Bad Translation!

One of the things an author needs to get his/her ideas spread and accepted by people in different parts of the world is good translators. Eligible translators convey the writer’s ideas precisely and as comprehensive as it can be in order to have others understand the intentions of the writer. The most important task for a translator is to have the readers understand the text and ideas the way the writer intends it to be.

Problems arise when a translator is not eligible of translating a certain text, making the readers even more confused rather than grasp the essence of the writer’s ideas. This is true in the case of several books on contemporary philosophy in Indonesia.

Take the example of Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation, for instance. This book has been translated and published by LKiS in Jogjakarta several years ago, with the title Galaksi Simulakra. Not only that the topic discussed in this book is difficult to comprehend, but the translator and editor themselves did not make it any easier for the readers to understand it! Upon reading the translated book, a reader would put it down and browse in the internet to find the real (English or French) copy. The translation simply doesn’t seem to translate the idea!

We need eligible translators to help us readers – academic readers, in particular – gain broader knowledge by studying other people’s ideas and way of thinking. Translators, editors, and publishers should always be wary about launching a book that really influences people’s mind. We wouldn’t want bad translation get mixed up with misunderstanding and miscomprehension, now, would we?

Teachers: Shadows behind Greatness

DR. Reynold Kasali invited his former school teacher to his inauguration several weeks ago. The elderly woman shed tears when she witnessed her ex-student gave speech in front of hundreds of scholars and academicians. Never had she thought that the naughty little boy she used to teach decades ago would one day rise as one of great thinkers and public figures in this country.

What DR. Kasali did was worthy of praise. He remembered and appreciated the person who first taught him the very basic knowledge – without whom he wouldn’t be the man he is at present. But most of the time, teachers simply live out their days as shadows behind the greatness of others: students they used to teach and educate. The boys and girls grow up, fulfilling their destinies in the world, become great and successful – but the teachers are forgotten. Their existence in the students’ lives seems to evaporate along with time, as they continue their routines – returning to the same desks at the same schools, teaching the same old subjects.

How often do we remember our teachers, who usher us into the world of future success, while they remain in the same old cabin in the corner of the universe?

As we come to realize it, let’s remember that we are forever indebted to our teachers. Let’s show them our concern and appreciation for what they have done and are still doing. Keep in touch with the shadows – without them, we cannot ever stand on the stage of the world.

How to Study Philosophy without Getting A Bang on the Head

Studying philosophy is probably one thing most people won’t even imagine doing. But when you are students of a social, cultural or philosophy department, this is a compulsory subject to take. It is part of social science to understand world ideas and world thinkers. Every period of time is marked with a specific way of thinking set by a group of “great minds” to represent the whole society.

No matter how “sickening” the subject might be to social science students, they still have to go through it and learn – at the very least – the basic structures of mind and philosophy that shape our world the way it is.

Anyway… why is philosophy so terrifying to many college students?

Probably it’s because this subject don’t simply teach us things. It digs into our brains and sometimes breaks down the values and ideas we have believed for ages. Who would want to study the ideas of Nietzsche, the atheist, who declared that “God is dead” when we are devout believers in God? Who would want to explore Schelling’s antrophomorphism while we do not believe in – or even reject the idea of – an animistic universe? Who would want to understand Derrida’s deconstruction theory whereas we believe in one solid construction on which our entire life is founded?

College students hate taking philosophy because they are afraid to believe in things they are not supposed to believe. They are anxious about undergoing clashes of ideas in their heads. They worry about turning into psychos.

But I have had a great lecturer on philosophy in campus, who gave his students a tip on studying philosophy without the fear of getting a bang on the head that usher them into a mental ward. He said, “When you want to study someone else’s idea, first open in your mind a blank new sheet of paper.”

Alright… imagine your mind like a book. You’ve got your principles of life that contains the values you believe in and the faith you’re holding on to. You’ve got religion, integrity, social norms, values and codes of ethics written in one page of the book. Now, turn that page and open a new, blank one.

