R.I.P. HJ. SOLHA BINTI H. BACHTIAR

R.I.P. HJ. SOLHA BINTI H. BACHTIAR

(Kontemplasi Kehidupan Dari Sebuah Kematian)

oleh. Mohammad Ichsan

(03/01/08)

 

 

Tulisan ini saya dedikasikan kepada keluarga dan saudara-saudaraku pada khususnya dan untuk seluruh manusia yang memiliki keluarga pada umumnya. Dari kejadian ini, saya ingin berbagi beberapa renungan yang saya lakukan. Semoga bisa bermanfaat bagi yang membacanya.

 

Bagian I

 

Pada Sabtu 27 Desember 2008 telah berpulang ke Rahmatullah Hj.Solha binti H. Bachtiar di usia ke 79. Tiada satupun yang menyangka dan mengetahui secara pasti kapan malaikat maut menjemputnya. Menurut anak lelakinya—beserta istri—yang tinggal satu rumah dan selalu merawatnya, di pagi itu ’Ibu’—begitu ia memanggilnya—tampak sangat menikmati tidurnya sampai-sampai mereka tak kuasa untuk mengganggu tidur dan mengusik buah tidurnya. Tidak seperti biasa memang, pagi itu begitu tenang dan tiada rengek-an Ibu untuk meminta makanan ataupun buang air—karena memang kondisi ’Ibu’ yang telah demikian tidak memungkinkan dirinya untuk melakukan segala sesuatunya sendiri. Penasaran dengan segala keanehan di pagi hari itu, anak lelaki itu kembali memeriksa keadaan Ibunda tercinta. Namun tak disangka, tangan Ibu sudah dingin, kulitnya sudah memucat, dan matanya telah terpejam untuk selamanya.

 

Sekilas gambaran kejadian di hari meninggalnya nenek—begitu saya memanggilnya. Walaupun saya bukanlah seorang saksi utama atas kejadian tersebut, setidaknya gambaran itulah yang saya peroleh dari Om Dadang (anak lelaki) dan Tante Sari (isteri). Hari itu merupakan hari berduka bagi seluruh keluarga Soemardi Atma Prawira, termasuk Mama saya yang merupakan salah satu anak kandungnya. Masih teringat wajah Mama di pagi itu ketika mengatakan berita duka itu kepada saya yang baru saja pulang ke rumah pukul 06.30.

 

            ”Chan, Nenek udah gak ada….” , Mama berkata.

 

Sekejap wajahnya menunjukkan kesedihan yang tiada tara namun enggan untuk jatuh luluh lantak ke bumi karena rasa kehilangan yang teramat dalam. Betapa hari itu sangat mengejutkan baginya. Tetapi di lain sisi, keluarga pun juga mengetahui kondisi nenek yang secara fisik sangat meperihatinkan. Dalam hati saya, secara pribadi saya berpendapat bahwa mungkin ini memang sudah saatnya Nenek pergi untuk ketemu Aki. Saya melihat Nenek begitu sakit dan tersiksa dengan segala keadaannya. Ia hanya bisa merebahkan badannya di atas kasur dan tak mampu bergerak tiada berdaya. Ketika anak-anak dan cucu-cucunya datang menjenguk ia hanya bisa tersenyum dan sesekali menyebutkan nama. Dan ketika anak-anaknya datang dengan membawa sejuta masalah, ia hanya bisa meneteskan air mata dan tak berdaya melerai permasalahan yang terjadi di hadapannya. Betapa saya merasakan bahwa hati Nenek terombang-ambing di antara kebahagiaan dan kesedihan. Bahagia karena ternyata masih ada orang-orang yang memberikannya perhatiannya, sedih karena seolah merasa gagal dan tak berdaya menengahkan segala problema yang dihadapi keluarganya. Maka saya pun yakin kalau saat ini Nenek telah terlepas dari kesulitannya di dunia. Dan sekarang, tinggal keluarganya yang masih hidup harus bisa membuktikan bahwa kematiannya bukanlah sesuatu yang sia-sia. Tunjukkan padanya bahwa kita adalah anak-anak, cucu-cucu, dan sodara-sodara yang baik, shaleh, dan mengamalkan ilmu yang telah diajarkan. Niscaya, Nenek dan siapapun yang telah mendahului kita diterima disisiNya.

