Nothing Happens without Reason

“When you look back you will see why things happened as they did, for nothing happens without reason on the journey of life.”

― Leon Brown

Don't Adjust The Goals

“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.”

― Confucius

Live A Life of Love

At the end of life, what really matters is not what we bought but what we built; not what we got but what we shared; not competence but our character; and not our success but our significance. Live a life that matters. Live a life of Love.

Nothing Will Last Forever

Understand that you own nothing, everything that surrounds you is temporary, only the love in your heart will last forever.

Reborn and Rise Again

Sometimes you just have to die a little inside in order to be reborn and rise again as a stronger and wiser version of you.

Bringing More of What Your Want in Your Life

Gratitude is a powerful process for shifting your energy and bringing more of what you want in your life. Be grateful for what you already have and you will attract more good things.

Doubt

“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.”

― Suzy Kassem

What You Love to Do

“It is very important that you only do what you love to do. You may be poor, you may go hungry, you may lose your car, you may have to move into a shabby place to live, but you will totally live. And at the end of your days you will bless your life because you have done what you came here to do. Otherwise, you will live your life as a prostitute, you will do things only for a reason, to please other people, and you will never have lived. And you will not have a pleasant death.”

― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Accomplishment

Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.

To Live A Creative Life

“To live a creative life we must loose our fear of being wrong.”

― Joseph Chilton Pearce

Subconscious Mind

“Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a reality.”

― Earl Nightingale

Heart and Intuition

“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.”

― Steve Jobs

Life and Knowledge

“Life is finite, while knowledge is infinite.”

― Zhuang Zi

Do Whatever It Takes

“If you are interested you'll do what's convenient. If you are committed, you'll do whatever it takes.”

― John Assaraf

A Dream You Dream Together

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”

― John Lennon

A Race You'll Never Win

Running away from your problems is a race you'll never win.

Be Thankful

“Be thankful for what you have. You'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.”

― Oprah Winfrey

Change Your Thinking

“You are the embodiment of the information you choose to accept and act upon. To change your circumstances you need to change your thinking and subsequent actions.”

― Adlin Sinclair

Simplest Yet Most Powerful

“Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.”

― Randy Pausch

Greatest of Virtues

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”

― Marcus Tullius Cicero

Suka Cita

“Hartaku bukanlah tentang kepemilikan, namun tentang suka cita.”

― Henry David Thoreau

The Secret of Both Worlds

“He who would know the secret of both worlds will find that the secret of them both is Love.”

― Fariduddin Attar

Opportunities from Below

“You won't see any opportunities from below if you keep looking above your head all the time.”

― Yasu Nomura

The Best Talent

“Being able to work hard is the best talent of all.”

― Hiroshi Kido

Three Greatest Treasures

“I have just three things to teach, simplicity, patience, and compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.”

― Lao Tzu

Aging

“Most people don't grow up. Most people age. They find parking spaces, honor their credit cards, get married, have children, and call that maturity. What that is, is aging.”

― Maya Angelou

Brave and Patient

“We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.”

― Helen Keller

Zuhud

Ketika Singa Tuhan Imam Ali hadir di sebuah majlis.
Seseorang melontarkan kutukan pada dunia.
Haidar menjawab, “Dunia, Nak, bukan untuk dikutuk.”
Celakalah kau jika mengucilkan diri dari hikmah.
Dunia ini seisinya adalah hamparan ladang.
Untuk didatangi siang dan malam.
Segala yang memancar dari martabat dan kekayaan iman.
Seluruhnya dari dunia ini.
Buah hari esok adalah kembang dari benih hari ini.
Orang yang ragu akan merasakan pahitnya buah penyesalan.
Dunia ini adalah tempat terbaik bagimu.
Di dalamnya bekal di hari kemudian dapat kausiapkan.
Pergilah ke dunia, namun jangan dalam hawa nafsu tenggelam.
Dan siapkan dirimu bagi dunia yang lain.
Jika demikian, maka dunia itu akan pantas bagimu.
Berkariblah dengan dunia, demi tujuan semua itu.

― Fariduddin Attar

Start To Be Great

“You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”

― Zig Ziglar

How It Is

“As long as you have certain desires about how it ought to be, you can’t see how it is.”

― Ram Dass

Forgive but Do Not Forget

“The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget.”
― Thomas Stephen Szasz

Simplycity, Patience, and Compassion

“Simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being. Patient with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are. Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world.”

― Lao Tzu

Pengetahuan, Kepercayaan, Keahlian, dan Cinta

“Pengetahuan diperoleh dengan belajar, kepercayaan dengan keraguan, keahlian dengan berlatih, dan cinta dengan mencintai.”

― Thomas S. Szasz

Change The World

“Risk more than is required. Learn more than is normal. Show courage. Be strong. Breathe. Excel. Love. Lead. Speak your truth. Live your values. Laugh. Cry. Innovate. Simplify. Adore mastery. Release mediocrity. Aim for genius. Stay humble. Be kinder than expected. Deliver more than is needed. Exude passion. Shatter your limits. Transcend your fears. Inspire others by your bigness. Dream big but start small. Act now. Don't stop. Change the world.”

― Robin Sharma

Truth and Error

“Knowledge rests not upon truth alone, but upon error also.”
― Carl Jung

Pengusir Kegelisahan

Imam Ali a.s. berkata, “Pengusir kegelisahan terbaik adalah ridha dengan ketentuan Allah.”

Kerendahan Hari Sebagai Sarana Akal

Imam Musa Al Kadzhim a.s. berkata, “Tanaman hanya tumbuh di dataran, bukan di atas karang, begitu pula dengan hikmah, hanya bisa bersemi dalam hati orang rendah hati, bukan dalam hati orang sombong, karena Allah telah menjadikan kerendahan hati sebagai sarana akal.”

Tanda Berpikir

“Tanda akal adalah berpikir dan tanda berikir adalah diam.”

― Imam Musa Al Kadzhim a.s.

My Simple Religion

“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”

― Dalai Lama XIV

Flow as Life Flows

“Those who flow as life flows know they need no other force.”

― Lao Tzu

Peace in Yourself

“If you do not find peace in yourself, you will never find it anywhere else.”

― Paula A. Bendry

Strongest Souls

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”

― Khalil Gibran

Vision

“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”

― Carl Jung

The Inevitability of Death

“In order to continue to live, keeping in mind the inevitability of death, there are only two means; the first is to endlessly aspire to achieve the joys of this world, in order to drown out the thought of death. The second is to find in this life, whether it be long or short, a deeper meaning which cannot be destroyed by death.”
― Leo Tolstoy

Fear, Addiction, and Freedom

“Fear is the memory of pain. Addiction is the memory of pleasure. Freedom is beyond both.”

― Deepak Chopra

The Absence of Light

“No matter how hard you try, you cannot get rid of darkness because it does not exist. It is nothing more than the absence of light. In order to affect the darkness you must do something with light because the light is the only thing that exists.”

― Teal Swan

Move Forward

“Get going. Move forward. Aim High. Plan a takeoff. Don't just sit on the runway and hope someone will come along and push the airplane. It simply won't happen. Change your attitude and gain some altitude. Believe me, you'll love it up here.”

― Donald Trump

Heart

“You have to keep breaking your heart until it opens.”

― Jalaluddin Rumi

How to Live Is How to Die

“While I thought that I was leaning how to live, I have been learning how to die.”

― Leonardo da Vinci

Desire

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

― Epicurus

Experience

“Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it.”

― Buddha

Deed

“A man is great by deeds, not by birth.”

― Chanakya

When You Stop Learning

“God never created us to reach one level and then stop. When you stop learning, you stop growing.”

― Kevin Hall

When We Stop Playing

“We don't stop playing when we grow old, we grow old when we stop playing.”

―  George Bernard Shaw

When Gratitude Begins

“The struggle ends when gratitude begins.”

― Neale Donald Walsh

Lousy Teacher

“Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thingking they can't lose.”

― Bill Gates

When You Are in Love

“You know you're in  love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”

― Dr. Seuss

Until Being Strong Is Only Your Choice

“You never know how strong you are, until being strong is only your choice.”

― Bob Marley

Stars Shine More Brightly

“Do not let your difficulties fill you with anxiety, after all it is only in the darkest nights that stars shine more brightly.”

― Imam Ali a.s.

Manusia

“Manusia bukan makhluk yang sudah ditentukan lebih dahulu, manusia adalah seperti yang dia kehendaki.”

― Murtadha Muthahhari

Kesombongan dan Akal

Imam Muhammad Al Bagir a.s. berkata, “Tidaklah hati seseorang dimasuki sifat sombong kecuali akalnya akan berkurang sebanyak kesombongan yang masuk atau bahkan lebih.”

Breath

“Everything in heaven and earth breathes. Breath is the thread that ties creation together.”

― Morihei Ueshiba

Silence of Our Friends

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

― Martin Luther King, Jr

Peradaban dan Keadilan

“Syarat pertama sebuah peradaban adalah keadilan.”

― Sigmund Freud

Lies

“When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a raving lunatic. ”
― Dresden James

Hate

“Hate. It has caused a lot of problems in this world, but it has not solved one yet.”

― Maya Angelou

Art of Loving

“Cinta sejati justru meruntuhkan kendala defensif dan menggantikannya dengan cinta kepada selain diri sendiri. Sebelum manusia mampu keluar dari dirinya sendiri (ego), ia adalah lemah, kikir, kaku, tamak, anti kemanusiaan, pemberang, serakah, dan sombong. Jiwanya tak memancarkan kecemerlangan, tak bersemangat, tak bergairah, selalu dingin, dan terpencil. Namun begitu ia keluar dari ‘diri’ (ego) dan meruntuhkan kendala-kendala defensif ini, sifat dan tabiat-tabiat buruk yang ada dalam ‘diri’ itu pun runtuh!”

― Erich Fromm

Puasanya Hati

Imam Ali a.s. berkata, “Puasanya hati dari berpikir melakukan dosa, lebih utama dari puasanya perut dari makan.”

Kesalehan yang Berguna

Imam Ali Ar-Ridha a.s berkata, “Tidak ada kesalehan yang lebih berguna daripada menjauhi yang diharamkan Tuhan dan menahan diri dari menyakiti orang beriman.”

The Richest Man

“That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest.”

― Henry David Thoreau

The Future Still Remains

“When all else is lost, the future still remains.”

― Christian Nestell Bovee

Belajar dari Masa Lalu

“Para pecundang hidup di masa lalu, dan para pemenang belajar dari masa lalu dan menikmati kerja di masa kini untuk menyongsong masa depan.”

― Denis Waitley

Hiduplah dengan Kebermanfaatan

“Seringkali rasa takut menyusup di hati. Takut hidup ini terisi oleh sia-sia.”

― Iwan Abdurrahman

Knowledge and Wisdom

“To attain knowledge, add things everyday. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.”

― Lao Tzu

Bumi Kekosongan

“Pendamlah dirimu dalam bumi kekosongan.”

― Ibn Athaillah

Sword and Debt

“There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.”

― John Adams

Trust and Let Go

“You don't always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go and see what happens.”

― Mandy Hale

The Truth Will Set You Free

“The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off.”

― Gloria Steinem

Journey

“I'm in the middle of enjoying my journey. But if your path in the future is the same as mine, enjoy your journey as much as you can.”

― Ging Freecss

Four Genuine Acts of Immanence

“Only as high as I reach can I grow. Only as far as I seek can I go. Only as deep as I look can I see. Only as much as I dream can I be.”

― Karen Ravn

Ketundukkan Hawa Nafsu

Imam Ali Zainal Abidin a.s. berkata, “Orang yang paling baik dan sempurna adalah orang yang menjadikan hawa nafsunya mentaati perintah Allah.”

The Greater Danger

“The greater danger with most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that our aim is too low and we reach it.”

― Michelangelo

Do More

“Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work.”

― William Arthur Ward

Awareness and Acceptance

“The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.”

― Nathaniel Branden

Journey and Destination

“Life's a journey, not a destination.”

― Steven Tyler

Discover Your World

“Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.”
― Buddha

Noble

“Whatever is rightly done, however humble, is noble.”

― Henry Royce

Be Grateful for Whoever Comes

“Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.”

― Jalaluddin Rumi

Knowledge and Wisdom

“Knowledge speaks but wisdom listens.”
― James Marshall Hendrix

Barriers within Yourself

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

― Jalaluddin Rumi

Intisari Keempat Kitab Samawi

Imam Ali a.s. berkata, “Sesungguhnya aku telah membaca kitab Taurat, Zabur, Injil, dan Al-Furqan. Kemudian ku ambil satu kalimat sebagai intisari dari keempat Kitab Samawi tersebut. Aku ambil kalimat inti dari Taurat, ‘Barangsiapa yang puas atas pemberian Allah (Qana`ah), maka dia akan selalu kenyang.’ Aku ambil kalimat inti dari Zabur, ‘Barangsiapa yang mampu meninggalkan keinginan-keinginan nafsunya, maka ia akan selamat dari malapetaka.’ Aku ambil kalimat inti dari Injil, ‘Barangsiapa yang taat, maka dia akan sukses.’ Dan aku ambil kalimat inti dari Al-Furqan, ‘Dan barangsiapa yang bertawakal kepada Allah, niscaya Allah akan selalu mencukupinya.’ (Q.S. Ath-Thalaq [65]: 3)”

Akal dan Hati

Akal menghasilkan ilmu, hati menghasilkan cinta dan iman.

Dunia Bukan Akhir Segalanya

“Ya Allah! Jangan Kau jadikan dunia ini perhatian kami yang paling besar dan batas pengetahuan kami.” H.R. Tirmidzi

Air dan Minyak Tak Bersatu

“Air berkumpul dengan air, minyak berkumpul dengan minyak, setiap orang berkumpul dengan jenis dan wataknya.”

― Tan Malaka

Woman Makes A Better Man

“Man makes everything he can, but a woman makes a better man.”
― James Brown

Pandangan Para Pesuluk

“Pandangan mata para pesuluk, ia melihat dunia sebatas yang diperlukannya, selain itu, matanya selalu tertuju kepada Allah.”
― Faisal Djindan

A Bad Day for Ego is A Great Day for Soul

“A bad day for your ego is a great day for your soul.”
― Jillian Michaels

Sederhana dalam Ucapan

“Orang yang luar biasa itu adalah orang yang sederhana dalam ucapan, tetapi hebat dalam bertindak.”

― K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid

Kerendahan Hati dan Ketenangan

“Orang hebat tidak pernah menimbulkan rasa takut. Kerendahan hati mereka justru membuat kita merasa tenang.”

― Elizabeth Goudge

Perjalanan yang Egois

“Perjalanan yang egois adalah perjalanan yg membuat Anda tidak tiba di mana pun.”

― Suzan L. Wiener

Rituals

“However, while rituals are performed regularly, values are either violated, neglected or practiced mere symbolically.”

― Asghar Ali Engineer

Debu dan Batu

“Jadilah debu, maka mereka akan melemparkanmu ke udara. Jadilah batu, maka mereka akan melemparkanmu ke kaca!”

― Muhammad Iqbal

Keraguan

“Keraguan adalah titik tolak penyelidikan, dan seseorang yang tidak merasa ragu tidak akan memikirkan hal-hal secara benar. Orang yang tidak melihat secara benar tidak akan melihat hal-hal yang baik, dan orang seperti itu hidup dalam kebutaan dan kebingungan.”

― Al Ghazali

Peziarah

“Kita adalah para peziarah, orang asing, dan orang buangan di sini, di dunia ini.”

― Plutarch

Sedikit Hal Baik dan Bermanfaat

“Lebih baik tahu sedikit hal baik dan perlu, ketimbang tahu banyak hal yang tak berguna dan biasa-biasa saja.”

― Leo Tolstoy

Netralitas

“Jika Anda mengambil sikap netral pada situasi ketidakadilan, sebenarnya Anda telah memilih berada di pihak kaum penindas!”
― Desmond Tutu

Prasangka

“Memang benar tidak beriman merupakan keburukan, tetapi prasangka buruk itu lebih buruk lagi.”

― Plutarch

Masa Depan

“Jangan terlalu khawatir dengan masa depan. Segala sesuatu yang akan terjadi akan baik dan berguna bagimu.”

― Epictetus

Beautiful People

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.” 

― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Ask for What You Want

“Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it.”

― Maya Angelou

End Up All Alone

“I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone, it's not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people that make you feel all alone.”

― Robin Williams

Light and Darkness

“Never is the light more visible than when appearing out of the darkness.”

― Pamela Kribbe

Great Spirits

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”

― Albert Einstein

Revolutionary Act

“In time of universal deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
― George Orwell

KepadaMu Tempat Kami Kembali

Kami dengar dan kami taat. Ampunilah kami, ya Tuhan kami, dan kepadaMu tempat (kami) kembali. (Q.S. Al-Baqarah [2]: 285)

Freethinkers

“Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their own customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking; where it is absent, discussion is apt to become worse than useless.”

― Leo Tolstoy

Hope and Despair

“On all things, it is better to hope than to despair.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Past

“Don't be in such condemn a person because he doesn't do what you do, or think as you think. There was a time when you didn't know what you know today.”

― Malcolm X

Oh Beloved

Jalaluddin Rumi ― Oh Beloved

Oh Beloved,
take me.
Liberate my soul.
Fill me with your love and
release me from the two worlds.
If I set my heart on anything but you
let fire burn me from inside.
Oh Beloved,
take away what I want.
Take away what I do.
Take away what I need.
Take away everything
that takes me from you.

Doing Nothing

“Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing.”

― Lao Tzu

Warrior and Ordinary Person

“The basic difference between an ordinary person and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge while an ordinary person takes everything either as a blessing or a curse.”

― Carlos Castaneda

Mungkin Sekali Saya Sendiri Juga Maling

Taufiq Ismail ― Mungkin Sekali Saya Sendiri Juga Maling

Kita hampir paripurna menjadi bangsa porak-poranda,
terbungkuk dibebani hutang dan merayap melata sengsara di dunia.
Penganggur 40 juta orang, anak-anak tak bisa bersekolah 11 juta murid,
pecandu narkoba 6 juta anak muda, pengungsi perang saudara 1 juta orang,
VCD koitus beredar 20 juta keping, kriminalitas merebat di setiap tikungan jalan
dan beban hutang di bahu 1600 trilyun rupiahnya.

Pergelangan tangan dan kaki Indonesia diborgol
di ruang tamu Kantor Pegadaian Jagat Raya,
dan di punggung kita dicap sablon besar-besar
Tahanan IMF dan Penunggak Bank Dunia.
Kita sudah jadi bangsa kuli dan babu,
menjual tenaga dengan upah paling murah sejagat raya.

Ketika TKW-TKI itu pergi lihatlah mereka bersukacita
antri penuh harapan dan angan-angan di pelabuhan dan bandara,
ketika pulang lihat mereka berdukacita
karena majikan mungkir tidak membayar gaji,
banyak yang disiksa malah diperkosa
dan pada jam pertama mendarat di negeri sendiri diperas pula.

Negeri kita tidak merdeka lagi, kita sudah jadi negeri jajahan kembali.
Selamat datang dalam zaman kolonialisme baru, saudaraku.
Dulu penjajah kita satu negara, kini penjajah multi-kolonialis banyak bangsa.
Mereka berdasi sutra, ramah-tamah luarbiasa dan banyak senyumnya.
Makin banyak kita meminjam uang, makin gembira karena leher kita makin mudah dipatahkannya.

Di negeri kita ini, prospek industri bagus sekali.
Berbagai format perindustrian, sangat menjanjikan, begitu laporan penelitian.
Nomor satu paling wahid, sangat tinggi dalam evaluasi, dari depannya penuh janji, adalah industri korupsi.

Apalagi di negeri kita lama sudah tidak jelas batas halal dan haram,
ibarat membentang benang hitam di hutan kelam jam satu malam.

Bergerak ke kiri ketabrak copet,
bergerak ke kanan kesenggol jambret,
jalan di depan dikuasai maling,
jalan di belakang penuh tukang peras,
yang di atas tukang tindas.
Untuk bisa bertahan berakal waras saja di Indonesia, sudah untung.

Lihatlah para maling itu kini mencuri secara berjamaah.
Mereka bersaf-saf berdiri rapat, teratur berdisiplin dan betapa khusyu’.
Begitu rapatnya mereka berdiri susah engkau menembusnya.
Begitu sistematiknya prosedurnya tak mungkin engkau menyabotnya.
Begitu khusyu’nya, engkau kira mereka beribadah.
Kemudian kita bertanya, mungkinkah ada maling yang istiqamah?

Lihatlah jumlah mereka, berpuluh tahun lamanya,
membentang dari depan sampai ke belakang,
melimpah dari atas sampai ke bawah,
tambah merambah panjang deretan saf jamaah.
Jamaah ini lintas agama, lintas suku dan lintas jenis kelamin.

Bagaimana melawan maling yang mencuri secara berjamaah?
Bagaimana menangkap maling yang prosedur pencuriannya
malah dilindungi dari atas sampai ke bawah?
Dan yang melindungi mereka, ternyata,
bagian juga dari yang pegang senjata dan yang memerintah.

Bagaimana ini?

Tangan kiri jamaah ini menandatangani disposisi MOU dan MUO (Mark Up Operation),
tangan kanannya membuat yayasan beasiswa, asrama yatim piatu dan sekolahan.

Kaki kini jamaah ini mengais-ngais upeti ke sana ke mari,
kaki kanannya bersedekah, pergi umrah dan naik haji.

Otak kirinya merancang prosentasi komisi dan pemotongan anggaran,
otak kanannya berzakat harta, bertaubat nasuha dan memohon ampunan Tuhan.

Bagaimana caranya melawan maling begini yang mencuri secara berjamaah?
Jamaahnya kukuh seperti diding keraton,
tak mempan dihantam gempa dan banjir bandang,
malahan mereka juru tafsir peraturan dan merancang undang-undang,
penegak hukum sekaligus penggoyang hukum, berfungsi bergantian.

Bagaimana caranya memroses hukum maling-maling yang jumlahnya ratusan ribu,
barangkali sekitar satu juta orang ini, cukup jadi sebuah negara mini,
meliputi mereka yang pegang kendali perintah, eksekutif, legislatif, yudikatif dan dunia bisnis,
yang pegang pestol dan mengendalikan meriam, yang berjas dan berdasi.
Bagaimana caranya?

Mau diperiksa dan diusut secara hukum?
Mau didudukkan di kursi tertuduh sidang pengadilan?
Mau didatangkan saksi-saksi yang bebas dari ancaman?
Hakim dan jaksa yang bersih dari penyuapan?
Percuma
Seratus tahun pengadilan, setiap hari 8 jam dijadwalkan Insya Allah tak akan terselesaikan.

