The Perspectives of Creating Unity

Philosophical Thoughts, Paradigm, and Transformation

I have been thinking of joining this seminar conducted by One Asia Foundation on Tuesday, January 28, 2013 at Faculty of Cultural Sciences-UGM on the other day that ‘mbak I’ and I have talked about. Humanitarian science is interesting to me, especially that they will talk upon the Asian Community Development within  the social and cultural approach. Moreover, what could be better than visiting Sapardi Djoko Damono’s past place of study? Besides, it has been very boring talking about AEC in the context of Economics over and over again.

Hmmm it seems that this seminar’s gonna be a very long one. I looked up at the schedule that the committee sent me the night before. 7.30-17.30. They must be kidding, in my thought. But this is not a usual opportunity, why dont I give it a try?

Thinking about Asian Community or the ASEAN Community in 2015, there is a tendency of creating one community, extremely a borderless world. This is interesting, the trend of exchanging students here and there, and the rapid growth in social media has been creating a world without border. An information in one part of the world is rapidy interchanged throughout the internet.  Digital era has been amazingly restored and disseminated so much information throughout the cloud computing.

I felt relief seeing some friends were also there. Ana, Dewi (Jinni), Galuh were there at least since mbak I didnt come finally due to her internship. Ah, I saw Arina as well. It was a long while since we met at the community, a writing community. This makes me feel so old though and so much changes have been going on. Well, dynamism is part of self improvement and determination its self.

Mr. Yoji Sato-One Asia Foundation

I have not known anything about One Asia Foundation. But, Mr. Yoji Sato introduced us with this foundation. I’ll share what I resumed during the seminar. I might not be able to catch up every single thing but I tried my best to get the main point. One Asia Foundation is a voluntary-based and independet institution which has three basic principles-egalitarian, no barriers, and no politics. 

Btw, you know what, I thought Mr. Sato would talk in English. Indeed he did greet us in English but then, he admired me by delivering smeinar in Japanese. I love the way Japanese talk anyway. Nice accent. Plus, I always admire ther philosophical thought. Sadly I could catch only some words that wouldnt make sense at all. Good thing that there was a translator who helped us. I heard that not so many people in Japan intend to master English due to their high nationalism in their own language. However, his deep motivation and good will to unite people with the same vision take him here, creating this foundation that spread out across the continents. He assumed that Asian community doesn’t mean that it should close any relationship within other countries outside, instead, that the Asian community relates and will always closely connect with other countries. Thats why he welcome Russia, US, Turky, etc. as part of One Asia Foundation. 

His motivation was driven also by the spirit of former president Soekarno. Historically, Soekarno also initiated Konferensi Asia Afrika-KAA in 1955. Then the reunion of KAA in 2005 showed an increase number of countries participating there. 

The unique method of One Asia is that they offer an open learning access and that they seem to  be sincerely visiting here and there to build the ties and cooperation in the exchange of knowledge through offering coursess from all over the world. See, this seminar is also fee and they said it’s an indepently funded, so.. They have been doing cooperation with many universities across the world. In Indonesia, One Asia has UGM, ITB, and UPI as the pioneer universities offering this program of multidisciplinary courses. Anyway, I am still looking for the information of the courses being offered here ever since I have not heard it before. 

The concept of courses offered here are omnibus style (serial and multidiscipline), independency, and credit transferrable to the home university (this one is good point that our university will count the credit of taking the course via One Asia).  There are three barriers that overcome (threat analysis) which include ego (self), company-organization, and nation-race. Our ego, is a self barrier that we overcome differences (any way this shouldnt be considred as threat, i guess? Weakness I thought). Company here is the threat from the economic interest. The condition of two competing companies from different countries will probably affect the cooperation of the two countries. Recently, due to the conflict in Syria, the access of a learning open source based in US became inaccessible to students from Syria. Isn’t that quite interesting, huh? Politics and economics ineterst sometimes become nonsense boundary. Mr. Sato emphasized on how shall we graduate throuh the three boundaries isn’t that we eradicate each boundary. Instead, we breakthrough and learn through all the boundaries. 

Then, the question is how to pass those barriers? He made this analogy. An apple with its outer skin of multidisciplines: economics, politics, education, health, law, science, and so on. Then inside the apple is stack of layers which consist of self ego, human being, life, and ultimate substance (correspondingly from outer to inner part of the apple). The analogy of an apple means that the complexity of the multidiscipline problem is just an skinned problems that should be loooked through the layers. Those problems can be solved as we pass through the layers of boundaries. 

Another analogy he picked was a big tree. Sometimes, people look a problem at what is visible. They only see a tree from itts appearnace, the flowers, the leaves, and the tigs whiich are only the surface that would probably cahnge overtime. They don’t see the fundamental problem inside, the roots of the problems. If we think this tree is ourself. Those changes might make us feel sick. Indeed, there are invsible part to be considered essential. There needs to be balance in coping with the tangible and intangible matters.

What do you think of a baby? Does a baby have a self ego? No. According to the researches the body is not the same as self ego. A baby doesnt own a self ego. This research was carried by Friederich II (1194-1250) and Amala&Camala (1920). Friederich was a Holy Roman Empire, King of Sicily who did experiment over several babies. Those babies were not named. You know what happened then,all those babies without name died at the age of 12. Do you not believe? Lets do a trial on our babies. Dont name them and see whats gonna happen.. :D (surely he was kidding)

According to Mr. Sato, baby is a crucial stage. At the age of 0-10 months a baby is figuring out the self ego. Self formation starts by giving the name. That is why a baby would smile when you call out her name since she has been doctrinized by the environment calling the name over and over.

Human has the opposite meaning to self ego. Ego is self-individual thinking and perspective. Meanwhile, human... Humanity is what we see ourselves as a collective of individu. The basic reason of unity is that we are human..

Oh maaan, it’s still long way of finishing the summary. There are still so many sessions and I think I wont finish reblog it tonight. Typing is tiring, huh. So, I will continue later on when I found the mood hehe.

From this perspective, actually I have another deep thought that is quite in line with spirituality. Don’t we realize that even before the creation of European Union, OPEC, sistercity, Asian Community, or anything alike, muslim has built a borderless brotherhood? When those speakers in front of me are talking about how should awareness be built between the countries in terms of social, economic, security, and politics, I have been thinking that there is certainly no border upon muslimhood.. This is probably out of topic. But honestly this is a beautiful thinking. Thats a very nice thought about Islam. How we are all the same. What makes us different is not what seems visible. Our obedience and somewhat invisible are what become essential. This is very beautiful, isn’t it?

*I tried participating once.. I was admired by the anthropologist Prof. Heddy Shri Ahimsaputra. I asked but didnt get a chance to discuss with him :( anyway Dewi said I had a good voice, really? Good one as of being an emcee-master of ceremony. Indeed I used to be, at least every Monday morning during elemntary school hahaha