's the blueprint that will determine their future success as learners.

The question that arises is whether this is applicable in adult education?

If the race horse sire concept does apply in adult education, then there is no difference between adult and child education. The 'gene' of the sire factor (read: teacher) plays a major role. However, if it does not, then the factor does not make any significance.

Please note that this article is not to humiliate teaching profession by comparing it to an animal, horse.

Who is the enemy?

I always grow mad whenever people do something they consider good to harm harmony. I'm talking about the extremists, or if safe to say, the radicals who spread worries among people around the country. I was fed up with them once or twice. And another day I couldn't help shouting at them, or at least, at the paper reporting their radical actions. 'Who do you think you are? God?'

The reactive actions as the expression of anger are human. It is a way of releasing the natural emotion of human being. We are born with this inherit instinct. Any time we feel threatened, we would take a defensive or offensive actions as the manifestation of the feeling. However, having that revealed or expressed, we should want to switch back to normal state where the anger becomes history, forgiveness.

Many people from different religious backgrounds are insecure and keeping an anger inside.  Moslem extremists are afraid that the country would be Christianized and the other way around, Christians feel that they are socially and politically threatened.

We are alike. We defend ourselves, our existence. We are on the similar circumstance, but the problem is we are on the opposite side to each other. If I were at their shoes, I might have done the same. And similarly, if they were on our shoes, they would have responded so.

I wonder what makes us on the opposite side to each other. Are we meant to be? Or else are we making ourselves on the opposite? If we are responsible for this oppositeness, then we have troubled ourselves. We create our own hell to be lived in.

A friend of mine told me, 'It's just different!' responding on a difference between western and easter values.

This can also be practiced here. It is just different. Period! Don't try to make it the same!

We might need to re-examine who or what the threats really are. We've got to find it out. That's the real enemy threatening us and awakening our born instincts.  

This posting is personal. It does not represent any belief nor certain organisation.

He knows that I can't live only by food

God gives me a banana to live today!

That's how I know he loves me.

Indeed, a man can't only live by food!

But I could only understand his love through the food he gave.

If only I knew more ways to understand his love, he would have used all of them long before I had thought of it.

His ultimate goal is to show his love.

That's it. Nothing else!

The love he is to show, I'm not sure how much, is different to mine.

We don't understand how differ love and food

We need food to love.

And the other times, we love to feed ourselves.

And our ultimate goal, most of the time, is food!

A man can't live only by food, indeed.

It could be his way to express his love by giving us food everyday,

Because men can only understand it by food.

- yos dec 23, 2010 -

This poem is the result of my brief thinking after my land lady gave me bananas. Enough to feed me for one and a half day! I often think that we adore money more than it deserves.