Jadi, saudaraku, bagaimana caranya?
Bagaimana caranya supaya mereka mau dibujuk, dibujuk, dibujuk
agar bersedia mengembalikan jarahan yang berpuluh tahun dan turun-temurun sudah mereka kumpulkan.
Kita doakan Allah membuka hati mereka, terutama karena terbanyak dari mereka orang
yang shalat juga, orang yang berpuasa juga, orang yang berhaji juga.
Kita bujuk baik-baik dan kita doakan mereka.

Celakanya, jika di antara jamaah maling itu ada keluarga kita,
ada hubungan darah atau teman sekolah, maka kita cenderung tutup mata,
tak sampai hati menegurnya.

Celakanya, bila di antara jamaah maling itu ada orang partai kita,
orang seagama atau sedaerah, kita cenderung menutup-nutupi fakta,
lalu dimakruh-makruhkan dan diam-diam berharap semoga kita mendapatkan
cipratan harta tanpa ketahuan.

Maling-maling ini adalah kawanan anai-anai dan rayap sejati.
Dan lihat kini jendela dan pintu rumah Indonesia dimakan rayap.
Kayu kosen, tiang,kasau, jeriau rumah Indonesia dimakan anai-anai.
Dinding dan langit-langit, lantai rumah Indonesia digerogoti rayap.
Tempat tidur dan lemari, meja kursi dan sofa, televisi rumah Indonesia dijarah anai-anai.
Pagar pekarangan, bahkan fondasi dan atap rumah Indonesia
sudah mulai habis dikunyah-kunyah rayap.
Rumah Indonesia menunggu waktu,
masa rubuhnya yang sempurna.

Aku berdiri di pekarangan, terpana menyaksikannya.
Tiba-tiba datang serombongan anak muda dari kampung sekitar.
“Ini dia rayapnya! Ini dia Anai-anainya!” teriak mereka.
“Bukan. Saya bukan Rayap, bukan!” bantahku.

Mereka berteriak terus dan mendekatiku dengan sikap mengancam.
Aku melarikan diri kencang-kencang.
Mereka mengejarkan lebih kenjang lagi.
Mereka menangkapku.
“Ambil bensin!” teriak seseorang.
“Bakar Rayap,” teriak mereka bersama.
Bensin berserakan dituangkan ke kepala dan badanku.
Seseorang memantik korek api.
Aku dibakar.
Bau kawanan rayap hangus.
Membubung ke udara.

Kemauan dan Kemampuan

Orang yang berkemauan dapat meningkatkan kemampuannya, sementara orang yang berkemampuan tidak akan mencapai tujuan bila tidak memiliki kemauan.

Peliharalah Kebaikan Diri

Apapun yang terjadi, pelihara kebaikan diri. Siapapun yang menjahati, hasilkan manfaat dengan setulus hati. Allah adalah sebaik-baik pemberi balasan.

Syair Imam Ali a.s.

Obatmu terdapat dalam dirimu,
namun kamu tidak menyadarinya.

Penawarmu berasal dari dirimu,
namun kamu tidak mengetahuinya.

Engkau mengira dirimu satu benda yang kecil,
padahal dalam dirimu termuat alam yang besar.

Mengingat Allah dalam Kerendahan Hati

Mengingatkan orang lain itu baik, mengingatkan diri sendiri itu utama, mengingat Allah dalam kerendahan hati harus mengiringi keduanya.

Iman dan Waktu

Seseorang akan senantiasa menjaga dan memelihara sesuatu yang berharga. Jadikanlah iman dan waktu sebagai yang paling berharga.

Bersyukur, Berzikir, dan Beribadah

“Ya Allah, tolonglah kami untuk bersyukur kepada-Mu, berzikir kepada-Mu, serta beribadah dengan baik kepada-Mu.” H.R. Ahmad dan Al-Baihaqi

Worth More Than Money

“The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money.”

― Thomas Jefferson

Superior

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”

― Ernest Hemingway

Right People

“Sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people.”

― Nicholas Sparks

Focused on What Brings You Joy

“Happiness is different for everyone. Don't measure or compare your happiness to anyone else. Live your life focused on what brings you joy.”

― Jane Changes

Blessed

“Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.”

― Camille Pissaro

What I Need to Know Will Come

“Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we need to know.”

― Pema Chodron

I Trust The Universe to Deliver

“Write your own story and trust the universe to deliver.”

― Esther Hicks

Yes, I Am Happy

“It takes courage to embrace the notion that life was meant to be happy, and that the activities of our life were meant to be a joy.”

― Neale Donald Walsch

Love, Joy and Good

“I deserve love, joy and good. Life Loves me. All is well.”

― Louise Hay

Using Well What You Have

“You always have enough if you are using well what you have.”

― Alan Cohen

Power and Weakness

“Everything you are against weakens you. Everything you are for empowers you.”

― Wayne Dyer

The Strength of A Civilization

“The strength of a civilization is not measured by its ability to fight wars, but rather by its ability to prevent them.”

― Gene Roddenberry

Mindfulness and Happiness

“Mindfulness helps you go home to the present. And every time you go there and recognize a condition of happiness that you have, happiness comes.”

― Thich Nhat Hanh

Live The Life

“I intend to take time for myself to live the life that I came here to live.”

― Wayne Dyer

Politik dan Keadilan

“Politik bukan cuma usaha menghimpun dan menggunakan kekuasaan. Politik adalah pergulatan untuk keadilan, atau kesetaraan, yang berlangsung terus-menerus.”

― Goenawan Mohammad

Orang Besar

“Apakah definisi seorang besar? Orang besar adalah orang yang mampu mengatasi ruangan jiwanya sendiri yang hendak diimpit benda-benda, karena ia menghendaki suatu kebebasan yang lebih punya arti. Orang besar adalah orang yang bekerja untuk akhirat seperti ia akan mati besok, dan bekerja untuk dunia seperti ia akan hidup selamanya— tapi bukan dengan keserakahan untuk dirinya sendiri.”

― Goenawan Mohammad

Ranjang Prokrustes

Setiap dari kita memiliki kecenderungan untuk memiliki Ranjang Prokrustes. Prokrustes, seorang berjiwa kejam yang menjamu tamunya untuk dibujuk tidur di ranjang miliknya. Jika tubuh tamunya terlalu panjang, ia akan memotong kaki tamunya, dan jika terlalu pendek, ia akan merentangkan tubuh tamunya. Semua itu semata untuk membuat siapa pun pas di atas ranjangnya. Kita ibarat tukang jahit yang membanggakan diri karena bisa membuat pakaian yang benar-benar pas, padahal yang kita ubah adalah tubuh si pemakai.

Kata-Kata dan Simpati

Kata-kata hanyalah pra-teks, aspek simpatilah yang dapat menarik hati orang pada orang lain, bukan kata-kata. Walaupun manusia dapat melihat ribuan mukjizat yang dimiliki seorang nabi atau seorang suci, hal itu tidak akan membawa keuntungan baginya sama sekali apabila dia tidak memiliki simpati kepada nabi ataupun orang suci itu. Unsur simpati itulah yang dapat mengguncangkan dan menggelisahkan seseorang.

― Jalaluddin Rumi

Peaceful Warriors

“Warriors, warriors we call ourselves. We fight for splendid virtue, for high endeavor, for sublime wisdom, therefore we call ourselves peaceful warriors.”

― Aunguttara Nikaya

Trust and Live

“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.”

― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Kaum Beragama Negeri Ini

K.H. A. Mustofa Bisri ― Kaum Beragama Negeri Ini

Tuhan
Lihatlah betapa baik kaum beragama negeri ini
Mereka tak mau kalah dengan kaum beragama lain dinegeri-negeri lain
Demi mendapatkan ridhaMu
Mereka rela mengorbankan saudara-saudara mereka
Untuk merebut tempat terdekat disisiMu
Mereka bahkan tega menyodok dan menikam hamba-hambaMu sendiri
Demi memperoleh rahmatMu
Mereka memaafkan kesalahan dan mendiamkan kemungkaran
Bahkan mendukung kelaliman
Untuk membuktikan keluhuran budi mereka
Terhadap syaitanpun mereka tak berburuk sangka

Tuhan
Lihatlah betapa baik kaum beragama negeri ini
Mereka terus membuatkanMu rumah-rumah mewah
Diantara gedung-gedung kota hingga ditengah-tengah sawah
Dengan kubah-kubah megah
Dan menara-menara menjulang untuk meneriakkan namaMu
Menambah segan dan keder hamba-hamba kecilMu
Yang ingin sowan kepadaMu

NamaMu mereka nyanyikan
Dalam acara hiburan hingga pesta agung kenegaraan
Mereka merasa begitu dekat denganMu
Hingga masing-masing merasa berhak mewakiliMu
Yang memiliki kelebihan harta
Membuktikan kedekatannya dengan harta yang Engkau berikan
Yang memiliki kelebihan kekuasaan
Membuktikan kedekatannya dengan kekuasaan yang Engkau limpahkan
Yang memiliki kelebihan ilmu
Membuktikan kedekatannya dengan ilmu yang Engkau kurniakan
Mereka, yang Engkau anugerahi kekuatan
Seringkali bahkan merasa diri Engkau sendiri
Mereka bukan saja ikut menentukan ibadah
Tapi juga menetapkan siapa ke Surga siapa ke Neraka
Mereka sakralkan pendapat mereka
Dan mereka akbarkan semua yang mereka lakukan
Hingga takbir dan ikrar mereka yang kosong
Bagai perut bedug
Allahu akbar walillahil hamd

Correct Your Mind

“If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place.”

― Lao Tzu

Religion

“In realty, there are as many religions as there are individuals.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

Trust Yourself

A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking because her trust is not on the branch but on its own wings. Always believe in your self.

Pencarian

“Apa yang kita sukai belum tentu benar, yang kita dukung belum tentu baik, yang kita junjung-junjung bisa jadi mencelakakan kita, yang kita butuhkan belum tentu benar-benar kita butuhkan, yang kita tidak sukai bisa saja mendatangkan manfaat. Ini harus dicari sungguh-sungguh karena kalau tidak, kita akan tersesat dalam diri kita sendiri.”

― Emha Ainun Nadjib

Love and Hope

“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls, to arrive at its destination full of hope.”

― Maya Angelou

Listen

“There is a voice that doesn't use words. Listen.”
― Jalaluddin Rumi

Pure Nectar of This Moment

“Look past your thoughts so you may drink the pure nectar of this moment.”

― Jalaluddin Rumi

The Soul of Genius

“Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.”

― Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

How You Made Them Feel

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

― Maya Angelou

I Am Grateful

“I live in a loving, abundant, harmonious universe, and I am grateful.”

― Kevin Hall

The Meaning and Purpose of Life

“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”

― Pablo Picasso

Approving Yourself

“You've been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn't worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.”

― Louise Hay

Medicine

“The truth is we can heal, we must learn again. Medicine is in our hearts and also in the heart of which we call the universe.”

― Nicola Tesla

Faith in What Will Be

“Accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in what will be.”

― Sonia Ricotti

Future Preview

“Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions.”

― Albert Einstein

Berkelahi Soal Politik

“Orang berkelahi soal politik, masing-masing dengan asumsi semuanya paham politik dengan pemahaman yang sama. Jangan-jangan yang satu a yang satu b.”

― K.H. A. Mustofa Bisri

Rusaknya Agama

“Yang menghina agamamu tidak bisa merusak agamamu. Yang bisa merusak agamamu justru prilakumu yang bertentangan degan ajaran agamamu.”

― K.H. A. Mustofa Bisri

Jangan Berhenti Belajar

“Mereka yang sering membikin masalah dalam masyarakat adalah mereka yang berhenti belajar karena sudah merasa pandai.”

― K.H. A. Mustofa Bisri

Forgiveness, Hope, Compassion, and Gratitude

“You can look back in forgiveness, forward in hope, down in compassion and up with gratitude.”

― Zig Ziglar

Man and Animals

“We are far more likely to be harmed by our fellow man than by our fellow animals, yet we call animals wild and dangerous and we call man advanced and civilized.”

― Anthony Douglas Williams

Agama Sebagai Sumber Makna

“Agama menanamkan pada para pengikutnya apa yang oleh antropolog Clifford Geertz disebut “vitalitas moral” yang hadir karena manusia yakin dan komitmen pada esensi “Realitas yang fundamental.” Keyakinan pada “Realitas yang fundamental” inilah yang menjadikan agama bisa menjadi “sumber makna” bagi pemeluknya yang diharapkan mampu menjadi kekuatan penggerak aksi-aksi kemanusiaan yang berbudaya dan beradab.”

― Sumanto Al Qurtuby

Shared Experience

“You shouldn't focus on supervision. What is key is shared experience.”

― Alain Ducasse

Gagak

Suara berkoak burung gagak
Meneriakkan permintaan panjang usia di dunia
Seperti iblis, gagak memohon Yang Mahasuci
Kehidupan abadi sampai hari kebangkitan
Iblis berkata, “Berikanlah aku tempo sampai hari kebangkitan”
Bukankah sepatutnya ia berkata, “Aku bertaubat, duhai Tuhanku”
Hidup tanpa taubat adalah bencana jiwa
Hilang dari Tuhan adalah kehadiran kematian
Hidup dan mati, keduanya manis disisi Ilahi
Tanpa Tuhan, air kehidupan adalah api

Hidup abadi adalah menumbuhkan ruh di dekat Ilahi
hidup gagak semata-mata untuk memakan tahi
Gagak berkata, “Berikan aku hidup lama supaya terus makan kotoran”
“Berikan aku hidup selalu karena watakku memang keburukan”
Sekiranya mulut kotor itu bukan mulut pemakan bercak
Ia akan berkata, “Selamatkan daku dari watak burung gagak.”

Merak

Sekarang sampailah kita pada merak berwarna ganda
Yang memamerkan dirinya demi kemasyhuran dan nama
Cita-citanya hanya merebut perhatian manusia
Tak peduli baik buruk, hasil dan manfaatnya
Ia menangkap mangsanya dengan bodoh seperti jebakan
Mana mungkin jebakan mengetahui tujuan tindakan?

Duhai saudaraku, kau angkat kawan-kawanmu
Dengan dua ratus tanda kasih sayang, lalu kaucampakkan mereka
Inilah kegiatanmu sejak saat kelahiranmu
Menangkap orang dengan jebakan cinta
Dari upayamu mengejar orang dan memburu kemegahan
Apa manfaat yang kamu peroleh?, lihat dan renungkan!
Hari-hari hidupmu telah berlalu dan malammu telah larut
Dan kau masih juga sibuk mengejar manusia
Ayo buru orang dan lepaskan yang lain dari jebakan
Lalu kau kejar yang lain seperti makhluk yang hina
Lalu kau lepaskan yang ini dan kau cari yang itu
Ini permainan anak kecil yang tanpa arti
Sebetulnya kamu hanya menangkap dirimu dalam jebakan
Karena kamu dipenjarakan dan dikecewakan oleh keinginanmu

