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Friday, March 27, 2020

Religious arrogance at its worst

Just got back from Friday Prayer, where the preacher said that staying at home, not praying Friday Prayer or not going to the mosque for congregation in the times of plague is an act of hypocrisy, which is equally as bad as apostasy. That the covid-19 virus is God's creation and we should not be afraid of it. This accusation goes beyond the common people, as there have already been fatwas (Islamic rulings) from the Saudi Scholars, Al Azhar (Egypt) scholars, and even scholars in Indonesia to (for the time being), pray from our homes. Frankly, it saddens me hearing preaches accusing other people of being hypocrites. Because the fatwas to stay at home were given to remedy the condition, not to make it worse. Its these kinds of preaches that do (make things worse).

There are several scenarios possible. People who are doing their best to stay at home because they assume that they have high potential of being carriers might be encouraged (or forced to come due to peer/community pressure) to come to the mosque. If they are indeed carriers, the whole congregation might be infected, which includes the elderly and children, which have high risk of mortality when infected by the covid-19 virus. Another scenario is that people who are doing their best to quarantine themselves lose trust in the so called "religious people" and the religion in and of itself due to the arrogance, hardness and accusations. This is religious arrogance at its best. It ruins the love among us and make us even further apart.

It may not be understandable to some people, but many of us are not scared of being infected by the virus. If we are infected, we'll take it and be patient with it. We just don't want to infect other people. We don't want to be the cause of suffering for people that we love and care for; and the suffering of other people as well. There has been substantial proof that this is not a media game. People that we know have been infected. Some of them have succumbed to the disease, even though they were in great shape. So being extra careful is understandable, especially for those who have their parents living with them or are living with children.

We are often tested the most in hard times. And this is one of them. We need to stop arrogance toward each other. The choices that we take aren't black and white nowadays. And we need to respect the choices of others and refrain from harsh words that may make the situation even worse.

Imam Al-Hasan Al-Basri said of hypocrisy: “No one fears it but a believer, and no one feels safe from it but a hypocrite.” In other words, if you feel that you don't have hypocrisy, there is a good chance that you are a hypocrite.

Monday, March 23, 2020

Wabah ini akibat kesombongan kami, dan kesombongan itu semakin menjadi-jadi

Manusia adalah satu-satunya makhluk yang bisa memanipulasi alam sesuai kehendaknya. Terkadang ia tidak mengerti akan konsekuensi dari manipulasi atau kegiatan yang ia lakukan. Ia congkak dan melakukan hal-hal bodoh yang seharusnya tidak ia lakukan. Ia merasa bahwa hal-hal yang bisa ia lakukan, boleh dilakukan. Padahal bisa dan boleh merupakan dua hal yang berbeda. 

Ia meneliti dan menyimpan virus-virus berbahaya yang seharusnya dimusnahkan. Ia sombong menyimpan virus-virus berbahaya tersebut, yang ternyata akibat keteledorannya, dapat lepas ke lingkungan dan menginfeksi bahkan membunuh ribuan orang. Dengan sombong ia mengkonsumsi makanan-makanan yang secara fitrah tidak biasa dimakan oleh manusia di peradaban-peradaban lain. Makanan-makanan yang berasal dari hewan-hewan yang memiliki penyakit tertentu yang setelah terus-menerus berinteraksi dengan manusia mampu menginfeksi dan membunuhnya. Tidak ada alasan tertentu untuk mengkonsumsinya, hanya karena alasan “eksotis,” unik, dan untuk memuaskan nafsu serta keingintahuannya. Terlepas dari teori apapun yang berada di balik pandemik COVID-19, dasar dari permasalahannya adalah kesombongan manusia.

Sebelum wabah itu tersebar, para pemimpin, dengan sombongnya mengatakan bahwa wabah ini bukan sesuatu yang patut dikhawatirkan. Dokter yang mencoba memberi peringatan dini kepada dunia ditangkap dan dihukum. Pada akhirnya sang dokter meninggal dunia akibat terjangkit wabah tersebut. 

