Saturday, March 31, 2012

Sebuah Episode, Di Kota Paling Romatis Sedunia

Wussssss……….

Seketika udara dingin langsung menyambut dan mengerutkan kulit gadis tropis itu. Sensasi yang tidak biasa. Selama 19 tahun ia hidup di negeri tropis dan kini untuk pertama kalinya ia menghadapi suhu udara di bawah 10˚C. Paris memang terlihat pucat dari atas sana tadi. Hampir di akhir musim dingin, sungguh waktu kedatangan yang tepat pikirnya. Mungkin kostumnyalah saat ini yang kurang tepat. Sudah ia perhitungkan sebelum pergi, pakaian apa yang  harus dikenakannya. Sweater dan syal tebal itu ternyata belum cukup bersahabat dengan udara yang baru saja menyapanya saat keluar dari pesawat.

Wusss… 

Namun, semua itu tidak berarti apapun jika dibandingkan bara api semangat dalam dirinya. Kini hati dan jiwanya sedang benar-benar berkobar. Rasa lelah yang dirasakan beberapa waktu yang lalu karena penerbangan 18 jam sirna seiring dengan landing-nya pesawat. Bahkan rasa mual dan pusing karena turbulence yang dirasakan selama berjam-jam dalam pesawat sirna seiring dengan hembusan angin dingin yang membuat bulu kuduknya berdiri. Bagaimana tidak, kini rasa tidak percayanyalah yang memuncak, menimbulkan  tabir aneh dalam nalarnya, yang membuatnya lupa akan sensasi penerbangan pertama kali dalam hidupnya. Tabir aneh yang menutupi pikiran rasionalnya, hingga tidak tahu ini malam ataukah siang. Jetleg. Ia masih tidak percaya akan pencapaian yang telah ia lakukan hingga detik ini. Kini, ia berada di suatu tempat yang ia impikan selama 2 tahun terakhir, sebuah tempat yang tergambar jelas dalam benaknya dan ia tulis besar-besar dalam kertas mimpinya, PARIS.

"Bonjour mademoiselle, bienvenu á Paris."(1)
Sebuah sapaan dengan aksen Perancis bagian selatan yang asing ia dengar, begitu ramah dan kembali menyadarkannya, ini benar-benar Perancis. Diikutinya arus orang-orang berjalan dan mengantri dalam sebuah line, kantor imigrasi, pikirnya. Sedikit was-was, dengan penampilannya yang tertutup rapat seperti itu, ada sebuah kemungkinan besar ia dianggap orang aneh dan membahayakan. Apalagi dengan hebohnya dunia karena berita tentang teroris saat ini. Pikiran-pikiran aneh tentang muslim-muslim yang biasa diperlakukan buruk di kantor imigrasi ketika akan memasuki sebuah negara asing, muncul dalam pikirannya. Apa lagi, ini Perancis bro.. sebuah negara yang terkenal paling sekuler sedunia. Takkan kubiarkan mereka macam-macam dengan ku, pikirnya sambil menyiapkan beberapa dokumen yang ada dalam tas kecil yang selalu dibawa kemanapun : passport, visa dan sebuah surat sakti. Dokumen –  dokumen itu adalah barang paling berharga ketika sesorang melakukan berjalanan ke sebuah negara asing, harus selalu dibawa kemana-mana kalau tidak ingin dianggap imigran gelap jika tiba-tiba ada razia. Seorang laki-laki Perancis bertubuh besar berambut pirang meminta dokumennya, sebuah aksen perancis kota kali ini,
"Indonésie?"  (2)
"Oui."  (3)
"Moeslem?"
"Oui."
"Qu’est que vous ferez ici?"(4)

"J’apprendrai le Français au… " (5)
"D’accord, avancez!!" (6)
"Merci." (7)
Sedikit kasar, tapi , fiuh, aman. Surat sakti itu benar-benar ampuh, jika tidak ada dokumen itu mungkin akan menghabiskan waktu berjam-jam di kantor imigrasi hanya untuk menjelaskan keperluan selama di Perancis. Dokumen itu adalah dokumen resmi dari instansi yang mengadakan program pertukaran pelajar yang ia ikuti. Dalam dokumen tersebut jelas disebutkan bahwa orang ini, dengan identitas ini, memiliki kepentingan ini dan bertanda tangan kepala institusi tersebut. Jadi jelas sudah, Saya Sabila Fatimah, seorang muslimah Indonesia, dan saya tidak berbahaya.