Ayam Jantan

Ayam jantan penuh nafsu dan ketagihan nafsu
Mabuk dalam anggur tawar yang beracun
Sekiranya nafsu tidak diperlukan untuk melanjutkan penciptaan,
Wahai Sang Penuntut, Adam akan memandulkan dirinya sebab malu karenanya.
Iblis terkutuk berkata kepada Sang Penegak Keadilan,
“Kuingin jebakan perkasa kepada korbanku,”
Tuhan memperlihatkan kepadanya emas, perak, dan kawanan kuda
Seraya berkata, “Gunakan ini untuk merayu manusia.”
Iblis berteriak, “Hebat!” Tapi segera bibirnya mengering
Ia keriput dan asam seperti jeruk
Lalu Tuhan menawarkan kepada makhluk terkutuk
Emas dan mutiara dari perbendeharaannya yang tidak terhingga
Seraya berkata, “Ambillah jebakan ini, hai si terlaknat.”
Ia menjawab, “Berikan lebih dari ini, wahai Sang Maha Pembela.”
Lalu Tuahn memberikannya makanan yang berminyak dan manis.
Minuman yang mahal dan jubah sutra yang gemerlap
Iblis berkata, “Tuhanku, kuperlukan bantuan lebih dari ini.
Untuk mengikat mereka dengan tali serat kurma.
Supaya hambamu yang mabuk, yang gagah berani
Dapat melepaskan seluruh ikatan ini
Dengan jebakan ini dan ikatan hawa nafsu
Orang suci dipisahkan dari orang durhaka
Aku ingin jebakan lain, duhai penguasa ‘Arasy
Jebakan cerdik perkasa yang membuat semua manusia binasa”…

Ketika Tuhan menampakkan kepada iblis keindahan perempuan
yang menumpulkan akal dan melepaskan kendali diri laki-laki;
Iblis menjentikkan jarinya dan mulai menari, sambil melonjak berkata,
“Berikan dia kepadaku secepat mungkin: Telah kugapai keinginanku.”
Bagai Iblis, cumbu rayu hawa nafsu bagaikan ungkapan kemuliaan Ilahi yang menembus hijab yang tipis.

Bebek

Bebek itu kerakusan, paruhnya selalu di tanah
Mengeruk apa saja yang terbenam, basah atau kering
Tenggorokannya tak pernah santai satu saat pun
Ia tak mendengar firman Tuhan selain “Makan, minumlah!”
Seperti penjarah yang merangsek rumah
Dan memenuhi kantongnya dengan cepat
Ia memasukkan ke dalam kanrongnya baik dan buruk
Permata atau kacang tanah tiada beda
Ia jejalkan ke kantungnya, basah dan kering
Kuatir pesaingnya akan merebutnya
Waktu mendesak, kesempatan sempit, ia takut
Dengan segera ia tumpukkan apa pun di bawah tangannya.

Empat Unggas dalam Ego

Dalam Surat Al Baqarah ayat 260 Allah berfirman, “Dan (ingatlah) ketika Ibrahim berkata, ‘Ya Tuhanku, perlihatkanlah padaku bagaimana Engkau menghidupkan orang yang mati.’ Allah berfirman, ‘Belum yakinkah kamu?’ Ibrahim menjawab, ‘Aku meyakininya; tetapi agar hatiku tetap mantap (dengan imanku).’ Allah berfirman, ‘(Kalau demikian) ambillah empat ekor burung dan cincanglah semua olehmu. Lalu letakkan di atas tiap-tiap satu bukit satu bagian dari bagian-bagian itu, kemudian panggillah mereka, niscaya mereka datang kepadamu dengan segera.’ Dan ketahuilah bahwa Allah Maha Perkasa lagi Maha Bijaksana.”

Ketika menafsirkan ayat tersebut, Rumi menjelaskan bahwa kita hanya hidup kembali bila kita membunuh empat ekor unggas yang mencerminkan diri kita atau ego kita. Keempat ekor unggas itu adalah bebek yang mencerminkan kerakusan, ayam jantan yang melambangkan nafsu, merak yang menggambarkan kesombongan, dan gagak yang melukiskan keinginan.

Struggle and Strength

“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”

— Arnold Schwarzenegger

Success and Cooperation

“Getting along with others is the essence of getting ahead, success being linked with cooperation.”

— William Feather

The Universe Frequencies

“Our entire biological system the brain and the earth itself, work on the same frequencies.”

― Nikola Tesla

Dishonest

“To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

Religion and Politic

“Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

Be You and Work Hard

“Do not chase people. Be you and do your own thing and work hard. The right people who belong in your life will come to you, and stay.”

― Wu Tang

Science and Spirituality

“You need to understand both science and spirituality. The key is, learning how to combine the two so that you learn without limitation of what humans can measure, and don't get carried away by all that you can imagine.”

― Agape Satori

Enlightenment

“Enlightenment is, in the end, nothing more than the natural state of being.”

― Adyashanti

The Most Dangerous Thing

“The most dangerous thing you can do is educated people. Because when people become educated, you cannot control them. People who are educated know their own power, and don't surrender it to others.”

― Jordan Maxwell

The Greatest Test

“The greatest test is when you are able to bless someone else while you are going through your own storm”

― Regina Malabago

Stroms

“Storms make trees take deeper roots.”
― Dolly Parton

Travel

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

― Augustine of Hippo

Selalu Ada Pilihan

“Kita bisa melempar batu, mengeluh tentang batu, tersandung batu, berdiri di atas batu, atau membangun dengan batu-batu itu.”

— William Arthur Ward

Puisi Paskah

Ulil Absar Abdala ― Puisi Paskah

Ia yang rebah, di pangkuan perawan suci, bangkit setelah tiga hari, melawan mati.
Ia yang lemah, menghidupkan harapan yang nyaris punah.
Ia yang maha lemah, jasadnya menanggungkan derita kita.
Ia yang maha lemah, deritanya menaklukkan raja-raja dunia.
Ia yang jatuh cinta pada pagi, setelah dirajam nyeri.
Ia yang tengadah ke langit suci, terbalut kain merah
kirmizi: "Cintailah aku!"

Mereka bertengkar tentang siapa yang mati di palang kayu.
Aku tak tertarik pada debat ahli teologi.
Darah yang mengucur itu lebih menyentuhku.
Saat aku jumawa dengan imanku, tubuh nyeri yang tergeletak di kayu itu, terus mengingatkanku:
Bahkan Ia pun menderita, bersama yang nista.

Muhammadku, Yesusmu, Krisnamu, Buddhamu, Konfuciusmu
mereka semua guru-guruku, yang mengajarku tentang keluasan dunia dan cinta.
Penyakitmu, wahai kaum beriman:
Kalian mudah puas diri, pongah, jumawa, bagai burung merak.
Kalian gemar menghakimi!
Tubuh yang mengucur darah di kayu itu, bukan burung merak.
Ia mengajar kita, tentang cinta, untuk mereka yang disesatkan dan dinista.
Penderitaan kadang mengajarmu tentang iman yang rendah hati.
Huruf-huruf dalam kitab suci, kerap membuatmu merasa paling suci.

Ya, Jesusmu adalah juga Jesusku.
Ia telah menebusku dari iman yang jumawa dan tinggi hati.
Ia membuatku cinta pada yang dinista!
Semoga Semua Hidup Berbahagia dalam kasih Tuhan.

Spiritual Pleasures

“One needs to recognize that spiritual pleasures are eternal and valuable than worldly pleasures. After a considerable amount of time, in fact, the pleasures of this world become painful in the light of higher spiritual pleasures. We all with time learn to demolish the temporariness related to materialistic happiness by replacing the need to possess with the need to experience.”

― Garima Roy

Pain and Pleasure

“Pleasure is regarded as pain because of it’s being mixed up with pain; and pleasure (accompanied by pain) is called pain in the same manner as honey mixed with poison is called poison.”

― Nyaya Bhasya

Pain and Consciousness

“There is no coming to consciousness without pain. People will do anything, in order to avoid facing their own soul. One does not become enlightened by imaging figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”

― Carl Gustav Jung

Change and Grow

“If we don't change we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living.”

― Gail Sheehy

A Life You Don't Need to Escape

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don't need to escape from.”

― Seth Godin

I Choose to Become

“I am not what has happened to me. I am what I choose to become.”

― Carl Gustav Jung

Look into Your Heart

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who look inside, awakens.”

