Bahasa Indonesia Yang Baik Dan Benar. Maunya Bagaimana Sih?

Di dalam aktivitas pertwitteran saya (benar tidak ya Bahasa Indonesianya), yang akhir-akhir ini juga tengah menurun, saya mengikuti sebuah tweep yaitu tweep ‘Bahasa Kita‘, tweep yang sering mentwit tentang Bahasa Indonesia.  Isinya banyak yang menghimbau kita terutama secara tidak langsung untuk memakai Bahasa Indonesia yang baik dan benar. Sebenarnya hal tersebut dilandasi oleh niat yang baik yaitu untuk menghargai dan melestarikan Bahasa nasional kita, tidak ada yang salah dengan itu. Namun, saya sering memperhatikan bagaimana para pakar Bahasa Indonesia terlihat sangat ‘alergi’ untuk menggunakan kata-kata serapan bahasa asing (terutama dari Bahasa Inggris) seperti yang dapat terlihat dalam postingan ini. Dalam postingan di Facebook tersebut mengesankan seolah-olah si pakar Bahasa Indonesia terlihat alergi dengan kata-kata serapan asing seperti: magnet, geografi, musikologi, ros, akunting dan sebagainya.

Di satu sisi yang lain saya tidak melihat alasan yang kuat dari si pakar Bahasa Indonesia kenapa ia terlihat alergi dalam menggunakan kata-kata tersebut selain alasan: berasing ria! Tunggu dulu! Berasing ria?? Bukannya dari dulu, bahkan jauh sebelum ada istilah “Bahasa Indonesia” sendiri, bahasa kita telah menyerap istilah asing? Contoh saja misalnya kata-kata: “agama”, “kodi”, “apam/kue apam”, “swadaya”, “puja” dan masih banyak lagi merupakan serapan dari bahasa Sansekerta dan Tamil di India sana! Juga kata-kata “masjid”, “ibadah”, “manfaat”, “makhluk”, “majelis”, “kimia” dan bergudang-gudang kata lainnya berasal dari Bahasa Arab yang notabene (<—- bahasa asing) juga bahasa asing. Atau mungkin mereka beranggapan bahwa tidak mengapa kalau menyerap kata dari bahasa-bahasa di India atau bahasa Arab karena India dan Arab masih terletak agak timur daripada Eropa, jadi masih dekat dengan jati diri bangsa Indonesia!!

Oke.. (<— lagi-lagi bahasa asing) taruhlah alasan yang tidak masuk akal tersebut bisa saya terima. Namun bagaimana seperti kata-kata: “mandor (mandar)”, “pesta (festa)”, “bendera (bandeira)”, “keju (quiejo)”, “mentega (manteiga)”, “terigu (trigo)”, “boneka (boneca)”, “sepatu (sapato)”, gereja (igreja) dan masih berton-ton lagi kata-kata serapan dari Bahasa Portugis (kata asli Portugisnya yang di dalam kurung)?? Kita tidak sadar bahwa kata-kata yang kita pakai sangat umum tersebut merupakan bahasa asing. Kata tersebut tentu saja berasal dari barat, bahkan Portugal secara geografis lebih barat sedikit daripada Inggris. Belum lagi kata-kata serapan dari Bahasa Belanda seperti: wortel, rekening, koran (courant), saldo, abonemen (abonnement), kerah (kraag), beton, es (ijs), pintar (pienter), dan terlalu banyak kata lainnya untuk disebutkan yang kita tidak pernah sadar bahwa kata-kata tersebut sebenarnya adalah bahasa asing juga! Lantas apa bedanya kata-kata serapan tersebut dengan kata-kata seperti: magnet, geografi, akunting dan sebagainya seperti yang disebutkan sang pakar Bahasa Indonesia pada postingannya tersebut???