 

 

JANGAN MENUNGGU SAMPAI TERLAMBAT

 

Hari itu saya bertanya pada adik Mama saya, Om Rudi.

 

            ”Om, siapa anak yang paling nakal sama Nenek dulu?”

 

Tak disangka Om Rudi menjawab pertanyaan tersebut dengan jawaban yang membuat hati ini jadi tidak enak.

 

            ”Om Rudi yang paling nakal”.

 

Sambil menghela nafas panjang Om Rudi menungkapkan salah satu penyesalan dalam hidupnya, yaitu berbuat nakal pada orang tuanya. Di saat realita mengatakan bahwa kini Nenek telah tiada, Om Rudi hanya bisa memendam penyesalannya tersebut dan berusaha membuktikan bahwa tiada sia-sia Nenek telah melahirkannya ke dunia.

 

Pernahkah kita berbuat salah atau bahkan kurang ajar pada orang tua?

 

Jika Iya,

 

Apakah kita sudah meminta maaf?

 

Ini salah satu renungan yang paling menampar saya. Saat ini Papa dan Mama alhamdulillah masih bisa mendampingi saya. Begitu juga halnya dengan Oma dan Adik-adik saya yang mesih selalu menemani kehidupan saya. Tak disangka pertanyaan ”sepele” ke Om Rudi seperti itu membuat saya teringat betapa saya ini anak yang kurang berbakti. Langsung saja saya teringat kesalahan-kesalahan saya pada mereka bahkan ketika saya menulis kalimat ini. Begitu menyakitkan melihat keadaan diri saya sendiri yang sudah pasti tak luput dari dosa. Maafkan Ichan ya Ma, Pa, Oma, Rafi, Ghani, dan semuanya….

 

Saya teringat dulu ketika saya pernah berdebat besar sama Papa—karena terkadang kami tidak bersatu dalam opini, termasuk dalam calon presiden 2009. Pada saat itu saya merasa Papa tidak pernah memahami diri saya. Bahkan suatu hari Mama pun juga berpendapat demikian dan mendukung keadaan saya. Namun di suatu sore Mama menghampiri saya yang sedang tidur. Ia menceritakan hal yang benar-benar membuat hati saya menangis tidak karuan.. Ia mengatakan bahwa Papa kecewa pada saya. Papa menganggap saya anak yang sombong dan takkan berhasil mengarungi samudera kehidupan. Walhasil, tersentaklah perasaan ini tercecer menjadi serpihan. Setelah merenung beberapa saat, saya memutuskan malam harinya untuk berbicara dengannya dan meminta maaf. Yang saya rasakan memang untuk mengucapkan kata maaf itu begitu sulit. Malam itu merupakan malam yang penuh emosi. Saya mengucapkan kata maaf padanya dengan air mata menetes dan bertanya apa yang harus saya lakukan agar mendapatkan ketulusan hatinya untuk memaafkan saya. Selesai dari situ, terus terang saya merasa menjadi lebih baik dan lebih kuat dari sebelumnya. Kalau hati kita sudah kuat dan mampu mengikhlaskan, meminta maaf, ataupun memafkan, InsyaAllah hidup kita akan lebih tentram.

 

Singkat kata, kita harus berbuat baik pada siapapun apalagi kepada orang tua. Jika memang kita bersalah, maka segeralah minta maaf. Jika seseorang meminta maaf, maka maafkanlah. Sesungguhnya Allah itu maha pemberi maaf dan pemberi ampunan. Allah saja memaafkan, masa kita tidak? Jangan sampai kita meminta ataupun memberi maaf ketika waktu sudah tak jua mengizinkan. Lakukanlah secepatnya! JANGAN MENUNGGU SAMPAI TERLAMBAT!

 

Akhir Dari Bagian I

My Family (The True Trasure in My Life)

My Family (The True Teasure in Life)

Let me introduces to you my family members:

Start from my Mom and rotating in clockwise sequence:

1.    Dedes Komandini Irianti (Mother, Teacher, the Queen in my family)

2.    Mohammad Rasyid (Father, Enterprenuer, The King of the Queen of course)

3.    Mohammad Ichsan (2nd born child, the oldest son in the family)

4.    Mohammad Ghani Abdillah (4th born child, the youngest, High School Student, Unstable and annoying)

5.    Mohammad Rafi (3rd born child, University Student, Thinker and Narcistic)

 

My Family is my foundation. Your family is your foundation.

Love your family…

Love them…

and InsyaAllah…

You’ll be just fine…

DO NOT LIVE IN FEAR

DO NOT LIVE IN FEAR

15/12/2008

 

LAST Saturday, one of my friends called me and said that he needs to discuss something with me. As soon as I heard that, I presumed that he is having trouble with his girlfriend as always. In contrary, he professed that it is not—while in my head still thought that he does have that trouble. Then, it turns out at the moment he proposes an interesting topic. Although this particular topic has been something isn’t new to me, I still have a notion that this is a problem of a lot of people, including myself. It’s so compelling so that it woke me up from my sleep.

          He said to me that he is having a worry in living his life. He said that he is clouded by judgment and prejudice in many things. He is certainly live in a quandary, live in worries, live in FEAR. When he reminded about his girlfriend and question why she didn’t call him since morning, he always think the worse things. He thinks that she was cheating with somebody else; she bored with their relationship, or think that their relationship soon is going to falls apart. Another example, he frequently worried about his future. His afraid if one day he’ll never succeeded and unable to reach his expectations. The more he drowns into the thoughts, the more worry he feels. Afterward, I asked him if this problem affects his social life, because I totally believe that this trouble could cause him to avoid social interaction and makes him reluctant to meet someone new. And as I expected, yes, he did avoid socializing.

 

Thou Shalt not Live in the Future, Live in Now!

          Reminiscing the time passed by, I remember I was as same as my friend’s condition at that time. Live in worries and fears. Live in the dark shadow of trepidation and lock-bound within insecurity. Its Engender self alienation and isolation which contributes to ostracism by my own’s state of mind toward my selves. Yes, I had been there once, but now I’m different. Many ways I’ve tried to overcome this mind-defect. Many books I’ve read to find suit solution to vanish it. From the all attempt I’ve done, I would say the idea to live in the present time is the finest instead of put your life in the way future. Thou shalt not live in the future, but live in now!

          Without doubt, I pretty sure that no one wants to fail. We all expect our selves to be successful. Frequently we have put a high expectancy and dreamed about our success. Some expect to be billionaires and some expect to have their dream or prestigious jobs. And sometimes we’ve set the time when it all should be realized. For instance, I will have my own car at the age of 25; I want to get married at 22; or I will have 20 millions/ month salary at the age of 27; etc. Having a great dream and target for the future is good, but if you cannot manage it well, it will cause disadvantage to your selves.

          Living in the future while you’re in the present time is tiring. It makes your mind and soul fatigue. When you intensely concentrates on your plan in the future whereas you still in the ladder of reaching your target, at the moment when mistakes or failures are made in the way, a profound disappointment will tear you apart. So that is why we should more concentrate on the process rather than the destination. In every success story ever written are always consist of processes and how it’s obtained. It’s always a story about struggle from scratch. It’s never about the sweetness of success, but rather about the bitter process of success.  That is why those success story books were written, so that the readers will concentrate and learn about the process of success and not only to the success. Too much thinking about your future will emerge fear upon you. Therefore I suggest you to think about now! About the process to reach success in this present time! Not the unrealized yet future. Hopefully this will decrease your fear.

         

WHY BLOGGING IS BENEFICIAL?

WHY BLOGGING IS BENEFICIAL?

By Mohammad Ichsan (12/12/08)

How badly you want to be constantly informed about the latest worldwide event? How do you want to see your writing to be read by larger community? How badly you wish others to recognize-in-and-out-you really are? And How do you like to have your voice listened abroad?  Definitely, most modern people would want it badly. We-modern society-are eager to enter a new world whereas no more boundaries among people throughout the world to communicate and understand each other. We undeniably fancy interacting with people from different culture and education background. For sure, we have the desire to exchange-not solely economically-but also ideas and others form of beneficial interaction. Then, the question is, how is that possible? What should we do to achieve those advantages? Is that possible? Well, the answer is possible! Today’s information and communication technological advancement make such things doable! The ‘American pie movie’s so-called blessed technology’, Internet, provide facility to facilitate those necessities, blog. By being a blogger, one can catch up with the updated ‘one minute ago’ news and build larger social networks[1] concurrently. Building social networks means that one’s able to maintain their personal social network or develop their own social network to create their own community. Hence, blogging is beneficial activity to be applied in order to fulfill one’s needs in this modern and globalized contemporary world.