There is nothing in this page… not a single dot of ink. Studying other people’s ideas is like writing on that blank page, filling it up with the thoughts of world thinkers without needing to wipe out your own beliefs or write a jumbled message on your personal page. You see?

They are written on different pages!

And when it comes to studying another philosopher, all you need to do is – once again – open another blank page.

In the end, you’ll end up with a book that is rich with understanding and wisdom of all ages, written and kept in the depth of your mind – and still keep your beliefs and values unmarred by other people’s influences.

Of course, there are times when you do agree with some philosophers’ ideas and decided to adopt those ways of thinking into your own. In that case, you add new values into your personal page. And, when you do, you’ll suddenly realize how rich and flexible your mind has grown in the course of time.

Let’s be open to new ideas. Turn a new, blank sheet of paper today!

Keats, Nechayev, and Jesus Christ

The Nineteenth Century was the age of radical thinkers in Europe. In politics as well as in literature, we find young radicals storming into the world with revolutionary ideas. It was no wonder: France was just liberated from tyranny and the classical era in Britain was coming to an end – replaced by the romantic period which opposed nearly every single value of classicism.

They had Keats who claimed that the “chameleon” poet has no self. It is not itself. It keeps on filling in some other bodies and rejoices at being an Imogen as much as becoming an Iago. The poet is so absorbed in poetry itself, that he/she loses all aspects of self-ness. He/She is the poem, the character, the story, the world he/she creates. There is no artist and no audience. There is only Art. Art for art’s sake, the romantic poets would say of their time.

In politics, they had Nechayev – a disciple of Karl Marx and conspirator in the assassination of Czar Alexander II – who wrote, “The revolutionary man has no personal interests, no business affairs, no emotions, no attachments, no property and no name. Everything in him is wholly absorbed in the single thought and the single passion for revolution.”

Keats’ aim was much too ideal, and Nechayev’s motives were much too blinded by “revolutionary passion.” But… what do these two men had in common as representations of their era, aside from radicalism?

They had got passion, integrity and single-mindedness in defending what they believe as true. They sacrificed themselves, their lives and future for the sake of something much greater than themselves. They were the kind that moved the earth and set the world unto a new direction. They are called “revolutionists.”

Nonetheless, if every man is to be like Keats, society will lose its meaning. Humanity will be robbed of its vibrant colors – absorbed in one plain, lofty idea. And if passion for reformation is not stabilized and controlled – as in the case of Nechayev – many others will suffer. The bombings in Bali and Jakarta are simply examples of “passion – out of control.”

Keats was vain and Nechayev lost. But pure and upright passion should focus our aim into goodness and justice the way God desires – not what ourselves, or our leaders do. Men are finite. God is infinite.

“Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow Me, cannot be My disciple,” Jesus said.

Carrying the cross, denying our selves and focusing only on the will of the Master are the motivation and aim for those who desire the ultimate good of all man. How can we possibly stray and work in vain if our eyes are fixed on God, to do what is pleasant in His eyes?

This is true passion, integrity, and single-mindedness.

It is in God’s love.

It’s in the cross of Christ.

His sacrifice changed the world.

Is there any revolutionary leader greater than Him?

MP5/MP6 Digital Video Players from Alnect Computer

The growth of information and technology seems to move at top speed nowadays. Nearly a decade ago, people were thrilled at the rise of MP3 which enabled them to store up to hundreds of songs in a single piece of disc. It was a giant leap after years upon years having to cope with limitations of cassettes and compact discs. Then, a few years ago, we were pleased to find the upgraded version of MP3 which gave access to even greater storage: the MP4.

These days, digital technology ushers in the next generation of media players: the MP5/MP6 Digital Video Players. These gadgets allow us, users, not only to enjoy audio files, but view videos as well.

Below are two items and options from the latest trend in MP5/MP6.

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Alnect Webstore also provides another option in MP5/MP6 Digital Video Players with even more affordable price: Se-Yi MP5 Video Player PMP 2810 (below). With similar weight compared to Advance MP6 Video Player ME 1, this gadget provides 2 GB capacity and 3.0” screen. It is packed in glossy plastic material (front) and sleek light metal (back). The unique feature it offers is in the application: though displayed vertically, Se-Yi MP5 Video Player PMP 2810 is positioned horizontally when played. Price is set at 625,000 IDR.