Bedanya?? Zaman dahulu belum ada pakar-pakar Bahasa Indonesia yang terkadang, maaf, agak résé dengan keantiannya terhadap kata-kata asing, sehingga zaman dulu proses asimilasi kata-kata tersebut ke dalam kosakata Bahasa Indonesia menjadi lancar dan tanpa tentangan. Namun kini, di mana sudah banyak ahli-ahli bahasa Indonesia, keadaan menjadi sedikit berbeda walaupun saya yakin  proses penyerapan bahasa asing tidak akan pernah bisa dihentikan. Mengapa? Karena proses penyerapan bahasa asing adalah proses yang natural (<— kata serapan Bahasa Inggris ) atau alamiah (<— kata serapan Bahasa Arab ) dalam perkembangan sebuah bahasa. Hal tersebut tidak hanya terjadi dengan Bahasa Indonesia tapi juga dengan bahasa-bahasa lain di seluruh dunia termasuk Bahasa Inggris. Dalam sejarahnya, Bahasa Indonesia telah mendapat tambahan kata-kata mulai dari bahasa-bahasa di India, bahasa Arab, bahasa Portugis, dan bahasa Belanda. Kini di zaman kemerdekaan, Bahasa Indonesia tengah dihujani kata-kata baru yang kebanyakan dari Bahasa Inggris. Di masa mendatang, ketika China telah menjadi adidaya dunia mengalahkan Amerika Serikat, tidak tertutup kemungkinan bahasa kita akan banyak dihujani oleh kata-kata dari bahasa Mandarin. Menurut saya biarkanlah hal tersebut terjadi secara alamiah dan wajar. Toh, saya yakin, kata-kata serapan tersebut justru akan memperkaya kosakata Bahasa Indonesia, yang akan membuat bahasa kita justru semakin berwarna-warni yang kaya akan pilihan kata, dengan menghalangi masuknya kata-kata asing apalagi secara berlebihan akan membuat bahasa kita menjadi bahasa yang miskin akan pilihan kata sinonim dan akan membuat bahasa kita menjadi bahasa yang membosankan…

Is Homosexuality Against Nature?

One early morning about 5, after offering up the dawn prayer, since I had nothing else to do and I was in no mood for the Internet, I remotely switched on the TV, after browsing a few channels around I came across a religious talk-show programme which is daily aired by a local TV station. I’m not sure what was the topic (because I only focused on it for a few minutes before I reclicked the  channel-up button) but I happened to hear the host of the programme confidently stating that ‘homosexuality is against nature (In Bahasa Indonesia: melawan kodrat)’. Perhaps the topic being discussed was about homosexuality or the like, I’m not sure.  Okay if you talk about homosexuality in the frame of religion especially in Islam, we all know too well that homosexuality is a sin and no mistake, I’ll second it.  But against the nature? That’s another thing that I would not agree on. After doing some googlings online, I found articles that supported my opinion that homosexuality is not against nature. I do not know exactly what did the host of the programme mean by ‘against nature’ but I assumed that  what he meant by ‘against nature’ is that it is not commonly or generally found in nature.  If only the pious speaker had enough time  to sweat over  thorough googlings I bet he would not say something like that!

If you search for  the information of homosexual behaviour in animal, you will be surprised to find that this behaviour is more than common in the animal kingdom.  According to Wikipedia, scientists have observed and documented  homosexual behaviour in about 1,500 species ranging from low-level vermicular species to higher-level primates.  The behaviours observed are sex, affection, courtship, pair-bonding and even parenting. Some of homosexual behaviours in certain species show interesting characteristics.

Black Swans

The Black Swan, for instance, an avian species which is found down under, has an astonishingly high-rate of homosexual behaviour. About 25% of black swans homosexually pair off! Usually a pen (a female swan) live with two cobs (male swans) in a nest.  The threesome ends up after the pen lays the eggs when eventually the pen is driven away by the cobs. The cygnets (the young) are raised by the homosexual cobs.  Amazingly the cygnets have higher rate of survivability than those raised by male-female parents! Perhaps it is because of the superior ability of the homosexual parents to defend their territory and to protect their young from external threats.

Two male mallards showing affection to each other

Mallard, another avian species, in which case the males have more beautiful vibrant colours than the females also engage in homosexual relationship. The homosexual behaviour is notably observed  amongst the drakes (the male ducks). The male-male sexual relationship in mallard is as high as 19% which is unusually high for avian species.  A drake usually pairs with a female duck at first. After the female lays her eggs, the drake leaves the female to begin a homosexual relationship with another drake.

The bonobos

Another interesting homosexual relationship is found in the Bonobos. Yes, a bonobo is a chimp-like species found only in the remote jungles of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The man’s next of kin is a fully bisexual species. Contrary to the mallards, the bonobos have highest rate of female-female relationships though male-male relationships are also observed.  It is recorded that 60% of Bonobo’s sexual relationships are female-female that makes bonobo the species that has the highest rate of homosexuality.

Those three mentioned are just a few out of numerous species out there where we can observe homosexual relationships. If you thought that homosexual relationships are only found in human you are definitely wrong because nature has  shown us that homosexuality is part of nature itself! Considering that homosexuality is ubiquitously found in nature throughout the animal kingdom, are we still thinking that homosexuality is against nature? (Hey, don’t get misguided, I am not promoting homosexuality here, but even though you think I am, I will not lose sleep over it either! I’m just showing you what really happens in nature no matter whether we like it or not! ).

Photos have been provided through the courtesy of Wikipedia.

