Kartini still a teacher and guide for us today<\/p>\n
Simon Marcus Gower, Executive Principal,
\nHigh\/Scope Indonesia School, Jakarta<\/p>\n
There is a very wise young Javanese lady who has much to teach
\nthe people of Indonesia, and indeed people all around the world,
\nin this current year of 2004. She exists through her writings and
\nher rightful place in the history books of Indonesia. She can be
\ncited as a key figure in the emancipation of women and indeed all
\nIndonesians and an advocate of individual liberties. In short,
\nshe can be seen as a remarkable person in her own times but also
\nshe is a very definite teacher and guide in and for our times.<\/p>\n
In many ways it is hard to believe that her own time was so
\nshort and that it was so long ago. Her life spanned less than
\nthirty years and her, all too early, death came in the year of
\n1904. For both of these reasons in is quite stunning that her
\npresence in Indonesian history may be seen as so important today.
\nShe was but a young woman when death took her and some one
\nhundred years on, the world, Indonesia and Java are very
\ndifferent places to those which she knew. And yet, she remains
\nrelevant and important and offers so many lessons and insights
\nfor modern day Indonesia.<\/p>\n
It is, then, important that both young and old Indonesians
\nalike remember her and consider the things that she did and
\ncontemplated which were so far ahead of her time and indeed of
\nsuch contemporary relevance. Young people should be aware of her
\nand be able to begin to consider the wisdom and intelligence
\ncontained in her short life. However, sometimes young Indonesians
\nare not always being led to knowledge of Kartini, as evidenced by
\none group of teenagers who expressed surprise when they were told
\nthat Kartini died at such a young age.<\/p>\n
But this is the fact, Kartini (or Raden Adjeng Kartini -- her
\nfull name) did die young and yet she has much to teach older
\npeople who have been fortunate enough to live longer than she
\ndid. Her thoughts really could and should be a great guide to
\neducators not just in Indonesia but throughout the world too. For
\nexample, she was clearly an advocate of education for all as a
\nforce for emancipation. She evidently held to the principle that
\neducation should not dwell in the realms of shallow memorization
\n-- as she put it \"Besides the head, the heart should be guided as
\nwell, otherwise civilization remains superficial.\"<\/p>\n
Observation such as this is as adroit and valid today as it
\nwas when she made it more than one hundred years ago. Still
\ntoday, for too many people, education remains in shallow
\nsuperficialities, that do nothing to help and support the moral
\nfabric of society but merely exist in inept and inapt notions of
\npassing tests and short term goals of graduation with little
\nthought of the potential civilizing and socially responsible
\nvalue of education. Kartini noted that \"to be truly civilized,
\nintellectual and moral education must go hand in hand.\"<\/p>\n
Often times too, Kartini could be quite revolutionary and even
\ncontroversial in her thinking, ideas and propositions. For
\nexample, she proposed that \"we have to astonish people with an
\nexample that speaks to them and that may force them to follow it,
\nif we want to achieve our goal of progress and enlightenment.\"<\/p>\n
Obviously such challenging and controversial thinking was a
\nproduct of her own life experiences. Born a daughter of a
\nJavanese aristocrat -- the regent of Djepara -- Kartini was
\nexpected to quite meekly and mildly conform to the heavy and
\nquite overbearing traditions of her aristocratic family but she
\nwas not one to conform and to be a mere follower. She herself
\nnoted the manner in which she would not passively follow
\ntradition -- \"I was always in trouble with my older brothers and
\nsister because I chose not to obey what they deemed right unless
\nI thought it was fair.\"<\/p>\n
It would be all too easy for history to record such a
\ncharacter as rebellious and even destructive of traditions but in
\nthe quote above there is one very important phrase that shows the
\ngreat value and credibility of Kartini and her thinking. Her use
\nof the words \"unless I thought it was fair\" shows her importance
\nas a progressive figure in history and for today.<\/p>\n
It is apparent that this was a guiding principle throughout
\nher life and one that she still stands for as a convincing
\nadvocate for the rights of people some one hundred years on. The
\ntradition into which she was born was intransitive, burdensome
\nand demanding of submissive and obedient behavior with little or
\nno reference to what was fair or just for others. Her's was a
\nworld that would even inhibit a child's laughter. Such
\nspontaneity would have been seen as unacceptable and had to be
\ncontrolled and set aside by formality and ritual.<\/p>\n
In essence Kartini was born to a tradition that would not
\nrecognize emotion and was imposing conformity and insisted upon
\nacquiescence to a predetermined and stifling role in life.
\nKartini, though, would not accept such shackles and in so doing
\ncreated an example for others and future generations.<\/p>\n
The way in which she did not meekly conform and follow in line
\nwith tradition showed her spirit to explore her own mind and the
\nworld beyond her aristocratic upbringing. She recognized the
\nvalue of learning and education in emancipating herself and
\nbringing greater freedoms generally. She wrote of how she
\n\"ardently, ardently wished to have the power of language in order
\nto state clearly what\" (she thought and felt) \"about so much that
\ninvokes admiration or indignation.\"<\/p>\n
She clearly, then, had a hunger for knowledge and the ability
\nto express herself. This was an example that should not be lost
\nto all of us today. National heroes can sometimes be lost to only
\nshallow appreciation and understanding of their true
\ncontributions to a nation and a people. The intelligence and
\nwisdom of Kartini is perhaps most deserving of a deep and abiding
\nappreciation and understanding, as it resonates so forcefully and
\nvaluably with our times. Kartini was a remarkable figure in her
\nown time and she remains a remarkable figure for our times and
\noffers considerable lessons of relevance and importance to guide
\nus.<\/p>\n
The opinions expressed above are personal.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kartini-still-a-teacher-and-guide-for-us-today-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }