READY TO FLY?

REMNANT OF AGES

On a windy morning on May this year, a wheeled tractor pull strange objects of the same size with a fridge through the rows of lettuce shoots in Salinas Valley of California. Nearby, still the same location and separated by only several meters, the Silicon Valley engineers are working on their laptops to make sure the machine has separate leafy lettuce shoots properly. The engineers were employed by a large company who owns the most Salinas farm to examine the Lettuce Bot, a machine device that can harvest lettuce field which is usually getting done by the hands of 20 workers approximately.

In an area known as the America's Salad Bowl, fruits and vegetables have been planted, nurtured and harvested by a group of immigrant workers over the centuries, so that the use of the machine can bring some revolutionary progress. Although the project has provided millions of dollars, the land owners say that machinery is preferable in term of investments and production cost savings, so that they can be free from short-term workers, and reduce the number of illegal immigrants into the United States (which mostly comes from Mexico).

One of the company's chief executive of lettuce bot designers say, they have to take a long road to bring the robot into real life, which would not being introduced to the market by any commercial ways. Companies also have to face rejection from the local union, due to agricultural mechanization will make workers lost their jobs immediately and food became more unsafe for consumption due to excessive use of pesticides. But the chief executive refuted, "That's the great things that robots and automation do. They can take over the tedious and repetitive tasks that are too simple for humans, and do it effectively, quickly and accurately. "

Remains of the Past
It indeed would need few years ahead for similar agricultural mechanization technology to settle down in Indonesia, after a compromise with the wave of protests which are predicted to emerge from the related workers. But in the other hand, any automation policies are company’s right to decide, and we cannot blame the owner of the industrial production as they maintain a strategy for efficiency and enhance product competitiveness in the free market. Any voices of rejection can be the end of the relevant company's commitment in terms of cooperation that would be very detrimental to workers and related agencies. Instead, we should accept it as the bitter fruit of investment and consumption-based economy which is currently being implemented by the Indonesian government in the last few years.


Wheel of time moves forward to change the face of the work, creativity and human initiative into a more modern, sophisticated, cool and anti slow things. Of course this is a quite encouraging excess for the civilization, because people will waste their most precious ages and life if  they could not managed to create a little different progress than previous generations. Something new is certainly more interesting than something that has aged and offer limited capabilities. So that new products will always managed to dominate the market and dethrone the predecessor of the throne. However, did you ever wonder where are those old school stuff  been gone?

Developed countries like USA, UK, Germany and their colleagues are already claiming their success in terms of recycling different types of waste, including electronic waste. But, a few years ago ABC.com reported a large amount of electronic waste containers sent to a number of Third World countries such as China, India, Vietnam, Pakistan, a number of African countries and, of course, Indonesia. I do not intent to underestimate they who earn their life as garbage-collector and get their pocket money by take down every pieces of old computer parts that can be resold. But we need to estimate the extent of the impact of electronic waste on human health, also the resulting impact on fertility of soil and air quality.

That’s it, changes not only bring convenience to human life but also the high price that must be paid by most others. Ease credit vehicle ownership makes drivers and owners of public transportation being left off miserably. The invasion of low-price Chinese mobile phones making everyone can afford to buy a new cell phone or smartphone, and left the paid public-telephone kiosk owner in loneliness. Similarly, 3 kg LPG conversion policy in Indonesia has marginalized kerosene from the market, left the kerosene stoves and make kerosene stove home industry end their existence directly. Parents would also be stroking their chest facing young people who no longer to speak in old-polite manners, listening to the elders’ good advice and lose their enthusiasm to attend family gathering. Why changes always fail to reduce and avoid casualties? As we saw in the Arab Spring endless turmoil in the land of Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, and Bahrain.

Dig a Same Hole
Rural communities in the south of Jogjakarta has a unique method to cope with household waste (which has been done long ago, and perhaps because of the absence of the janitor ), i.e throw it in a deep and wide hole in their front or back yard. When the hole has been filled with so they would cover it with soil dug a pit former landfills that are not very far from its original location. But times have changed. Food and beverage plastic packaging increase in circulation, lead to the massive consumption and earthworms have to work overtime and threatened homeless. A research states, it took up to 6 months for your cigarette butts to blend with soil, 12 years for a plastic bag and millions of years for styrofoam.
Well, at least time failed to change one thing, human rubbish.