― Carl Gustav Jung

The Strength of A Man

“The strength of a man isn’t seen in the power of his arms. It’s seen in the love with which he embraces you.”

― Steve Maraboli

The Trouble

“The trouble is, you think you have time.”

― Buddha

Pace of Nature

“Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Walk Alone

“It's better to walk alone, than walk with crowd going in the wrong direction.”

― Diane Grant

Nature Does Not Hurry

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”

― Lao Tzu

Truth and Lie

“Don't worry about the hatters. They are just angry because the truth you speak contradicts the lie they live.”

― Steve Maraboli

Trust Your Own Madness

“You have to trust your own madness.”

― Clive Barker

The Greatest Hazard in Life

“To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk to failure, but risk must be takes, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.”

― Leo Buscaglia

Impossible to Fail

“Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.”

― Charles Kettering

Expert

“In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind the are few.”

― Shunryu Suzuki

Enthusiasm

“The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm. ”

― Aldous Huxley

To Become What I Might Be

“When I let go what I am, I become what I might be.”

― Lao Tzu

Hope

“Life can toss us around. We have moments when we aren't sure which direction we are supposed to be going. We can lose sight of what really matters. We get caught in a rip tide of negative thoughts, certain the world is against us. Then from somewhere deep within us hope shines a light and reminds us we are okay.”

― Jane Changes

Patience

“Patience is the ability to let your light shine even after fuse has blown.”

― Harvey Mackay

Silent Prayer

“Every positive thought is a silent prayer which will change your life.”

― Bryant McGill

Great Works

“Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance.”
― Samuel Johnson

Enjoy Your Own Life

“Enjoy your own life without comparing it with that of another.”

― Marquis de Condorcet

Dream and Action

“Our dreams are directly linked to our thoughts, however, those thoughts have no value if there isn't action behind them. So today commit that the procrastinating stops here.”

― Jane Changes

What We Do for Others

“What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.”

― Albert Pine

The Reality

“The more real you get the more unreal the world gets.”

― John Lennon

The Right Relationship

“You'll know when a relationship is right for you. It will enhance your life, not complicate your life.”

― Brigitte Nicole

Believe in Our Goal

“The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don't like to do. They don't like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose.”

― Albert E. Gray

Fall Apart

“Never be afraid to fall apart because it is an opportunity to rebuild yourself the way you wish you had been all along.”

― Rae Smith

Miracles

“Out of difficulties grow miracles”

― Jean de La Bruyere

Yes You Can

“Believe you can and you're halfway there.”

― Theodore Roosevelt

Success Is No Surprise

“Success is no surprise to visionary people. They know what they want, determine a plan to achieve it, and expect positive results.”

― Harvey Mackay

The Flower from Heaven

“A flower nipped in the bed, it was from heaven and it has return to heaven, but has left its fragrance in my mind.”

― Imam Ali a.s.

Seven Deadly Social Sins

“There are seven deadly social sins. Politics without principle. Wealth without work. Commerce without morality. Pleasure without conscience. Education without character. Science without humility. Worship without sacrifice.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

Redeem The Past and Change The Future

“It's what you do in the present that will redeem the past and thereby change the future.”

― Paulo Coelho

Know The Why

“When you know the why, you know the way.”

― Kevin Hall

Worrying

“Worrying does not empty tomorrow of it's troubles. It empties today of it's strength.”

― Corrie Ten Boom

Soul Mate

“People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that's holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change you life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake.”

― Elizabeth Gilbert

Anger and Pain

“Where there is anger, there is always pain underneath.”

― Eckhart Tolle

It Will Be Yours

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark [11]: 24)

The Tiny Seed

The Choices

“Remember this, the choices you make in life, make you.”

― John Wooden

Time and Excellece

“It takes time to create excellence. If it could be done quickly, more people would do it.”

― John Wooden

Perumpamaan Kata-Kata yang Baik

Tidakkah kamu memperhatikan bagaimana Allah telah membuat perumpamaan kata-kata yang baik seperti pohon yang baik, akarnya kuat dan cabangnya (menjulang) ke langit, (pohon) itu menghasilkan buahnya pada setiap waktu dengan seizin Tuhannya. Dan Allah membuat perumpamaan itu untuk manusia agar mereka selalu ingat. (Q.S. Ibrahim [14]: 24 - 25)

The Chains

“Those who do not move, do not notice their chains.”

― Rose Luxemburg

Do Not Detest The Misfortunes

“Do not detest the misfortunes that befall you, for what you detest may be the cause of your salvation and what you like may be the cause of your ruin.”

― Hasan Al-Basri

The Wise Win

“Those who are skilled in combat do not become angered, those who are skilled at winning do not become afraid. Thus the wise win before the fight, while the ignorant fight to win.”

― Morihei Ueshiba

The Vibratory Power of Sacred Words

“The mantra becomes one’s staff of life and carries one through every ordeal. Each repetition has a new meaning, carrying you nearer and nearer to God.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

Excellence

“Excellence in not a singular act but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do.”

― Shaquille O'Neal

Dreams

“Dreams are not what you leave behind when morning comes. They are the stuff that fill your every living moment.”

― David Cuschieri

From Uncomfortable to Comfortable

“To reach our goals and dreams, to experience life in full color, to soar to dreamed-of and hoped-for heights, we have to expand our comfort one. We have to be willing to do what is uncomfortable until it becomes comfortable.”

― Kevin Hall

Failure

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”

― Henry Ford

Live Well Lived

“Happiness is not a goal, it is a by-product of a live well lived.”

― Elanor Roosevelt

Living in Prisons of Our Own Creation

“We are captives of our own identities, living in prisons of our own creation.”

― Theodore Bagwell

Lightens The Burdens of Another

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”

― Charles Dickens

The Beautiful Thing About Learning

“The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.”

― B. B. King

Pursue Some Path

“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.”

― Henry David Thoreau

Chaos in Your Soul

“You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.”

― Friedrich Nietzsche

Be Grateful All The Times

“The greatest source of happiness is the ability to be grateful at all the times.”

― Zig Ziglar

Conquer Yourself

“Conquer yourself rather than the world.”

― Rene Descartes

Keep Trying

“No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress. Your're still way ahead of everyone who isn't trying.”

― Tony Robbins

Only Love Can Do That

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

― Martin Luther King, Jr.

West-Ostlicher Divan

KepunyaanNya lah Timur
KepunyaanNya lah Barat
Dataran Utara dan Selatan
Terbaring damai dalam TanganNya
Ia, Yang Maha Penguasa sebenarnya
Menginginkan kebaikan buat setiap manusia
Diantara Ratusan AsmaNya
― menjadilah keagungan dan pujian buatNya
Amien.

― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Inner Values

“We will never solve our problems simply by instituting new laws and regulations. Ultimately, the source of our problems lies at the level of the individual. If people lack moral values and integrity, no system of laws and regulations will be adequate. So long as people give priority to material values, then injustice, inequity, intolerance, and greed ― all the outward manifestation of neglect of inner values ― will persist.”

― Dalai Lama

An Act Upon A Better Life

“Let today be the day you love yourself enough to no longer just dream of a better life; let it be the day you act upon it.”

― Steve Maraboli

Walk Alone

“If you cannot find a good companion to walk with, walk alone, like an elephant roaming the jungle. It is better to be alone than to be with those who will hinder your progress.”

― Buddha

The Orders of The One

“A warrior of the light must obey the orders of the One to whom he offered up his struggle.”
― Paulo Coelho

Courage

“The most important quality on the spiritual path is courage.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

The Thought We Become

“A man is but a product of his thought what he thinks, he becomes.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

The Intelligent Investor

“To invest successfully over a lifetime does not require a stratospheric IQ, unusual business insights, or inside information. What's needed is a sound intellectual framework for making decisions and the ability to keep emotions from corroding that framework.”