Setelah wabah ini tersebar ke seluruh belahan bumi, masih ada pemimpin-pemimpin yang sombong dan menganggap enteng betapa berbahayanya wabah ini. Bahkan di antara mereka banyak yang berkelakar dan membuat lelucon-lelucon yang tidak pantas terkait wabah ini. Kesombongan itu diperlihatkan juga melalui kebijakan-kebijakan untuk memperbanyak aktivitas di tempat-tempat pariwisata untuk menggenjot pertumbuhan ekonomi dan membuka pintu selebar-lebarnya untuk wisatawan asing untuk masuk. Padahal beberapa negara di belahan dunia lain telah begitu ketat menjaga perbatasan negaranya agar wabah ini tidak menyebar lebih cepat. Pertumbuhan ekonomi mendahului kesejahteraan dan kesehatan rakyatnya.

Kini hampir di seluruh dunia ada larangan untuk bepergian dan berkumpul di keramaian. Namun, kesombongan itu masih hadir juga. Mereka yang merasa memiliki daya tahan tubuh yang lebih baik dari yang lainnya terkadang masih seenaknya bepergian kemanapun mereka mau. Bahkan ke tempat di mana ada orang-orang yang rentan terjangkit wabah ini seperti orang tua dan anak-anak. Padahal, tidak adanya gejala bukan merupakan jaminan belum terjangkit oleh wabah ini, dan masih bisa menulari mereka yang rentan terjangkit.

Kesombongan religius pun muncul ke permukaan. Di komunitas Muslim Indonesia, mereka yang mengisolasi diri karena merasa ada kemungkinan telah terjangkit dicibir, direndahkan dan dianggap mendramatisir keadaan. Bahkan terkadang keluar ucapan bahwa mereka telah mengikuti jejak dan termakan propaganda orang kafir. Yang secara tidak langsung menuduh orang lain keluar dari agamanya. Sungguh kesombongan seperti ini yang justru membuat orang semakin jauh dan terasingkan dari agama yang sebenarnya. Mati memang di tangan Tuhan, tapi harus ada usaha maksimal untuk menghargai hidup dan menjaga sesama. Yang tidak mungkin tercapai dengan adanya kesombongan religius di dalam diri-diri kita. Apalagi ada banyak fatwa-fatwa yang mendukung untuk meminimalisir keluar dari rumah untuk kemaslahatan bersama. Kesombongan religius ini menghalangi kita untuk menghargai pendapat-pendapat lain dan menjaga perasaan antar sesama. 

Dengan sombongnya ada orang-orang tertentu yang bersikukuh mengadakan acara kumpul besar-besaran. Yang walaupun memiliki itikad baik, tidak dapat diterima oleh akal sehat dan logika. Belum lagi usaha ini secara langsung melanggar himbauan para pemimpin dan ahli untuk mengurangi interaksi dengan orang lain. Padahal tujuannya tidak lain dan tidak bukan adalah untuk menjaga diri mereka sendiri dan orang lain yang berinteraksi dengan mereka. Akiibatnya, banyak yang jatuh sakit akibat wabah tersebut.

Masalah-masalah yang dihadapi umat manusia dari masa ke masa pada hakikatnya tidak pernah terlalu berbeda. Kulitnya mungkin tak sama, bisa berupa wabah, peperangan, kelaparan, dan lain-lain. Namun hakikat dari masalah-masalah yang dihadapi biasanya bersumber pada sifat-sifat dasar manusia. Di dalam hal ini, salah satu yang paling utama adalah kesombongan kita. Wabah ini bersumber dan menunjukkan betapa umat manusia, secara kolektif, telah gagal mengendalikan kesombongan kita. Namun di sisi lain, wabah ini pulalah yang semoga dapat mengingatkan kita semua untuk membersihkan diri-diri kita dari kesombongan yang telah mengakar di dalam jiwa kita.

#Covid19
#Indonesia
#Pandemic

Thursday, January 30, 2020

A couple of reasons on why Kobe meant so much to so many of us

As with many people, Kobe's sudden passing deeply saddened me. For some people who are not invested in basketball or the NBA, the sadness might be difficult to understand. But know that for many of us, Kobe transcends basketball. He was an inspiration and became part of people's being in one way or another, as I will try to elaborate.

Memories and friendships attached to him

Growing up, I have realized that memories have been directly attached to him. In 1996, while in high school, I got a copy of NBA Live '97 for my Playstation. I played the game with someone who was a big fan of the Lakers. I remember vividly that he wanted to play using this new kid who just came out of high school. That was the first time I heard about Kobe. The person has become a lifelong dear friend of mine who I keep close to my heart. And when Kobe passed, I got flashes of memories that reminded me of friendship and how privileged I am to experience it.