Is kerosene stove also includes garbage? Yes, because it is no longer used when its price was getting soared. Is the 1997 education curriculum and competency-based curriculum is garbage too? Yes, because they are no longer used when government replace the previous minister with a new one, according to the recent winner political party of the general election. Is the convex television screen is also consider as garbage? And what about the former officers, crew, assistants, staff experts and even country former leader? I suppose you already know the answer. Then why the man loved to make waste, accumulate and hoard something that already and eventually become useless? We did have to admit human intelligence in terms of designing a device that has never existed before. But unfortunately they are not looking ahead to the future possibilities.

Human beings are indeed most greedy, as compared to other creatures on Earth, and even more voraciously than vultures though. If there is lack of bread or rice, they can still eat the leaves. No leaves, they can still eat locusts, or worms, or crickets. No money means no problem while they may owe. Heavily indebted, once again, is not a big problem, because a debt still can be paid off with another debts. Dig a hole for debts is not a problem as long as we can close it again, and then dug up again when the time comes. Is that such a poor standard wage workers in Indonesia? Not really. In addition to do a jihad facing the head of the company, work desks, machinery and cement mix, it turns out the workers also have to fight another war, the consumptive lifestyle that has been legitimized through the ease mortgages submission, motor vehicles, electronic equipment, gadgets and other installment . And they are, usually, more often fail than win.  (Swastantika)

EVERYONE HAS THEIR ‘SECRET ADMIRER’

Carousel is a musical drama which was staged in 1945 by Oscar Hammerstein as lyricist Richard Rodgers as song writer and music director. The epic told the story of two lovers Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan, both came from lowest working class. One of a time Julie found herself pregnant, and Billy, stressed by their stated financial urgency, attempted to a robbery as he intended to get money quickly for his wife and future children. But, alas, the robbery was failed and reckless Billy killed himself to avoid arrest by the authorities. This tragedy dropped Julie to devastate. It was then when second sequence of the epic opened with a musical consolation dedicate to Julie, when her cousin, Nettie Fowler, brought a legendary song that will supposedly still sung by millions of people around the world today, You'll Never Walk Alone.

The truth is, we did never walked alone. No, our shadows could not pretend to accompany, as they would vanished behalf the sinking sun. Nor lover, parents, children, relatives and playmates, because soon time would came across to take one of us into eternal dimension. Nor is God, because we never notified whether He came by or said ‘good bye’. Please note that my idea was not intended to patronize, either philosophy-boasted or self-motivated. This is presented as a reflection on rumors that spread over the internet lately about the existence of those secret persons as well as group who were always patiently watching, observing, recording, documenting and taping every single moves and activities of every living human. They discovered what time you go for work, college or school, name of your employer, employees, parents, children, husbands, wives, girlfriends, ex-girlfriends, mistresses. They know who sat beside you for lunch, what caused a high-tense quarrel with your wife / husband, the reason of a fellow's office bullying, how much money do you keep in bank account and how much bank loans you haven’t pay for years.

An article entitled 'Social Media Surveillance Governmental Stratfor Email Leaked WikiLeaks' stated that' not only the CIA OSC, and Stratfor are monitoring Facebook and Twitter or other social medias - The NSA also and for sure Germanys BND and other surveillance agencies are up into the great spying machine called the internet, together with social media networks as their most powerful tools. "Not only CIA OSC (Open Source Center), but also the NSA, an intelligence agency BND and a number of other foreign countries maintain highly attention and interest throughout internet both social media. On behalf of certain efforts to maintain stability and security of the State, they confessed themselves as the ones who responsible for monitoring by means of CCTV installed at every vital objects, tapping offices, public, private and intimate phone conversations, recording mass fingerprinting and some others 'stalking' activities. Surveillance is usually conducted to a number of people who could potentially be a 'pest' for stability, such as labor unionists, ‘straight’ public workers, student activists, NGO, environmental issues observers, and other protests artisan.