Tidak Perlu Berlebihan…

Tifatul Sembiring

Malang benar nasib Om Tifatul Sembiring. Gara-gara lupa dengan sumpahnya sendiri yang tidak akan berjabattangan dengan wanita yang bukan muhrimnya, ia menjadi bulan-bulanan para penghuni dunia maya se-Indonesia bahkan yang di luar negeri ketika (secara tidak sengaja?) ia menjabat tangan The First Lady Amerika Serikat, Michelle Obama. Banyak blog dan twit yang membahas salaman antarkeduanya. Kebanyakan mengolok-oloknya walaupun ada juga yang “membelanya”. Mereka yang mengolok-olok biasanya adalah orang yang “alergi” dengan way of life Islam, baik dari mereka yang kurang suka agama, ataupun dari kalangan agama lain, ataupun ada juga dari kalangan Islam sendiri yang mengaku “liberal”.  Mereka itu biasanya melihat orang yang melaksanakan way of life secara Islami hanya melihat orang tersebut dari segi agamanya saja, sehingga ketika orang tersebut melakukan kekhilafan maka yang keluar adalah olok-olok dari para pemerhati tersebut. Sedangkan saya, orang yang ehm.. berusaha melihat orang dari sudut yang netral (walau terkadang gagal juga), menganggap bahwa kesalahan tersebut adalah manusiawi dan tidak perlu dibesar-besarkan. Kesalahan-kesalahan manusiawi tersebut sebenarnya dapat saja terjadi pada siapapun termasuk pada kita. Namun jangan salah, saya bukan pembela Om Tifatul Sembiring, sebagai manusia biasa sayapun dalam hati merasa geli melihat Om Tifatul ‘termakan’ sumpahnya sendiri sambil berkata dalam hati: “Mangkannya kalau sumpah nggak usah demonstratif sampai orang sedunia tahu seolah-olah menantang dunia. Cukup sumpah tersebut determinasi buat diri sendiri. Nggak usah berlebihan!”

Saya jadi ingat, kasus beberapa tahun yang lalu ketika AA Gym masih populer, begitu banyak terutama mereka yang mengidolakan si AA menunggu-nunggu kehadiran AA baik di televisi maupun di tempat-tempat ceramah lainnya, walhasil laris manislah si AA.  Namun begitu si AA melakukan “kesalahan” dengan melakukan poligami, popularitasnya merosot tajam karena ditinggal “penggemar”nya terutama ibu-ibu dan remaja putri. Menurut saya hal tersebut juga sedikit berlebihan karena para “penggemar”nya nampaknya lebih mengidolakan sosok si AA pribadi (atau minimal lebih melihat kepada sosok si AA) daripada menghargai isi ceramahnya! Walhasil ketika si idola melakukan “kesalahan” maka penggemarnya ramai-ramai meningglkannya. Mangkannya kalau kita menyenangi isi khutbah seorang ustadz (atau isi ceramah seseorang) misalnya, yang perlu diapresiasi ya isi khutbahnya jangan berlebihan mengidolakan si ustadz! Bagaimanapun juga kualitas ceramah si AA tidak berpengaruh apakah ia melakukan poligami atau nggak. Mengerti logikanya? Kalau belum, contoh sederhananya begini: Jika ada orang berkata “berzinah itu tidak baik” lantas di kemudian hari ia kedapatan melakukan perzinahan. Lantas apakah perkataannya dulu “berzinah itu tidak baik” menjadi salah atau keliru?? Tidak, bukan?  Begitu contoh sederhananya.

O iya, ini juga bukan pembelaan buat AA Gym loh. Karena saya sendiri sebenarnya  tidak bisa menikmati ceramah-ceramah AA Gym. Bahkan entah kenapa saya cenderung mengantuk kalau mendengar ceramah-ceramah agama! Hehehe…. Saya lebih suka menonton acara-acara Animal Planet, National Geographic ataupun Discovery Channel. Namun bagi anda yang sangat menikmati ceramah-ceramah agama dan menurut anda ceramah-ceramah tersebut berguna, ya silahkan anda menyimaknya, jangan ragu-ragu. Tapi sekali lagi ingat, cukup mengapresiasi isi ceramahnya saja, jangan berlebihan sampai mengidolakan si ustadz (atau si da’i).

The Creator, Who or What Art Thou?

Nobody really knows when man began to worship gods. It seems like people have been worshipping gods since their first existence on this planet. Usually gods were depicted as supreme almighty beings that created and controlled natural phenomena which mechanisms were unknown to man at that time. Then humanity began to grow its knowledge, man learnt a lot of things concerning natural phenomena which were once unknown. One after another, man revealed the secrets of many natural phenomena. When man began to understand  the nuts and bolts of a natural phenomenon that was once thought to be controlled by a god, he or she began to realize that no gods are involved in the natural phenomenon. For example, people once thought that there was a god that controlled the rain, then people learnt and understood that rain is nothing more than water  cycles taking process in the atmosphere so the god is ‘ousted’  as the prime creator of the rain.  Now people understand what cause what natural phenomena and the concept of god slowly changes as the time progresses and the knowledge grows. However, perhaps some tribes that reside in many parts of the world still retain the old concepts of god especially those which still live the simplest life not affected much by modern sciences.

