Sekolah yang Lama, Kerja yang Lama

Bukan cuma sekali dua kali kudengar Orang Kita menjelaskan bahwa dia sudah kerjakan sesuatu dari pagi sampai malam sampai berhari-hari. Intinya: Saya kerja keras. Buktinya sudah sekian jam saya habiskan untuk bekerja.

Lalu Si Jepun dengan santainya mengajukan satu dua pertanyaan "sepele" yang ternyata luput diselidiki oleh Orang Kita saking sibuknya melewatkan berjam-jam.

Lanjut Si Jepun, "Keberhasilan seorang pekerja itu tidak diukur dari jumlah jam yang dipakainya untuk bekerja, melainkan pada ada tidaknya hasil (merit) kerjanya."

Memang sepertinya sudah menjadi pakemnya orang kita bahwa makin lama kerjanya makin bagus. Sebaliknya kalau satu jam saja sudah selesai kerja, khawatir nanti dikira atasan tidak bekerja.

Sama pula halnya dengan pendidikan. Si Jepun mencantumkan jabatannya pada kartu nama, tetapi tidak pernah mencantumkan gelar pendidikannya. Kalau orang kita, cuma gelar S1 saja wajib kudu harus dicantumkan. Pakemnya orang kita, makin lama sekolahnya makin pintar. Sebaliknya juga, kalau pendidikannya cuma lulus SD jadi minder, khawatir dikira bodoh. Lha, sekolahnya cuma sebentar begitu, mana bisa pintar?

Makin banyak hafalan makin pintar. Makin lama duduk di dalam kelas, makin mencerdaskan. Orang tua pun membebani anak-anaknya dengan les privat pelajaran sekolah ini itu, karena khawatir anaknya sekolah kurang lama (baca: kurang pintar) belajarnya. Tidak mengherankan jika setelah bekerja, pakemnya menjadi makin lama bekerja makin berhasil. Otaknya sejak kecil telah dilatih untuk bekerja yang lama, tetapi tidak dilatih untuk kritis menggali inti masalah.

Saya lalu jadi bertanya-tanya, kalau di Jepang ada yang cuma tamat SMP tapi diangkat jadi menteri, apakah hebohnya akan sama seperti di Indonesia? Apakah juga akan timbul pertanyaan "kok bisa"?

Ada yang mengaku guru mengatakan, jangan sampai generasi muda sekarang terpengaruh sehingga berpikir bahwa cukup tamat SMP saja bisa jadi menteri. Benar itu, sahut guru lain. Bagaimana kalau ditanya anak didik, kok lulus SMP bisa jadi menteri.

Lha.... memangnya Ibu Susi Pudjiastuti diagkat jadi menteri karena cuma lulus SMP tah?

Kalau ada anak didik yang mengatakan mau berhenti sekolah sampai SMP saja, karena mau mengikuti jejak Ibu Susi Pudjiastuti, ingatkan saja untuk tidak hanya mengikuti sekolahnya, tetapi kerja kerasnya, kreatifitasnya, membangun bisnis selama 30 tahun lebih. Habis itu baru jadi menteri. Apakah kamu sanggup seperti itu?

"Sanggup!" jawab Si Anak Didik. Nah loh. Pelik kan?

Tanyakan lagi, "Tahukah kamu berapa lamanya 30 tahun itu?" Anak kecil kan biasanya masih kurang punya gambaran tentang waktu. "Kamu bayangkan pada saat Ibu Susi berhenti sekolah, ada seorang bayi lahir. Bayi ini lalu tumbuh menjadi seorang anak seperti kamu. Bedanya, dia suka sekali bersekolah seperti gurumu ini. Usia 12 tahun dia lulus SD. Usia 15 tahun lulus SMP. Usia 18 tahun lulus SMA. Usia 22 tahun dapat gelar S1. Lanjutkan! Usia 24 tahun dapat gelar S2. Ah, kurang lama sekolahnya. Usia 26 tahun dapat gelar S3. Coba kamu bayangkan, si bayi ini sudah berusia 26 tahun, sudah sekolah sampai S3. Apakah Ibu Susi sudah jadi menteri? Belum!"

