Monday, February 13, 2012

Life is Unfair and So What?

I realize, more problems will arise when I see life from "UNFAIR" perspective.  When I see myself as a victim, I become caught in a circumstance that brings me nowhere. 
As a human, my natural response to negative situations is anger.  Of course,  I have to direct that anger toward someone or something.  And I realize tonight, when I direct anger toward others, then offenses follow, and then guilt and then depression.

And I feel bad, therefore, I try to find things to compensate for my bad feelings.  Addictions.

I try to bury myself, often to cover negative feelings that arise out of thought of feeling that life is unfair. And luckily, music is my sweet escape. God, help meeee!!

LOOK OUT LOOK OUT

Once I had a dream to travel the world..
Now the chance spread ahead of me, but at some point, I'm afraid to grab that.
What should I do?
Am I tangled in my own comfort web?
I've talked to many people, they give no help, only prep talks and me-centered-stories repeated again and again like those old songs on the broken radio.
What will I be? How will I be?
Who should I believe?

It's not fair!
Why me?

What about my mom? My family?
I feel like talking to the walls. Stoned walls with no windows for me to breath.
I'm cornered, with no choice.

I'm fully aware and understand, all happens for a reason.
God will not give me burden that I can't carry.
But to feel miserable and being treated unfair-ly is humane, right?

O, wish I could see where this maze will lead me to.

AND WHAT IS A PROMISE WITHOUT THE INTENTION TO MAKE IT HAPPEN?
Yes, I'm disappointed. But I will wait and see to how far they can bear their debt.
Let's see.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

VEG ME

I think I wanna change some things in my life, this is just the right point to make a decision.
I want to be more healthy. I want to be a vegetarian from now on.
Why?
Here are some good reasons I found randomly from the internet:
  1. Cut the fat. While meat provides a lot of protein, it also provides a ton of fat. Which means that by cutting out meat, you’ll be cutting out a lot of bad fat, and replacing it with things that are probably not only lower in fat, but that contain some good fats. This greatly reduces your risk of heart disease, and in fact numerous studies have shown that vegetarians tend to have a lower risk of heart disease, as well as hypertension, diabetes, cancer and other diseases.
  2. Less food poisoning. Food poisoning gets millions of people each year — and many of them from meat, which is a good breeding ground for harmful bacteria, especially if not stored, prepared or cooked exactly right.
  3. Reduce the suffering. You probably don’t want to hear about the horrific treatment of animals that are raised for food, even before they are slaughtered for our benefit. But suffice it to say, there are great amounts of suffering involved, and by cutting out meat, you are reducing your involvement in that. 
  4. Help the environment. There are actually numerous ways that the meat industry harms the environment, from a waste of our resources (animals raised for food eat enough grain to feed the world), to a waste of fuel, to the pollution caused by their waste matter, and much more. 
  5. Help your weight loss. It’s possible to be vegetarian and eat very unhealthy foods, including Coke and fries and fried stuff and pizza and chips. But it’s much more difficult. Studies repeatedly show that vegetarians are slimmer and are less likely to be obese than meat eaters. If you’re trying to lose weight, being a vegetarian can be a good part of your program.
  6. Get more nutrition. In general (though not necessarily), vegetarians replace meat with more nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, and so on. If you do that, you will be getting more of the nutrients your body needs, giving you better health, less illness, and more energy.
There are different types of vegetarians:

1. Flexitarian
Flexitarians are also known as semi–vegetarians and occasionally eat meat. 
2. Pesci–vegetarian
Pesci–vegetarians eat fish, dairy, and eggs but don't eat meat or poultry.
3. Lacto–ovo vegetarian
Lacto–ovo vegetarians don't eat meat, but do eat eggs and dairy products (ovo means eggs and lacto means dairy).
4. Lacto vegetarian
Lacto vegetarians don't eat meat, but do eat dairy products. This is the most common type of vegetarian diet.
5. Ovo vegetarian
Ovo vegetarians don't eat meat but do eat eggs.
6. Vegan
Vegans avoid eating any animal products. They don't eat any meat products, milk, cheese, eggs, honey, or gelatin. Many vegans choose not to wear clothes containing animal products, such as leather, wool, or silk, or wear makeup tested on animals.

Well, to me, pesci vegetarian maybe will fit in :D

Thursday, February 9, 2012

INDONESIAN INTERFAITH LEADERS TO SUPPORT ESTABLISHMENT OF PALESTINE STATE

        The discussions over the Palestinian-Israeli conflict are never ending. It is a complex, two-sided conflict.

        The dispute between the two nations has continued since the end of the 19th century to the present.

        Responding to this, the former Indonesian Vice President, Jusuf Kalla, stated that people are becoming jaded by the conflict.

