KONVIK SEMINARI TINGGI ST. PETRUS RITAPIRET

STUDENT AND KARTINI

By: Jean Loustar Jewadut

            Students are a group in society’s life that has some different identities of the other groups. Jean-Francois Lyotard (1924-1998), a philosopher of Prancis said that “students are a group that has the power of intellectual.” The power of intellectual enable them to make different between the truth and the wrong. That special identity certainly makes the students are happy and proud. But, that happiness doesn’t have value if there is no responsibility for the special identity in society.

Irony Of Student’s Life

            Nowadays, there are some bad facts about the student’s life. Student’s life doesn’t show that they are a group that has the different identity of the other groups in society. There are many students become the servants of consumerism and hedonism. There are some students also become the actors of engage in a gang fight.

            Some student’s struggle is also declined. This argument is evident through the habit to cheat in exam moment. In addition, the student’s critical level is low. In student’s opinion, discussion about some issues in society’s life is a boring activity. The participation to critize the bad realities in life through the writing activity in the mass media is declined too.

            To make the students aware of the importance of their special identity in society’s life and in order that the students leave their bad habits, I want to explain about Kartini and her spirit life. In my opinion, Kartini through her spirit life becomes a model of students that enable them to responsibility for their special identity in daily life.

Students: Learn of Kartini’s Life Spirit

Raden Ajeng Kartini is not a strange name for all of Indonesian. Kartini was born on April 21 1879 in Mayong. She is a child of R. M. Adipati Ario Sosroningrat. She is not her father’s child of her father’s first wife namely Raden Ayu, but of her father’s other wife namely Ngasirah.

            Kartini has known by all of the people as the pioneer of women’s advancement. As the pioneer of women’s advancement, Kartini has contributed her emancipation ideas that has published become a book in Deutsch on 1911 entitle “Door Duisternis Tot Licht.” That book has translated into some languages like Prancis, Arab, Rusia, Spain and Indonesia (Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang by Armin Pane, on 1949).

            The publication of books about Kartini’s life and her emancipation ideas into some languages wants to express about Kartini’s popularity, in Indonesia and also in the other states. Her emancipation ideas is not only influence the women’s advancement in Indonesia, but also influence the women’s advancement in Asia dan Afrika (Solichin Salam, 1983:34).

            Kartini has died. But, all of the people will reminisce about her service and her emancipation ideas that will always give the positive contributions. In my opinion, Kartini through her life spirit dan her ideas has given some messages for us, as the students:

            First, try to become “manusia yang kaya arti.” “Manusia yang kaya arti”is man that gives the positive contributions through the constructive efforts for the general goodness. Kartini has a short life, only until 25 years old, but she succeeded to become “manusia yang kaya arti.”

            Second, courage. When Kartini still alived (1879-1904), Indonesia colonized by Dutch. Under the colonization, our nation wasn’t only live in suffering and poverty, but also lived in stupidity and injustice. That bad reality motivated Kartini to criticized her period’s conservatism and injustice.

            Kartini is a woman of great courage to receive whatever the risks as the result of her actions. Her womanhood characteristics can’t stop her courage to criticize all people and systems that can cause injustice in life. Courage makes Kartini to go out from her self and never stop to fight for women’s freedom.

            Third, pen becomes her gun. About pen, I remember Latin’s inspirative idea “accipe calamun administrativum, ut possis scriber, scriber, scriber in sempiternum et ultra!” (receive this pen, so you can write, write and write forever). With pen, Kartini has given her ideas and her future. With pen also, Kartini has succeeded to influence many people, especially the women, to emancipate their self of conservatism and stupidity.

            Fourth, humility and practical solidarity. Kartini is not an arrogant person; although she is a child of Jepara’s regent. Kartini always shows the humility to all people through her words and actions. As a child of Jepara’s regent, Kartini doesn’t boast her self in her luxury and also she doesn’t build the wall that separates her and the other people around her, like the poverty men, the stupid men, the suppressed men and the misery men. The bad reality around Kartini motivates her to join in solidarity with the others. The main basis of Kartini’s solidarity is love to all of the people. Love makes Kartini to go out of her personal interests and realize the solidarity with the misery men. Kartini has proved that the main characteristic of solidarity is the capability of someone to take part in the others sufferings, not only through the words but also do something that can gives the positive impacts for the others.**

 Mading Edisi III November 2016