Yang tamatan S2, S3, es teler, sirik kali ya? Sudah sekolah sampai teler, cuma jadi karyawan. (Ooops!) Eh... ini ada yang cuma sampai SMA kelas 2 bisa jadi menteri. Betapa tidak adilnya dunia. Hahaha. Padahal kita lupa bahwa sebelum jadi menteri, Ibu Susi Pudjiastuti sudah 30 tahun lebih sekolah di tempat lain. Dia bukan hari ini berhenti sekolah, besok dagang ikan, lusa jadi menteri. Lagi-lagi pakem kita adalah bahwa yang namanya sekolah (baca: belajar) itu harus duduk di bangku sebuah sekolah, sehingga kalau tidak ada "S"-nya, dianggap bukan sekolah. Kita mungkin lupa bahwa sekolahnya Ibu Susi buat bisa jadi menteri itu lebih susah daripada sekolah S3.

King of Justice Version

So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

This is how it would be if justice were in my hands:
Damn jealous brothers! I'll make you stumble into a dry cistern one by one, a cistern that is twice deeper than the cistern you threw Joseph into. And then you'll cry out for help, and forgiveness. I will just be there watching you until your throat and eyes go dry.

Now, if I were Joseph, I would rejoice in sorrow suppose someone brought me the news about my jealous cruel brothers. Long live karma! Hurray.

But what actually happened meanwhile was:
The Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.

Joseph never heard anything to his satisfaction that his cruel brothers had been made pay their karma. The Lord, King of Justice, did nothing like that for him but:
The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered...the Lord gave him success in everything he did... And finally, Potiphar put him in charge of his household.

The Lord, King of Justice, didn't make Joseph's brothers pay for their cruelty but instead the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 

While the Lord seemed to leave Joseph's brothers to their hearts' content, freed from their rival, Joseph was wronged for a second time. Potiphar's wife slandered Joseph which made his master put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

Hellooo... King of Justice? Why is it Joseph again? What's wrong with being favored by a father? What's wrong with being faithful to a master? On the contrary, can't You do something with Joseph's brothers?

But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

Once again, the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did including interpreting the cupbearer's dream.

Although the warden had put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, a prison is still a prison. So Joseph begged the cupbearer: "When all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”

I have done nothing to deserve being... bla, bla, bla, King of Justice, don't You notice that? You said, you are with Joseph, didn't You?

Now, if I were Joseph, I would rejoice in sorrow and in prison, suppose someone brought me the news that Potiphar after all divorced his wife. It would also be to my best satisfaction to re-meet the chief cupbearer back in jail. May he learn the lesson of being ungrateful. Long live karma! Hurray.
 
Nothing as such happened. Not even close. 

Pharaoh got his turn for a dream. Another success for Joseph. “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?” was Pharaoh's final verdict.

If it were me, Pharaoh would have said, "Can we find anyone like this woman, one in whom is the spirit of bitterness?" 

So Pharaoh said to Joseph (not to me), “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.”

Egypt! Egypt! Egypt, you know! That's equal to the United States today, you know! If only I had a brother who would throw me into a cistern!

To cut a long long long story short, none of Joseph's brothers fell into a cistern or got in prison. But fate has it that they meet Joseph and fall to his feet... exactly like what Joseph told them when he was just a little boy. The most disgusting thing turned to be the most inevitable thing. Had the brothers fell into a cistern one by one like the justice of my version, there wouldn't be the moment of the brothers disgracing themselves doing the most disgusted thing. All the time when the Lord was with Joseph, He actually had planned the most perfect revenge on Joseph's brothers. He, The King of Justice, didn't throw any of the brothers into a cistern twice deep, but He stirred them there, in the inside, many times deeper, lasting for a life time.

When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?”

Hence, they threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.

No wonder the Lord, the King of Justice said,  "It is mine to avenge; I will repay." because He knows best how to do it. Let Him do it.

Now, if Joseph were thrown into a time tunnel, I'm sure he would go through exactly the same tunnel. After all, it's far better to be second to let's say, Obama in equivalence of today, than merely being a Dad's favorite all his life and then become spoiled in the end. It would seem like he had gotten all the best things in life while it was nothing at all. Most important of all, he wouldn't want to forfeit God's master plan in his life, as Joseph said to his brothers:

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."

And still, The King of Justice repays for both parties -- equally. Don't forget that. Let Him do it.


#####

  
Source: Genesis Chapter 37 to 50; Rome 12:19 NIV

Judulnya Menggampangkan

Gayanya mengingatkan gue banget kalo lagi ngantuk berat di balik meja kantor. Bedanya dia mah ada di belakang setir. Dan dari sekian puluh mungkin ratus, pengalaman berangkutan umum, gayanya mengemudi menyimpulkan satu kata: ngantuk. Posisi sudah di Kelapa Gading. Ya sutrahlah bentar lagi sampe.

Gue: "Pak, beloknya jangan di sini, tapi di yang satunya lagi aja ya."

Senyap.

Gue lagi: "Pak, beloknya di belokan satu lagi ya."