The explanation above may not  be the best description of a post presented by a fellow blogger Aria Turns (sorry it is in Bahasa Indonesia), a math blogger that every once in a while presents a topic off the mathematical scope.  The post should be reviewed in cool head and for those who are unhappy with his view must not  throw a tantrum or badmouth the author. Actually there are millions of people out there who share the same view with Aria Turns that the concept of god will always change with the progress of modern sciences. Even the current monotheistic concept embraced by today’s majority of the earth’s population will be prone to changes in the future! Many of us had even long rejected god as the creator of the universe and they believe that the universe needs no creator to initiate itself and to expand to its state we know it today. The news about the British scientists who successfully created a mini universe (it’s only a googling away to find the articles, check yourself!) even make much headway for the idea of relegating god. Many people believe if man can create a universe there is no need to involve god in the creation of the universe although I think it otherwise:  it supports the idea that at the beginning of the time our universe needed someone or something to kick off unless man can detect another spontaneous birth of universe somewhere else out of our own universe! (What do you think? )

For those of you who are religious bigots don’t fly off the handle too soon. If I was asked  whether I believe in the Creator or not, I would certainly answer “I do!”. Indeed as a Muslim I believe in Allah The Almighty.  And I don’t need to rectify it. However it is just a matter of my faith  or to be more exact: a personal faith which seems to be unimportant  for the progress of modern sciences because it is never scientifically proven. And to some degree I concur with Aria Turns that the concept of god will likely change with time and the progress of sciences although I believe there will be some people who still stick to the old beliefs. But, according to my humble opinion, scientific researches should be built upon a free and neutral predisposition.  It must not be in the spirit of removing God (or changing a concept of God) from our mind nor of blatantly defending concepts written in the holy books. Because science must independently reveal the truth no matter what the result may be, whether it shows the truth of  old scriptures or the other way round (as a matter of fact I will agree if scientists do not unnecessarily include something about God in their extended informal conclusions in addition to their scientific ones  because it is not their field! ).  If you are sure that the holy books contain the truth and nothing but the truth, scientific researches will  lead us there  sooner or later. God needs no human advocacy for Himself, it is us who need advocacy from others to make sure that we believe in the right thing and not to be ridiculed by others who do not share the same views  or faith with us. So why are we worried about the progress of sciences and all of the excess concerning the Creator? The point is that if you do a scientific research you do not need to refer to a holy book to validate your work, on the other hand if you believe in God and you wish to worship Him, you do not need science to validate His existence and to justify what you believe. Do it at your will as you like it! As simple as that! There is no necessity to create room for slanging matches or threats in between!

Tees From The “O Nine” and “Ten”

Tee-shirts from PBs 09 & 10 still in their plastic bags!

I know… I know… it is a perfunctory, slipshod, unimportant, trivial, name your own adjectives, post I’m gonna write. Yes, you are right this post is nothing more than a filler since I myself am not happy to see my blog neglected. This neglect is of course as predicted caused by my long-standing laziness that I too hope that it will soon be over though for now I myself don’t know how to help it. But if you think that I don’t have any more interesting or more substantial topics to write, you are utterly wrong since I still have loads of them! And I will unload them one after another in good time! Trust me! Meanwhile, you are welcome to enjoy this trivial post of a relapsed lazy blogger.

For those who partook in the yearly event of Pesta Blogger (PB), they always enjoy free t-shirts given away free. Since I have already participated in the last three PBs, naturally I have  at least had three PB tees. Two of them are displayed on the photo. Both are still wrapped in their plastic bags! Wait a minute…. you may understand if the PB 2010 tee is still in its plastic bag since the event’s just recently passed and I may not have the chance to wear it but what happened to the PB 2009 tee?? Why is it still in its plastic bag too? Am I not too happy with the shirt? Or do I still have not the chance to wear it after this one year? Yes, the latter is the right one. It is not because I don’t like it, it is because each year I get lots of free t-shirts that I have a closet of mine cramped with new and old t-shirts! So, this PB09 shirt is not the only one that I haven’t tried! Actually I still have another PB shirt which is from the PB08 but I think it has dicoloured with wear. I am not comfortable to display it because you will be likely to think that it is my grimes on my skin that stained the poor shirt! No way! It is natural for a white shirt to discolour with wear and age and I bet you notice it too!

Okay, that’s it for now. So, what’s the point of writing this post? Nada! I told you it is just a filler.  If you don’t think well of my tone of writing on this post you can blame Harry for it. Because during the last PB, he’s the one who encouraged me to write anything no matter how simple it is, especially whenever I’m lazy, to get my blog updated. LOL. I’m just kidding, Harry!