Privacy Right Violation?
Some have criticized this policy as a violation of individual privacy. Despite the fact that long before the policy is applied, we seek curiously over the private lives of singers, movie player, athletes, royals, politicians and any other famous figures. This could be a serious violation against right of privacy, accompanied by measures to disseminate private life of the star in bulk to attract advertisers, in the name of financial benefit. However, we won’t consider the D factor in this writing, or Deliberate, which is meant as a quick effort to gain popularity by unrevealed their personal life to the public.

Haven’t you realized that we do, consciously either unconsciously, often sell our personal lives to the public through the expression of anger, hatred, happiness, unhappiness, and exaggerate sentences through status updates on social networks? We have intentionally opened up for them, the observers, who concluded easily every dark and white sides of yourself. So what? We didn’t recognize each other, probably refused to keep intention to know their names, who they work for, but wait, are they still human? You know me, but do I know you? Whether they are real, it wouldn’t be uncovered nearly these days.  All we know for sure, people pay attention at a huge portion to the existence of the observers, which have been proofed by number of triumph films inspired by the sweetness intelligence stories like Munich, Enemy Of The State, Bourne Trilogy, Breach, Spy Game, and  the Oscars winner , Argo.

We can conclude that the surveillance has been a major policy created by the modern age authorities to allow themselves and give them right to be freely watch us from above, abandon your uncomfortable to imagine that somebody out there noted how many times a day you made love to your beloved one. Can we ban the initiative of a group of people who are willing to patrol all night without compensation in order to maintain security of the whole citizens? Can we judge a progressive intention by taking preventive efforts even if disturbances were still being imagined? Why should we worry about the revelation of our own darkest time in the past, while we’re just common simple persons who want to live in peace?

Standing Applaus
Once upon a time, there was sad news spread among us about a colleague who had passed away. He was known as a multi-talented artist proficient in various areas of the arts, including painting and playing musical instruments. He loved them as he loved himself, and he couldn’t decide between those two exhilarate springs. Time passed and he was ready to marry his lover. As he stood as the head of his family who responsible to earn some money and provide a living, he faced a complicated matter to choose between painting or music as a solution for the new family’s financial problems. But he never been born as a decisive man, and never will. Uncertain thought slowly caught his consciousness little by little, resulting him fall to his pain and never woke up again forever. Shortly before the coma, I had questioned him on his doubtful idea not to vote. 'Well,' he replied 'you know a lot of painters who worked hard then rich, but they will never get any of those applause'.

That's why artists tend to appear eccentric, confidence to perform lifetime madness in the middle of normal human beings in their daily lives. They attract the audience through their unique personality , unwittingly or not is a part of his/ her effort to grab the attention of people to their masterpieces. They appear and utilize multiple devices, including himself, as a medium of expression to bring his ideas. Freedom of expression has been declared clearly since many years ago, assumed that everyone has their right to express themselves even though  no talent of art at all. In fact, we are gathered under surveillance who kept their eyes open to any of our ideas and activities. Suspicious minded spread among us after the several mass-tragedies increased recently. We became more strangers than before, as considered as naive, fragile, naive, less intelligent, and underestimate  second class citizens.

We have long recognized that the world is indeed a stage. Under the bright lights glitter we portray the play of our own private life episodes. One time we played a winner, on another day we wore masks of looser. However, a performer in need of audience to give them a standing ovation, as well as a toss of a penny or a throwing shoe. Let’s pretend we have secret admirers out there to lurk, either to applause us.  (Swastantika)

AFTER HIATUS

RECOVERING SELF-ESTEEM

Issues concerning on the orgasm is mentioned as a kind of Sunnah Rasul ( Messenger ) for some people, that is something not to be done, but it will  bless those who are willing to do so voluntarily, willingly, and of course, legitimate. Making Love, people said, is indeed beautiful, but secrecy are covered the beauty of it and only known by the parties involved. As privacy rights was explored for financial gain, culture hysteria soared together with it . We are, as a common creature, fail to naively welcome trivia things to approach and full our head with some other ways. At one point the brain perhaps would stop to do its job, thinking, as a result of overloaded imaginations. Under conditions of a sudden stupidity, they thought they could reduce the burden mind by forced their desire blindly to anyone.