Supir: "Mau ke Meruya?"

Gue: "Hihihi, bapak ngantuk nih. Beloknya di belokan satu lagi."
Volume suara gue emang rada naik, karena takut keburu belok kiri dan akan runyam puter baliknya.

Supir: "Tak boleh kamu menggampangkan seperti itu!" dengan aksen sebelah Utara di pulau paling Barat Indonesia. Maaf, bukan maksud S**A, cuma mau menggambarkan suasana.

Gue dalem hati: "Gawat, si abang udah melek blas ini."

Gue di mulut: "Yaaa Pak. Becanda aja kok."

Supir: "Tak baik sikapmu seperti itu!"

Gue: "Sikap yang bagaimana ya, Pak?"

Supir: "Ya saya kan tanya baik-baik."

Gue: "Saya juga jawab baik-baik, beloknya di belokan satu lagi."

Supir: "Itu namanya menggampangkan orang!"

Gue: "Menggampangkan? Menggampangkan gimana?"

Supir: "Ya bilang ngantuk begitu! Terus bilang becanda lagi!"

Gue di mulut: "Oh nggak boleh becanda ya, Pak?"
Gue dalem hati: "Jadi seriously emang bapak ngantuk bener donk ya? Ngantuknya nggak becanda gitu."

Supir: "Tak baik memperlakukan orang seperti itu, De!"

Gue: "Waduh. Sadis juga ya."

Supir: "Lho kok sadis lagi?" Intonasi diperkuat.

Gue: "Iya, memperlakukan orang seperti itu. Sadis benerrr. Ck ck ck."

Senyap. Dan senyap. Dan senyap.

Supir: "Belok kiri di sini ya?" Intonasi datar nasional.

Gue: "Iya, betuuul sekali, Pak." Intonasi minor.

Laju kendaraan jadi mulus lurus. Baru agak terasa kalau lagi naik taksi. Sayang sudah sampai di tujuan.

Gue: "Pinggir kiri sini, Pak."

Supir: "Baik."

Karena bete terpendam, gue kasih dia recehan sepas-pasnya argo.

Supir: "Terima kasih ya."

日本だと

アテサキササキ


日本だと雪が降っていますよ
雪が降る時に
日本だと雪だるまを作りますよ
こちらでも
冬がないけれど氷で雪だるまを作ると
冬の楽しさが解かりますよ

   日本だと、日本だと、日本だと
   何回も言ってもこちらの気候が変わらない
   暑くて暑くて氷が融けて
   顔が出来る前に既に雪だるまが痩せてくる
   冬の楽しさを感じるより困っていることばかり
   日本だと解からないだろう


最初からそういうふうに説明してくれたら良かったのに
  
   日本だと理解くれるのに何回説明するべきか?



仕事痛みの一つ、2014年10月3日

She is a Girl!

I haven't been posting for quite awhile. So I have decided to post this rubbish thought. I told you, Nootsu is my notes on everything about nothing. Everything includes rubbish.

Now, here's a friend -- not in terms of true friendship, though -- whose posts on Facebook have occasionally stopped my finger from scrolling down. Her baby girl, almost one year old by now, has an expression I find particularly cute.

Yesterday, this friend posted a pic of her daughter in her husband's arms. My immediate thought was they two looked alike. So much alike that if this baby girl had been given a mustache and worn on a pair of glasses just like her Dad, she would be her Dad in mini size -- so was my immagination; and I said that loud.

To my shock, came her husband's comment: "She is a girl." with my name addressed behind.

I stared at my screen, mouth half opened.

"??? You thought I didn't know???" I commented back.

Today I went back to that post. Another shock. My "??? You thought I didn't know???" didn't show whilst I am so sure it had been successfully posted. However, her husband's "She is a girl." stayed. What happened?? Ah, maybe because she is a girl.

Why should I write about such rubbish anyway? Because I am a girl.

The Mythomaniac

The actor stood on the silent stage. "Can't you please continue the script?"

"What else should I write?"


"Anything! Please! I beg you! I want them (the audience) back."


"I really don't know what else to write about you. I've written the story of you boarding an airspace on business class, from Earth to the moon. And they (the audience) called you a lunatic. I continued the story which said you stopped by on Pluto and returned to the Sun within five hours. And they (the audience) called me a moron. I don't know what else to write. How can I write about something I don't know?"


"Why bother? A play needs drama, you know that."


"But drama cannot be too good a drama either."

The actor fell to his knees, and wailed,
"Please… make me somebody."



April 11th 2014
when he said he flew from Vladivostok to Najin