Waktu menunjukkan pukul 18.00 waktu setempat, waktunya sholat ashar pikirnya. Setelah sukses di  kantor imigrasi dan mengambil luggage-nya, ia berwudhu di wastafel toilet dan dicarinya sebuah tempat aman untuk memenuhi kebutuhannya tersebut. Tidak ia sia-sia waktu untuk mencari mushola yang memang tidak akan ia temukan di  sana. Dekat ruang tunggu bandara ada sebuah sudut kecil sepi, tempat yang bagus. Tidak banyak yang berlalulalang dekat tempat itu. Sering kali ia mendapat cerita atau bahkan melihat langsung orang-orang yang sholat di tengah keramaian. Orang-orang yang begitu teguhnya mendirikan perintah sang-Khalik dimana pun berada. Sungguh mulia dan keren orang-orang seperti itu pikirnya, dan saat ini ia merasakannya sendiri. Sebuah sensasi yang luar biasa. Kenapa di tempat yang asing dan tidak wajar ini, ia malah merasa begitu dekat dengan Tuhan-nya. Sungguh sebuah kenikmatan beribadah yang luar biasa. Tak terasa, air mata pun jatuh membasahi pipinya. Sungguh sebuah ucapan syukur tak terhingga yang ia sampaikan pada Tuhannya. Sebuah rasa atas nikmat luar biasa dan jawaban akan semua doanya selama ini. Sangat jelas dalam ingatannya, 2 tahun yang lalu, ketika ia tuliskan dalam kertas mimpinya, “ 30. Akan kutapakan kaki ku di negeri music klasik, Eropa.” dan ia panjatkan doa tulus setiap hari kepada Tuhan-nya , “ ya Allah ijinkan aku untuk melihat    ciptaan-Mu di belahan bumi yang lain”, dan kini, semua itu terjadi. Sungguh, Allah-lah sebaik-baiknya pemberi nikmat. Sebuah sujud syukur yang panjang sebagai pembatal nadzarnya, mengakhiri doanya. Kini hati dan jiwa semakin siap dan mantap untuk menantang perjalanan hidupnya di tanah baru selama 2 bulan ke depan. “Bismillah, kulangkahkan kakiku untuk mempertanggungjawabkan sesuatu yang kuinginkan selama ini, bukan untuk siapapun, tapi untuk Tuhan-ku”, pikirnya seiring langkah kakinya meninggalkan bandara.  




 -bersambung-


1. Halo Nona, selamat datang di Paris
2. Indonesia 
3. Iya
4. Apa yang akan ada lakukan di sini?
5. Saya akan belajar bahasa Perancis di…
6.  Oke. Lanjut/maju.
7. Terimakasih