Blogging Makes People Get Information Easier!

          Internet browsing is now become every modern people activity. They surf and search numerous websites through internet search engine to get information they need. Students around the world, from junior high to university, from sophomore to final grade, and from undergraduate to doctoral students rely themselves heavily to the internet. From it, students search about certain theory and its critics and development, or search for a certain event that support their hypothesis in their respective research. Professional, such as Account Executive, Public Relations Officer, Human Resource and Development Officer, and Chief Executive Officer, are also rely themselves to this hypermedia technology. This self reliance to the internet indicates that today’s people need to be informed. People need to be updated! Do you know why people browse the internet? Simple, because they want to be specifically informed with certain information! Nevertheless, browsing the internet to search for information has old fashioned. Frequently, seeking for specific information we need in the internet takes time. Moreover, it’s getting more time consuming when we should type the specific URL address for a certain website we need, it’s certainly classic and slow way to get more information. However, those classic way has meet their answer, blog facility has alter the ‘traditional, classic, and slow’ way of ‘to be informed’ into the contrary. Blog makes ourselves easier to be informed.

          Blog websites such as www.wordpress.com and www.blogspot.com provide facility called RSS. It changes the way how people get more information. Usually, we often visit a particular website for specific information. For instance, to know the latest news of national event and its point of view, we have type the URL address for Kompas, Tempo, Media Indonesia, etc. Or if we want to know information about the latest international events and its point of view, we should type the URL for BBC News, New York Times, or the International Herald Tribune. Through RSS, we don’t need to do that anymore. We could directly get informed just by opening our account in a particular blog website. Whenever our favorite website updated their news, the news will appear in our weblog and awaiting us to click on it. Simple, isn’t it? But, if we’re not using the RSS, we could create links in our weblog that directly links our weblog to our favorite websites. Those links can appear in a small window as we put the cursor on the link address. It’s like a sneak peek of latest news in that website so that we don’t have to click and open it to know what the latest is is. Not only news or search engine websites can be linked through our blog, but also other’s weblog. And it’s positively an advantage for a blogger to get more information.

          Blogger usually use their weblog for three purposes. First, one uses blog for their personal diary. Since their diary is published in their weblog, thus, the ’supposed to be personal’ stories are surely published for public consumption. Second, one uses blog to argue or at least describe about specific topic. Some use it for topics like politic and international relation, and some other use it for topics like automotive and music. Through blog ones expressing themselves and showing their interest toward something. Third, one uses blog to create discussion forum. Every single existing weblogs enable people around the world to leave their comment after reading about certain blog. Definitely, each blog contains the author’s ideas which could emerge other author’s opinion about their blog and creates cyber discussion forum among them. And people are free to join! Due to blog’s functions, bloggers without doubt will be well informed by abundance of information-that is specifically needed. First, bloggers will be informed about their friend’s activities simply by linking their friend weblogs to their own weblog. Second, bloggers will be informed by specific information from other’s ‘certain topic’ weblogs. Not only institutionalized media could publish news and their point of view, bloggers also become reliable sources of such information. Blog is becoming a form of journalism that derive from the grass root. Third, bloggers will beneficially involve in a larger community of bloggers. From that community, bloggers will share the same interest and mutually exchange information about it. Therefore, by becoming a blogger, one will be well informed easily compare to the old way of browsing.