       "Talking about the Palestine-Israel conflict is boring and tiring," he said during the "Gilad Atzmon" book launching in Jakarta over the weekend.

       "I remember that the conflict between Israel and Palestine has
been ongoing since I was in junior high, and at that time I joined a march to protest the Israeli invasion of Palestinian lands and, unfortunately, the conflict is still happening," said Jusuf Kalla.

       Furthermore, this straight-talking Sulawesi-born businessman put
forward that the only way to gain peace between those two nations is
letting them solve their own problems.

       "The world should stop pushing and interfering in the peace bid between these two nations," said Kalla.

       In addition, Kalla stated that both Israel and Palestine want
to live in peace.

       "When I visited Tel Aviv in 2010, I talked to one of Israel's top
officials and he said to me, among all of the countries in the world,
Israel is a country that wants peace the most," Kalla recalled.

       As a Muslim, Jusuf Kalla is apparently more moderate in viewing the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

       His opinion is quite different than the stance taken by some interfaith leaders who support the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

   
Interfaith leaders stance

  The chairman of the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI), Dr.

    Andreas Y. Wangu, stated his support for the establishment of an
independent Palestinian state.

       "As it is stated in our state constitution, independence is the right of all nations. No nations, including Palestine, can live under the oppression of other nations," he said.

       More importantly, Wangu emphasized that the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict cannot be reduced merely to a matter of certain
religions.

       "The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is not about Jews and Muslims. Some people, especially here in Indonesia, tend to conclude that Israel is identical with Christianity and Palestine is identical with
Islam," he said.

       Wangu argued that there are many Christians, too, living in the
Palestinian area and, therefore, such views are not true.

       "We should not shrink this problem to a matter of religions, instead, we should see this in the bigger picture of a human rights matter," he added.

       In line with Wangu, a prominent Indonesian Catholic and humanist
leader, Prof. Franz Magnis-Suseno stated his support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

       "If Palestine cannot be a free state, then there will be no freedom
upon this earth. I believe independence is the right of all nations,"
he said.

       Further, the Poland-born Director of the Philosophy Graduate School
Program of Driyarkara put forward the importance of differentiating
Zionism and Jews.

       "It is not easy to differentiate between Zionism and Jews, however,
people should not generalize those two terms," he said.

       Magnis-Suseno said it is the same when people talk about anti-semitism, the prejudice against Jews, because, according to him, not all semitic people
are Jews.

       "The point is, people should not generalize things," he added.

       Meanwhile, an interfaith leader who represents Islam, Ahmad Syafii
Maarif, spoke of his disappointment about those Arab countries that seem to ignore the conflict.

       "Unfortunately, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is ignored in the Arab countries, but fortunately some Jewish thinkers, themselves, such as Noam Chomsky and Gilad Atzmon, have openly defended the fate of the Palestinians," he said.

        About the Indonesian stance regarding the conflict of Palestine-Israel, Syafii Maarif thought the Indonesian government should look back to the mandate of the 1945 Constitution, which stated that " colonialism in the world should be abolished because it is not in accordance with humanity and justice".

   
Not all Jews are bad

  "Jews are not all bad, there are Jewish intellectuals who, through
their influence, have helped to defend the Palestinian people, such as
Gilad Atzmon," Syafii Maarif said.

       Gilad Atzmon is an eminent figure who is discussed in Ahmad Syafii
Maarif¿s new book. He is a true Jewish leader whose grandfather was a
right-wing leader of Israel¿s terror organization, the Irgun.

       A jazz musician who lives in London, he is now active in a number of activities defending the right of Palestinian freedom.

       "Gilad Atzmon: Critical Notes on the Future of Palestine and Zionism," is a book about the solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict written by Ahmad Syafii Maarif.

       Through his book, Syafii Maarif hopes people can have an understanding of the difference about Zionism and the Jews.

       "It is important so that the perception that all Jews are evil and
an oppressive nation can be straightened out," he said.

       Syafii Maarif added that Gilad is phenomenal leader.

       "He is one of the leaders who propose a 'one state solution' for that prolonged conflict," he noted.

MOTHER ORANGUTAN PROTECTS HER CUB FROM A CROWD

        Suci, a primate orangutan mother, cuddled  her cub, Sri, tightly in her frail arms to escape local hunters in a plantation area in Kalimantan.

        She was exhausted after being hunted all night long, but her maternal instinct was so strong that she tightly held on to her child to protect it.

        The child surrendered herself in her mother's embrace, which protected her life in a dangerous environment.

        Meanwhile, a crowd of people, who were holding machetes and ropes, were screaming clamorously, terrorizing the two creatures.

        The scene is not from any war that is raging in the world these days.