Friday, March 30, 2012

Convergence of Humanity and Technology

We can not deny that technology is the key to the advancement of human life at the moment. I do not know whichever occurs first, whether technological or the progress itself. But for sure both areas are mutually supportive and hand in hand. With the technology, it feels that things run more easily without any limits of space and time. In fact, it can be said today, it is no longer the man who creates the technology, but it becomes technology which creates the human lifestyle. And even, we can say people in this recent time, especially young people who are very sensitive to the changes of technology, can not live without technology.
Everything must have positive and negative values, as well as technology. Technology provides a lot of changes and eases almost in all spheres of life. Even something that seems impossible at first but it became apparent with the technology, such as X-rays (rongent) and CT scans. It was not inconceivable, before Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen thought to use X-ray at the first time to take pictures of his wife's hand bones, how a doctor can diagnose that a person has a blockage of the arteries in the brain without surgery or even without touching the patient. But this time, it is real and with research and continuous development, the field of health technology will become more sophisticated.
But at the same time, technology can be a powerful weapon to kill people massively. At the time of the emergence of this remarkable technology, it is also accompanied by the emergence of various types of deadly diseases around the world. Even, some become endemic in a region such as dengue fever, avian influenza, HIV / AIDS and other deadly diseases. Until now, these diseases have killed thousands of people around the world. For instance, avian influenza which was killed 80 people and dengue fever which was killed 1100 in Indonesia peoples only in 2007 (Gray, 2009). AIDS is also rampant in Africa and it is estimated that nearly 4 until 20 million people of African Negro died of this disease (Gray, 2009). In fact, it is said that the African Negro will become an endangered species, unless the drug for the treatment of AIDS can be found right now (Gray, 2009). And worse, many people say and prove that the disease was created and developed by a particular group as a powerful murderer weapon. Medicine for AIDS and several other diseases have not been found, so there is increasing number of deaths from this disease each year. Indeed, the drug has not existed yet or, maybe, is deliberately not created.
Biological weapons, perhaps is the suitable word to describe a fact about the use of viral and bacterial which carriers of germs and diseases as a weapon of mass murderers. Maybe this time the war was no longer involved crossfire, it develop in a quieter but more deadly way, by sowing the seeds of the deathly disease. These methods were already used since 1763 when Henry Bouquet an English colonel killed the Indians to seize their land by distributing blankets that have been infected with measles. In World War I, American and British armed forces used phosgene, mustard gas and chlorine to counter the Germans. All of the gas caused death by a horrible way. For example is mustard gas. This is a heat agent that is caused debilitating, causing bleeding, and injuring the skin and lungs. Victims will be blind and large pieces of skin will peel off. In the present era, the war in Iraq, Palestine, and Afghanistan also can not be separated from the use of these biological weapons.
In the case of war or power struggle, like the examples which have mentioned above, biological weapons are widely used because it is cheaper, more effective and more deadly. The impact of the use of biological weapons is the massive deaths, destruction of social structure and even the extinction of mankind in a particular region.
In this more modern era, with the advances of technology and the ease of transportation, biological weapons are developed with more sophisticated. Artificial compounds can be made to create a deadly disease and the cure was not found in nature, thus, it created a perfect murderer weapon. The facts have proven and very clearly can be seen with the emergence of a variety of deadly diseases as mentioned earlier. But biological weapons are not only longer used in warfare. Its function has now been expanded. However, if many people know the facts in the real use of biological weapons today, many people will assume that such action is an inhuman act and clearly violate human rights. A group of people claiming the use of biological weapons is to establish a new world order.
It mentioned that the new world order is an attempt of a group of people to take over the world and have control over the fate of all mankind. To achieve this goal they do not hesitate to kill those who oppose or are deemed threatening. They also assume that people who have mental retardation, who is not capable, people with epilepsy, and who suffered physical and mental disorders must be eliminated. The group is calling them sub-human and the one who are not worthy to delivery offspring. More extreme, other groups use biological weapons to conduct genocide of a race that is deemed as subordinate, even considered not worthy to life. By spreading germs and deadly diseases, like AIDS, they succeeded in killing millions of people including women, children and babies. Then, is there any humanity point of those actions?
A novel by James Rollins, called The Doomsday Key 2012, told that biological weapons are also used as the attempts at mass murderer by a certain group. In this novel Doomsday itself does not mean the destruction of the universe, but a disorder that will be occur when the number of mankind will reach the threshold of the earth's ability to provide food. In these conditions there will be a big mess. A genetic manipulation is done on the source of food and cause the food is not safe for consumption, so it will be a killer weapon which is very powerful. Humans will die in a state of satiety. The purpose of all this is none other than to control the population of the world. However, can it still be called as humanity action?
There are many opinions issued by the various parties as a response toward the phenomenon of biological weapons. Indeed today, the world is facing a food crisis and security issues in several regions, especially in the countries of the third world. However, it is clearly not wise when it very easily kill people only for reasons of political interests and power. It is inhumane if a nation or a group of people using technology to oppress other nations of the weaker only because of the differences in skin color and social status. And even, it is not honorable degrading other people only because we consider ourselves superior. Technology does make everything is easy as possible for human life. Yet it is not wise when technological prospering of a nation but at the same time threaten the survival of other nations. Do not let technology make us a nation of barbarians. Technology should be used as well as possible.
However we argue, in fact, oppression in the name of power, political interests, and some have claimed for national security and the world, is still prevalent. All we can do now, especially as the younger generation, is to protect ourselves with science to be able to survive and fight with science and technology as well. We also need to be wise in utilizing natural resources, protecting the environment and efforts to prevent natural disasters and global disasters, for the sake of the survival of mankind. As the young generation should also take advantage of technology wisely, and participating in maintaining world peace. Cooperation, communication and good relationship across countries should be built. And I think the International Youth Forum Program is one attempt to make this happen. This program will increase the youth critical attitude of a growing issue in the international world and realize the tolerance between people. Especially the youth who will become agents of development in their respective countries and the world.

(Adams, 2010)

References:
Adams, M. (2010, March 2010). Pharmaceuticals are Weapons of Mass Prescription (comic). Retrieved March 31, 2012, from http://www.naturalnews.com/028271_pharmas_Big_Pharma.html

Gray, J. D. (2009). Deadly Mist . In J. D. Gray, Deadly Mist (p. 300). Jakarta : Gema Insani.

Rollins, J. (2009). The Doomsday Key 2012. In J. Rollins, The Doomsday Key 2012 (p. 524). New York: William Morrow-HarperCollins.

wikipedia. (2011, April 29). Wilhelm Röntgen. Retrieved April 29, 2011, from wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_R%C3%B6ntgen