 Blog Gives Profound Recognition to its Author

          It is natural for human being to interact with others. From that interaction, it is also natural if one expects to be well recognized by others. In the cyber world, ones also expect such interaction and recognition to happen. Indeed, becoming a blogger is socially facilitating it to occur. Since the year 2000, social facilities were mushroomed. It provides social connection amongst friends and families. Although it is completed with personal descriptions, social facilities like Friendster or Facebook still cannot present the person’s true personality or even the person’s quality. Frequently every social facility’s personal description consists of ‘pretty much’ same things. One may and permitted to exaggerate their personal description to camouflage their deficiencies in order to be well perceived. But, in contrary, bloggers cannot manipulate their true originality which is articulated in their writing. The words and ideas one argues reveal who the person really is. From one’s writing, we can identify their interest, their personality, their personal values, and of course their capability and quality as a person. That is why blog enable us to show our true color and be well recognized to other.

          Entertainment Network Channel-best known as E! Channel-often get glimpse of the latest gossip on a particular celeb through celebrity’s personal weblog. Through celeb personal weblog, E! can get more information about their targeted celebrity. Not solely information, E! also can get to know more the truth about celebrity’s personality, interest, activity and point of view from their weblog. Whenever celebrity is in the spot light for a scandal or issue, personal weblog is the only way for them to write down their point of view. Even though celebrities are well recognized, they use weblog to show the true them. Their subjective writing reveals their position in a certain issue or scandal they’ve been burdened by and furthermore shows their quality as a person. Not only celebrities are blogger, but also presidents and officials create personal weblog. Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Indonesia’s Minister of Defense, Juwono Sudarsono are also bloggers. Before deciding to quit 2009 Presidential race, Rizal Mallarangeng is also become blogger to interact with Indonesia’s intellectual in particular and to be more recognized to Indonesia’s citizens in general.  Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize author of Globalization and its Discontent, is also have his own blog in the Columbia University website. From those examples of who had become a blogger, therefore, we can conclude that blog is essential because it make us more profoundly recognized than just simply sign up for a particular social facility.

          Not only for personal using, weblogs also could represent an organization. Creating weblog for organization is as same as creating the organization’s website. It’s normal for big organizations like enterprises or corporations to launch their own website. But, the question is, how small organization or community such as students organization or students community to have their own website? The answer is launching weblog. Through their own weblog, small community or organization able to keep their members informed about their activities and agenda. For the non-members who seeking information about the community or organization, they will easily access information about the community or organization and its activities. Therefore, creating weblog for your own community or organization will give your community or organization profound recognition.

 Blog Makes Ourselves heard

          Become a blogger also means enabling ourselves to be heard. The phrase ‘to be heard’ means that we are not solely capable to deliver our words through text, but also deliver our massage through video. Post Script: Although our words are delivered through text, but still our voice that people read. Bloggers are able to share their ideas and express their arguments with other bloggers throughout the world. When bloggers are actively posting blog or embed their video in their weblog, continuously creates interaction amongst bloggers, and frequently join in a discussion forum, then bloggers can perceive themselves success. They successfully make their voice listened in numerous discussion forums and read by larger community. Today’s people should actively involve in international interaction so that people wouldn’t be left behind. And to be involved in international interaction, blog is the perfect media. Especially when one posting blog using international language, then the blog itself is potentially being international public consumption. How do you like to have your voice heard abroad? Then, blogging it is the way to make it possible.

          Blog contains genuine personal ideas about certain thing or subjective perspective towards certain issue, however, each posted blog potentially invites pro con. Every written blogs are voices longing to be heard. As America’s economy collapses and clouding worldwide with global crisis, People starts to utter their voices through blogs. For those who theoretically and pragmatically comprehend how this catastrophe arises, they posts their analysis packed with their siding on certain position and blame the culprit of tragedy. For those who are clueless about economic system, they simply tell stories about their life change due to the economic crises which depict the global economy disaster’s effect on the real sector. Furthermore, the global financial disaster took place coinciding with the most vibrant democracy presidential rally between Barrack Obama and John McCain. Bloggers who’s Democrat’s partisan continuously posting on how grace will come to America if Obama’s winning the race and how the current occurring blunder will be prolonged if McCain takes the first place and vice versa. Even Barrack Obama himself has launched his personal weblog to get closer to his people and to morally and financially collect support. Through Obama’s weblog, Democrat’s blogger express their support for Obama and convey their aspiration for the better America. From this communication channel, people are conveying their voices to be heard by the officials.