Recently, the Indonesian National Police has released the latest data over the rape cases on 2012 which reached 267 181 cases, a decrease compared to the year 2011 of 274,180 cases (Liputan6.com 10/2), and has reached 25 cases during January 2013. This sort of behavior which is an early symptom of culture shock syndrome, commonly experienced by people in developing countries, has resulted number of significant side effects. There were a raising numbers osf unexpected pregnancy in each region, the dispute which caused by ‘siri’  marriages ( a marriage which not registered in local authority ) also increased, following the divorce and also rape, victims were adults, adolescents, and even children. Publication on news rape case previously is more like  revealed the dark side of human beings, a concession of the human inability to defeat the evil that dwells in his own mind.

Profanity and penalties are much more vile, as has been said Arswendo Atmowiloto writers, rapist will also get raped when they were serving time in prison, as they lived together with his fellow inmates his friends. Prison is the last place on earth you don’t want to go, where the price of human being stripped to the slaves, either right to meet the family and loved ones. The memory of the family will stay remain deeply in the souls of the exiles. Rape is considered as a threat over their mother, wife, girlfriend, sister and daughter, a reason to excuse their torturing over rapist in prison.

Failed System
We may boast ourselves as the State with the largest area of ​​islands in the world over its hundreds variety of customs and cultural norms, widely known for the nation’s hospitality and uphold the norms of decency, as well as a country with the largest number of adherents of Islam in the world - that teaches good manners and attitudes for all believers. With all those ideal expectations, there shouldn’t be rejection among us to carry a big responsibility imposed on our shoulders,  hope of creating a more brighter and greater generation of individuals to establish a better environment.

However, the economic crisis and poverty has thrown us so deeply, and we no longer think twice about the meaning of peace ever since, other than terms of financial adequacy. Both parents worked hard to raise money to buy some food and replacing their love to the children with some pocket money, private cars, the latest gadgets, and the number one quality school. So do not be surprised if our days lately crowded by immature adults, who have no sense of sensitivity toward others. Such people may be succeed in their own fields, but instead of bring prosperity to others they named success as a based to their savage actions without rethink of its consequences.

When an adult human being transformed into a monster as his misbehave doings, the questions to ask would be : who are his parents ? What kind of family they have? How bad are his parents, so he could not understand the line between right and wrong? Yes, indeed. They have been raised down to a failed family system.  So where is our State which should not only be in charge of the welfare of the people in terms of materials, but also to ensure the children’s safety and security under the spread of social diseases and deviant behavior as early as possible? Is this a sign over failed-State for allowing high-cost economy rolling freely, forcing hundreds thousands of mothers leaving their lonely children away for some money.

Risen from the Grave
The rape victim was formerly normal humans, but something inside her snatched away and deeply buried soon as she had the tragedy. Such a great impecration against rape, must be accepted as  the logical consequences of his actions, but it will never be able to heal the bleedings inside.  No, it’s not about the lost of virginity. But no doubt they lost their self esteem for a quite long term, perhaps most of their lives.   

 The lost of their selves-esteem, followed by a very low respects for themselves, are some of the psychological impact experienced by victims of rape. These symptoms can lead to a number of further problems such as increased depression due to lower self-esteem, pessimism about the future, eliminated all forms of communication and interaction with outsiders, the loss of confidence on the opposite sex, suicidal attempts and involved herself into prostitution.

 This is what actually needs to be addressed in a larger portion, than arguing upon which sides to be blamed for pulled the sexual violence, the evil rapist within its animal desires, or victims who have accidentally raised the rapist’s wild desires against her, which is under criticized by the public as patriarchism appears to bring nothing to solve problems. Last but not least, the State should be able to provide trauma counseling services at low or no cost, especially for the indigence families. The counseling should necessarily monitor the victims’ recuperation, to ensure that they are psychologically stable and ready to move on again. The role of the State and concern for the victims is essential as a first step to regain pride that has been torn apart, until the victims were able to drive the vehicle back on its original track. (swastantika)