Another memory attached to Kobe was related to my parents. After high school, I left for university in another city. My parents would visit once in a while, and one time they took me out for shoe-shopping. There was one shoe that I really liked (at that time) and got, which turned out to be the Adidas KB8 3. I wore those shoes until they fell apart a couple of years later. 

Again during university, I spent a lot of time on the basketball court. A lot of the stuff taught in classes was backbreaking for me, and I found solace in basketball. That time, there were probably a lot of my facial characteristics that were similar to Kobe, which led to people who regularly came to the basketball court called me Kobe when they didn't know my name (perhaps also as a mockery due to me being terrible in basketball).

Other memories are most likely the historic games Kobe played in. The championship games, the 81 point game, and others. But again it's not just about the games, but about who we watched them with, perhaps for a lot of us with people who we care for dearly.

Kobe's basketball moves

Obviously Kobe is a great basketball player. He is no doubt a legend. And I believe that with his passing, he will be in contention as the greatest Laker ever. 

And for avid ballers, Kobe's moves have been studied and emulated. I am by no means a great baller, but I used to regularly watch Kobe's Nike-mamba videos that breakdown the moves that he has. I am sure millions have done the same.

Kobe also had a particular exercise that people adopt. When I started hitting the gym, I looked at Kobe's 666 fitness program, which contains 6 exercises, done 6 times week, and each session was 6 hours. Granted, I was only able to do 6 exercises without the other 6s. And again, I am sure that millions have adopted Kobe's gym work for themselves.

So in a sense, to a certain extent, Kobe has become part of our being. Be it having his moves or his routines.

Kobe's taste for fashion

I love Kobe's shoes. I had his KB8 3, Nike Kobe protro 1, and a couple of mamba shoes. I can attest that this is also the case for many people. Even for those who aren't Kobe fans. Kobe's lines (except for one or two misses), have been of high quality in terms of design and fashion. They just look and feel good. Wearing his shoes imprinted a sort of connection to him, which again, made a part of Kobe's being imprinted on us.

Kobe's demand for excellence 

Kobe demanded excellence from himself and from others around him. Even from a young age it was already obvious. It showed in his long lasting feud with Shaq, him being over demanding on Larry Nance Jr., and other high profile examples. 

As Kobe would put it, it was nothing personal. And it showed. Shaq loves him to bits and was devastated by his death, Nance was visibly saddened when he played the other day. So Kobe might have came off as arrogant, but it was clear that it was only from his love of winning and excellence. He even played with gruesome injuries. And everyone respected that. Friends and foes. 

This also observed in Kobe's life post basketball. The books he wrote, the basketball academy, and other projects that he worked on oozed class and excellence.

Although it might have rubbed off many in a wrong way, this attitude has been an inspiration and adopted by many people. Again, for those people, a part of Kobe became part of them.

Kobe as a dad

From afar, Kobe seems to have taken his love for excellence to his relationship with his girls. Others close to him also testify to this. He loved and was loved dearly by his daughters. And as a dad of 2 beautiful children, looking at photos and stories about Kobe and his daughters are uplifting and inspiring. Making him an exemplar on how to be a dad.

The fact that he died while accompanying his daughter has inspired me even more. I feel more blessed than ever having my kids in my life since Kobe passed. Life is short and we need to remind ourselves on how blessed we are to experience every second of it, especially with the people we love.

A part of Kobe's being has become part of many of us

Granted, like any other normal human being, Kobe had deficiencies. But the many positive qualities he did possess, thanks to him, have become qualities in other people as well. His work ethic, his love for his family, his dedication toward excellence, his vision, etc. have inspired many. So once again, in a sense, a part of Kobe's being has become a part of many of us. He meant a lot to a lot of us, consciously and subconsciously. And THAT is most likely why many are deeply saddened by his demise. This is from me who has never met the dude in person. I can't imagine how Shaq, DWade, LeBron, TMac, and others close to him feel. I'm pretty sure Kobe partly influenced how they have became.

We will miss you black mamba…
From a fan in Indonesia

@shaq
@nike
@nba