          In short, we can conclude that blog is an important facility in the 21^st century. It makes ourselves informed, recognized, and heard. In my opinion, contemporary world citizens should start their website by signing up for a weblog. Starting from scratch, people will start to enjoy themselves to be part of this interconnected world.

 

---

[1] A social network is a social structure made of nodes (which are generally individuals or organizations) that are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as values, visions, idea, financial exchange, friends, kinship, dislike, conflict, trade, web links, sexual relations, disease transmission (epidemiology), or airline routes. (www.wikipedia.com); 12^th February 2008; 13.10 WIB

‘BIKE TO WORK’ IS A MERE DREAM

‘BIKE TO WORK’ IS A MERE DREAM

20/10/08

A few months ago, my brother and I went to D’best-Department store in Cilandak. But he didn’t tell what exactly he wanted to buy at D’best. Surprisingly, he didn’t went to the department store, instead he went to another shop in the area of D’best. Then, turn out that he went looking to bike shop. My brother is one of people-including me-who is agree with the idea ‘Bike to Work’. We are both like to exercising and do some sport together. And biking is certainly one of sport that we have missed so much since we were in elementary school. My brother intends to buy a bike for daily activities in his campus. I supported the idea of course! I think it’s also fun to ride a bike around campus. But to bad he canceled it. After I think about for a while, riding a bike in Jatinangor (his campus) was not a good idea. Beside the mountain contour, Jatinangor has rife with motor vehicles. Not only motorcycles and cars, but it also truck or even container crossing the Jalan Raya Jatinangor. It’s dangerous!

Environmental issue is currently a trend. Numerous Mass Media-printed or electronic-are competing to win audience’s attention by publishing environmental issue on their agenda. Corporations are also labeling their products with “green” labels or “green” languages such as “Fossil Fuel; Green Groceries; Biodegradable; Bio-fuel; and etc” which explaining it’s an environmental friendly product. Indonesia current government is also shows their concerns to the global environmental corrosion by hold a very vibrant and ambitious UNCCC which involves 10.000 world’s leaders to discuss the problems. Yup, it seems that 2007 was the year of environmental issue. It’s the enlightenment year of the world society that this is the time to consciously put this issue into notion and to do something about it. Since then, we often read, listen, or watch many tips from our friends and mass media on how to live life which is environmental friendly. One of the brilliant ideas is ‘Bike to Work’! It’s smart idea which is environmentally friendly and promoting healthy life at the same time. Now in 2008, people are-supposed to-more aware of how important the idea is.

Like I said, riding a bike is good for health. It’s true effective cardio training besides treadmill. Can you imagine how healthy you are if you riding a bike to work 5 days in week? Maybe you won’t see fat showing out from your tight pants no more! But to bad, today people are prefer to use motorcycle rather than bike. Car and motorcycle truly define what is technology all about-it’s suppose to make people’s life easier, isn’t it? So I guess current traffic conditions are depict that bike is not anymore in most people’s garage.

Unlike automobile or motorcycle, bike is a kind of traditional and old fashioned technology. It’s the analog camera of the current digital camera. It’s the buffalo-strength plough of the plough-machine. It’s the pong game of the current sony playstation. In short, Bike a human-strength technology. Since 1990s, people were started leave this technology and shifted their focus on cars and motorcycle. The number of car and motorcycle were increasing dramatically since then. Especially, current car and motorcycle purchasing are a lot easier than it was. Producers promote ‘Low Down Payment and Long-term credit payment’. What else could be tempting than that? All citizens with different social economic condition are now able purchasing a piece of “environmental friendly” and anti-fatigue technology. Now people can relax their muscles by using this technology advancement and cast bicycle away from their mind-which is led to the environmental damage by the thickening ozone layer causing the green house effect.

Now that people are enlightened from their relaxing dream, they are starting to act! President SBY join the ‘Bike to Work’ movement by leading 3000 bikers pedaling bike from the National Monument to the state’s palace in Jakarta-although it’s too short in distance, it’s a two thumbs-up for the president. Citizens of Indonesia from Sabang to Merauke separately start to join and support this idea. One of mass media cited that there are 10.000 people had joined to a mailing list that supporting Bike to Work-although it’s just a mailing list, but it’s a real effort.