― Warren E. Buffett

Pendengar yang Baik

“Seorang pendengar yang baik, lebih cepat mencapai kebijakan hidup, daripada yang terlalu sibuk berbicara.”

― Mario Teguh

Valedictorian Speaks Out Against Schooling

Valedictorian Speaks Out Against Schooling
by Erica Goldson

Here I stand There is a story of a young, but earnest Zen student who approached his teacher, and asked the Master, “If I work very hard and diligently, how long will it take for me to find Zen? The Master thought about this, then replied, “Ten years.” The student then said, “But what if I work very, very hard and really apply myself to learn fast – How long then?” Replied the Master, “Well, twenty years.” “But, if I really, really work at it, how long then?” asked the student. “Thirty years,” replied the Master. “But, I do not understand,” said the disappointed student. “At each time that I say I will work harder, you say it will take me longer. Why do you say that?” Replied the Master, “When you have one eye on the goal, you only have one eye on the path.”

This is the dilemma I’ve faced within the American education system. We are so focused on a goal, whether it be passing a test, or graduating as first in the class. However, in this way, we do not really learn. We do whatever it takes to achieve our original objective.

Some of you may be thinking, “Well, if you pass a test, or become valedictorian, didn’t you learn something? Well, yes, you learned something, but not all that you could have. Perhaps, you only learned how to memorize names, places, and dates to later on forget in order to clear your mind for the next test. School is not all that it can be. Right now, it is a place for most people to determine that their goal is to get out as soon as possible.

I am now accomplishing that goal. I am graduating. I should look at this as a positive experience, especially being at the top of my class. However, in retrospect, I cannot say that I am any more intelligent than my peers. I can attest that I am only the best at doing what I am told and working the system. Yet, here I stand, and I am supposed to be proud that I have completed this period of indoctrination. I will leave in the fall to go on to the next phase expected of me, in order to receive a paper document that certifies that I am capable of work. But I contend that I am a human being, a thinker, an adventurer – not a worker. A worker is someone who is trapped within repetition – a slave of the system set up before him. But now, I have successfully shown that I was the best slave. I did what I was told to the extreme. While others sat in class and doodled to later become great artists, I sat in class to take notes and become a great test-taker. While others would come to class without their homework done because they were reading about an interest of theirs, I never missed an assignment. While others were creating music and writing lyrics, I decided to do extra credit, even though I never needed it. So, I wonder, why did I even want this position? Sure, I earned it, but what will come of it? When I leave educational institutionalism, will I be successful or forever lost? I have no clue about what I want to do with my life; I have no interests because I saw every subject of study as work, and I excelled at every subject just for the purpose of excelling, not learning. And quite frankly, now I’m scared.

John Taylor Gatto, a retired school teacher and activist critical of compulsory schooling, asserts, “We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness – curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight simply by being more flexible about time, texts, and tests, by introducing kids into truly competent adults, and by giving each student what autonomy he or she needs in order to take a risk every now and then. But we don’t do that.” Between these cinderblock walls, we are all expected to be the same. We are trained to ace every standardized test, and those who deviate and see light through a different lens are worthless to the scheme of public education, and therefore viewed with contempt.

H. L. Mencken wrote in The American Mercury for April 1924 that the aim of public education is not “to fill the young of the species with knowledge and awaken their intelligence. … Nothing could be further from the truth. The aim … is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality. That is its aim in the United States.”

To illustrate this idea, doesn’t it perturb you to learn about the idea of “critical thinking?” Is there really such a thing as “uncritically thinking?” To think is to process information in order to form an opinion. But if we are not critical when processing this information, are we really thinking? Or are we mindlessly accepting other opinions as truth?

This was happening to me, and if it wasn’t for the rare occurrence of an avant-garde tenth grade English teacher, Donna Bryan, who allowed me to open my mind and ask questions before accepting textbook doctrine, I would have been doomed. I am now enlightened, but my mind still feels disabled. I must retrain myself and constantly remember how insane this ostensibly sane place really is.

And now here I am in a world guided by fear, a world suppressing the uniqueness that lies inside each of us, a world where we can either acquiesce to the inhuman nonsense of corporatism and materialism or insist on change. We are not enlivened by an educational system that clandestinely sets us up for jobs that could be automated, for work that need not be done, for enslavement without fervency for meaningful achievement. We have no choices in life when money is our motivational force. Our motivational force ought to be passion, but this is lost from the moment we step into a system that trains us, rather than inspires us.

We are more than robotic bookshelves, conditioned to blurt out facts we were taught in school. We are all very special, every human on this planet is so special, so aren’t we all deserving of something better, of using our minds for innovation, rather than memorization, for creativity, rather than futile activity, for rumination rather than stagnation? We are not here to get a degree, to then get a job, so we can consume industry-approved placation after placation. There is more, and more still.

The saddest part is that the majority of students don’t have the opportunity to reflect as I did. The majority of students are put through the same brainwashing techniques in order to create a complacent labor force working in the interests of large corporations and secretive government, and worst of all, they are completely unaware of it. I will never be able to turn back these 18 years. I can’t run away to another country with an education system meant to enlighten rather than condition. This part of my life is over, and I want to make sure that no other child will have his or her potential suppressed by powers meant to exploit and control. We are human beings. We are thinkers, dreamers, explorers, artists, writers, engineers. We are anything we want to be – but only if we have an educational system that supports us rather than holds us down. A tree can grow, but only if its roots are given a healthy foundation.

For those of you out there that must continue to sit in desks and yield to the authoritarian ideologies of instructors, do not be disheartened. You still have the opportunity to stand up, ask questions, be critical, and create your own perspective. Demand a setting that will provide you with intellectual capabilities that allow you to expand your mind instead of directing it. Demand that you be interested in class. Demand that the excuse, “You have to learn this for the test” is not good enough for you. Education is an excellent tool, if used properly, but focus more on learning rather than getting good grades.

For those of you that work within the system that I am condemning, I do not mean to insult; I intend to motivate. You have the power to change the incompetencies of this system. I know that you did not become a teacher or administrator to see your students bored. You cannot accept the authority of the governing bodies that tell you what to teach, how to teach it, and that you will be punished if you do not comply. Our potential is at stake.

For those of you that are now leaving this establishment, I say, do not forget what went on in these classrooms. Do not abandon those that come after you. We are the new future and we are not going to let tradition stand. We will break down the walls of corruption to let a garden of knowledge grow throughout America. Once educated properly, we will have the power to do anything, and best of all, we will only use that power for good, for we will be cultivated and wise. We will not accept anything at face value. We will ask questions, and we will demand truth.

So, here I stand. I am not standing here as valedictorian by myself. I was molded by my environment, by all of my peers who are sitting here watching me. I couldn’t have accomplished this without all of you. It was all of you who truly made me the person I am today. It was all of you who were my competition, yet my backbone. In that way, we are all valedictorians.

I am now supposed to say farewell to this institution, those who maintain it, and those who stand with me and behind me, but I hope this farewell is more of a “see you later” when we are all working together to rear a pedagogic movement. But first, let’s go get those pieces of paper that tell us that we’re smart enough to do so!

Rencana Terbaik Tuhan

Jika telah tertanam niat yang baik di hati dan telah berusaha dengan sebaik mungkin, maka apapun hasil yang didapatkan adalah yang terbaik yang ditakdirkan. Jangan pernah putus asa walaupun hasil yang didapatkan tidak sebaik yang diharapkan. Yakinlah bahwa Tuhan telah mempersiapkan yang lebih baik lagi.  

Kerja Keras dan Nikmat Tuhan

Wujud rasa syukur yang paling baik adalah dengan berkerja keras karena dengan perantara kerja keraslah Tuhan menambahkan nikmatNya.