        Rather, it was a scene of an orangutan rescue that was taking place  in the middle of PT Bakacak Himba Bahari (BHB), a palm tree plantation in the regency of Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

        Orangutan mother Suci is 25 years old, while Sri, her cub, is 6 years old.

        These two endangered species were rescued by a joint-team consisting of staff from PT Restorasi Habitat Orangutan Indonesia (RHOI), Borneo
   Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF), and the office of Conservation and Natural Resources of East Kalimantan (BKSDA)

At risk of extinction

   Orangutans once lived in forests across Asia, but now these primate animals can only be found in the forests of Kalimantan (Borneo) and Sumatra island.

        Today in the world, there are two genetically distinct species of
orangutan: the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) and the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus). Both are now categorized as endangered species.

        The current population of Bornean orangutan is estimated to be around 54,000, while in Sumatra the estimated number of endangered animals stands at around 6,500.

        The number of Bornean orangutans is estimated to have declined by 75 % since 1900, and by 85 % from 1900 to 1994; and 41 % from 1997 to 2002 for orangutans living in Sumatran island.

        There are many factors threatening the survival of these endangered species in Borneo and Sumatra. One of the factors is the loss of their habitat due to forest fires, illegal logging and land clearance for plantation activity.

        The use of forest areas for plantations has actually become a major problem in Indonesia right now,  as it is reducing the area of orangutan habitats.

        "The economic aspect in developing palm tree plantations by businessmen run counter with the intention to save orangutans, as orangutans are often seen as  pests and, therefore, these endangered animals are always chased and killed," said Dr Jamartin Sihite,  the CEO of BOS Foundation Indonesia in
Jakarta.

        In response, Tandya Tjahjana, head of  BKSDA in South Kalimantan, said that he had already asked the oil palm plantation owners to cooperate with his agency in his bid to save orangutans.

        "I have already approached them to make an inventory of orangutans living on their plantations, but very few of them are willing to submit the report on orangutans to BKSDA," Tjahjana said.

   
Rape suspected

   What has happened to Suci and Sri is something common in Sumatera and Kalimantan. However, there are more heartbreaking facts, since Suci was three months pregnant.  This was discovered after the rescuers examined her.

        "This is an unusual happening in the life of orangutans, that  a mother orangutan who is raising  her cub becomes pregnant," said Deputy Director of Conservation RHOI Aldrianto Priadjati, Jakarta, on Thursday, February 2.

        According to Aldrianto, the pregnancy of a female orangutan who is cuddling her cub is unusual, as the mother has to nurture and teach her cub to live in the forest for eight years.

        "In that time period, female orangutans will never get pregnant.

        We assumed Suci was raped by other male primates, so that she became pregnant at the time she was still caring for Sri," Aldrianto said.

        Furthermore, rescuers estimated that in the part of the forest where Suci and Sri were found,  there were more male than female orangutans.

        Aldrianto, however, cannot be certain about the ratio of male and female orangutans. If the number of female orangutans is less than one percent of the total population, the orangutan is more susceptible to extinction.

        Conditions experienced by Suci are a real threat to  female orangutans today. They are not only hunted by humans, but female orangutans can also face sexual pressures from males.

        Aldrianto further stated that just like human beings, a female orangutan
is very picky when choosing her mate. The female tends to choose  the strongest male orangutan as her partner for mating so, as a practical matter, the male will be able to protect the female partner.

        "Naturally, orangutans are highly intelligent and gentle animals."

Saving forest

   Saving orangutans means saving the forest and the world. There are so many reason why this is so. One of the most important reasons is that orangutans are very important for forest regeneration.

        "Orangutans are arboreal individuals, they spend nearly all of their time in trees, which is why they can open up the forest canopy while making their nests, which in turn lets the sunlight in to help in growing plants on the forest¿s floor," said Dr Jamartin Sihite.

        And just as the name orangutan means "man of the forest" in Malay, the orangutan  can really become the savior of the forest.

        They can also be effective in spreading seeds that can fertilize the forests.

        Orangutan survival demands the involvement of many parties, and not only  non-governmental or governmental organizations.

        Palm oil companies are now in the spotlight as they join in saving the orangutan.

        " Companies are now needed to participate in corporate biodiversity responsibility (CBR), in addition to corporate social responsibility (CSR)," said Dr Jamartin Sihite.

        Further, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has launched the Indonesian Orangutan Conservation Strategy and Action Plan 2007-2017 that  commits to maintaining orangutan populations above critical thresholds.

        The main target of the plan is to stabilize orangutan populations and habitats until 2017, in addition to returning orangutans currently housed in rehabilitation centers to the wild by 2015.

        The action plan also seeks to ensure that government and businesses, such as oil palm industries, follow established guidelines on orangutan conservation.