But unfortunately, this brilliant idea’s vibrant weren’t last long enough. The agenda is now shifted. And Bike to work is falling to oblivion. And people start to ‘dreaming’ again.

Why is ‘Bike to Work oblivious? Why it’s just a mere dream?

Dreaming of global citizens is ‘Bike to Work’-ing is utopian. It’s an utopist dream so that people consider it as too good to be true. Especially in the city I live in, Jakarta. It’s a mere dream!

The Lost of Lion’s Credibility!

Ok, Michael Jackson said that if we want to make the world a better place, we must take a look at our self and make a change. Well, I personally realized the benefit of the idea ‘Bike to Work’ or Bike to everywhere else’. But I also realized that I could put my life in danger by doing ‘Bike to Work’ in Jakarta. Jakarta is a jungle where motorcyclist and car driver species are ubiquitous and rampant. Too many of them so they even established their own rules in their jungle. You see, I’m also the citizen of Jakarta Jungle. And sometimes I forcefully have to obey the rules of the majority species. And the rules are: (1) No Bike in Jakarta; and (2) This is a modern city, so there is no Bike in Jakarta. They’re probably bikers in the street, but they are so small minority. And people tend to consider that as a risky thing.

There is always a lion which is the rulers of the jungle. But sometimes when lions are not in place, the mischievous majorities are starting to act by their own rules. As a good citizen of Jakarta, I always try to follow the lion’s rules. But too bad, the current lions are not powerful enough and had lost their credibility. Yeah, Police currently can’t guarantee the safety of bikers. Their credibility is not well perceived anymore by the society. We often see when motorcyclists are queue up beyond street light’s line, and somehow police cannot make them stays in order to wait before the line. Or sometime we can see a motorcyclist taking the other side lane to avoid traffic and they perceive that as normal. Once again police officer has lost their roar.

Unsupportive Infrastructure!

Roads, underpass, bypass, flyover, etc are made for cars and motorcycles. As you know, car and motor drivers are often breaking the rules. To ‘Bike to Work’, people will put their life at stake if they have to paddle their bike amongst those drivers. It’s very dangerous! Beside our physical security, our health also threatened by the pollutions.

If the president wants this ‘Bike to Work’ idea to be realized, he must urge to the local government to establish infrastructures that support the idea. Local Government should stop thinking about how to make Jakarta denser. If they truly concern about the global environmental issue, they should start to act about it. It seems they have no intentions to make the idea ‘Bike to Work’ realized. Probably it’s only a discourse to color up the Jakarta dynamism.

Local government should take this idea seriously if they want it to happen. Not only should the government take it seriously, but also the corporations in Jakarta. Jakarta is the populous city in Indonesia. Every year the number of Jakarta citizen is increasing. It’s because Jakarta is the center of Indonesia’s activities. Many people are come to Jakarta to make a better living than they did in their respective hometown. Corporations absorb labors and employees each year. So it means, each corporation has their respective stakeholders to be suggested to adopt the idea. If corporations establish that ‘bike to work’ policy, certainly Jakarta will never be the same again. Can you depict the board of Directors and employees are riding bicycle side by side to go to the office? That’s truly a mere dream…

Bike is not Trendy!

Have you ever seen an executive riding a bike to their office in Jakarta? Have you ever seen a teenagers hang out to the mall by bike in Jakarta? Those are rare view to see and seemingly impossible to happen currently. As you know, media is an agent that injects values to their audiences. Evolution happens to a certain society by imitating other values from other society or from social interaction that occur in that certain society. Surely, riding a bike to work is not a value that Indonesia’s media inject to the its citizens. In contrary, they are injecting western and lavish lifestyles. And it does affect on how Jakarta’s citizen live. Bike is certainly not trendy for the Jakarta’s citizen!

The Comfort of Dream in 2008!

Bike to Work is just a dream also because it’s not well supported by the citizens itself. Live in the convenient of technology has pampered the entire society. I guess we are not going to change, aren’t we? Unless we are very determine to do so. We are too much in love and over depends ourselves to current technologies. That’s why ‘Bike to Work’ is a mere dream.

If you dare, try it! Bike to Work!