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Interesting offers, won’t you say? Visit Alnect Computer now for further details on products information and purchase!

Frank Herbert's DUNE: The Future of Our Earth?

One of the science fictions that really give me the shudder is Frank Herbert’s Dune. I shiver not because of what the book exposes, but the possibility that the fiction of this story might one day become real in our own world.

Paul Atreides was the heir of the Atreides dynasty, a highly honored clan in the universe. At 17, he and his parents moved to the planet Arrakis, the home of spice and the driest place in the galaxy. In this universe, spice is the means of transaction, a sort of “money” or “foreign exchange” as we may put it in our word. Whoever controls Arrakis controls the universe. But, the natives of Arrakis themselves are wretched people, scorched by the sun and lived in dunes – forever treasuring a drop of water like precious diamond.

There was an instance where Paul’s would-be mistress, Chani, asked him what his home planet was like. Paul explained of springs, streams, rivers and oceans – things she had never heard, never seen, and never imagined – and her heart melt with longing for such beautiful a place.

It is a wonderful and very complicated work, but the thing that stabs me most is the probability that one day, our beloved Earth will turn out exactly like Arrakis! Alvin Toffler, the futuristic scientist, once predicted that in the age to come, people won’t be fighting and struggling for solid gold or black gold (petroleum), but for “blue gold” – WATER! There will come a day when water becomes so rare, mankind will prize it like prizing pure gold!

The signs of this occurrence have begun taking place in our day. People start having difficulty getting clean water for their daily needs. Some springs have dried up. The oceans are polluted and contaminated. Environmentalists shout warnings against water contamination.

Has anyone taken heed?

If we continue taking these environmental problems for granted, it is not impossible that in the near future we shall be craving for clean water and won’t be able to find it! Will we rather let our next generations living in a planet like Arrakis, the center of the universe yet the most wretched planet in the galaxy – a place where its inhabitants would give away anything in exchange for water supply?

Save our planet! Love our forest! Be kind to nature!

Children's Hobby vs. Parents' Ambition

Maria used to dream of becoming a ballerina. There was a dance studio nearby her house. She loved to sit and peep from the window every afternoon after school, just to see those beautiful Dutch girls practiced accompanied by piano. How she wanted to wear the tutu and join them in the dance, performing in city halls and receiving applause from the audience!

But she couldn’t. Ballet was for the dominating class in her time. In those days, it would mean the wealthy descendants of the former invaders – the Dutch. She was a native, a low class member of the society. And she was poor.

But her dream lived on. Decades afterward, she put her daughter through ballet lessons to make her live her mother’s dream.

Was what Maria doing wrong? It’s difficult to answer.

Sometimes, we parents simply and without awareness “use” our children for our personal interests. The above example is not the only case. Some parents sort of “misuse” their children’s hobby and talent as means to gain fame and satisfy their own ambition.

Some children love playing music, some others love sports. It is worth noting that they are doing these activities because they love them. It is part of their natural process as children, to discover their abilities and talents – to find out their strength and build their character – to become who and what they are meant to become. Not what their parents want them to become!

When parents begin interfering and pouring their ambition – even by arguing that it’s “for the children’s future” – into the children’s interests, then the young are no longer doing it for the sake of childhood pleasure. Such motivation from parents urges children to grow competitive and mars their childhood with selfish ambition. There is no more love and pleasure in what they are doing. It is rather unfair for the young, not to live a life of their own.

I believe it is best to let children grow as naturally as they can be. Giving support in their hobbies and activities is very important, as long as we don’t demand them to fulfill our wishes to become “the best,” “the number one,” or “the winner” – just because we lost or didn’t win those titles somewhere along life’s long road.

As for Maria, well… Her daughter loved ballet though not as much as she did. The girl’s frail health didn’t allow her to continue the lessons. She deserted dancing and decided to become a writer instead.

It is her hand that has brought you this post.