Tentang Merendahkan

Tidaklah seseorang yang takabur melainkan karena dia sendiri merasa kurang. Tidaklah orang meninggi-ninggikan melainkan karena merasa rendah.

Individu Kata

Apa yang terjadi, jika setiap kata dalam bahasa berperilaku seperti satu individu dalam sebuah masyarakat? Apa yang terjadi dengan individu "yang", siapa teman favoritnya? Siapa saudara-saudaranya? Siapa teman-teman yang tinggal dekat dengan tempat tinggalnya?

Di mana dia tinggal?

Di dunia seperti apa kata-kata itu tinggal?

Apakah dunia bahasa Indonesia ada di alam yang berbeda dari dunia bahasa Perancis?

Bagaimana kata menjadi punah atau mati? Kapan sebuah kata lahir? Gembirakah mereka menyambut kelahiran kata-kata baru? Sedihkah mereka jika ada kata yang punah, tak lagi digunakan?

Surat al-Mulk 3-4

ٱﻟَّﺬِﻯ 

yang

 

ﺧَﻠَﻖَ 

 menciptakan

ﺳَﺒْﻊَ 

 tujuh

ﺳَﻤَٰﻮَٰﺕٍ 

 langit

ﻃِﺒَﺎﻗًﺎ ۖ 

 berlapis-lapis

ﻣَّﺎ ﺗَﺮَﻯٰ 

 kamu tidak melihat

ﻓِﻰ ﺧَﻠْﻖِ 

 dalam/pada ciptaan

ٱﻟﺮَّﺣْﻤَٰﻦِ 

 Yang Maha Pemurah

ﻣِﻦ ﺗَﻔَٰﻮُﺕٍ ۖ 

 dari tidak seimbang

ﻓَﭑﺭْﺟِﻊِ 

 maka kembalilah

ٱﻟْﺒَﺼَﺮَ 

 pandangan

ﻫَﻞْ 

 apakah/adakah

ﺗَﺮَﻯٰ 

 kamu melihat

ﻣِﻦ ﻓُﻄُﻮﺭٍ

dari tidak teratur/seimbang (3)
 

Dia yang telah menciptakan tujuh langit bertingkat-tingkat; tidaklah akan kamu lihat pada penciptaan Yang Maha Pemurah itu sesuatu pun dari yang bertikaian. Maka ulanglah kembali penglihatan, adakah engkau lihat sesuatu yang janggal?

ﺛُﻢَّ 

kemudian

 

ٱﺭْﺟِﻊِ 

 kembalilah

ٱﻟْﺒَﺼَﺮَ 

 pandangan

ﻛَﺮَّﺗَﻴْﻦِ 

 dua kali ulang

ﻳَﻨﻘَﻠِﺐْ 

 berbalik/kembali

ﺇِﻟَﻴْﻚَ 

 kepadamu

ٱﻟْﺒَﺼَﺮُ 

 pandangan

ﺧَﺎﺳِﺌًﺎ 

 membingungkan

ﻭَﻫُﻮَ 

 dan ia

ﺣَﺴِﻴﺮٌ

payah/lemah (4)

 

Kemudian itu ulanglah kembali penglihatan kedua kalinya, niscaya akan kembalilah penglihatan dalam keadaan payah, dan dia akan mengeluh.

Surat al-Mulk 1-2

ﺗَﺒَٰﺮَﻙَ

Maha Suci

 

 ٱﻟَّﺬِﻯ

 yang

 ﺑِﻴَﺪِﻩِ 

 di tangan-Nya

ٱﻟْﻤُﻠْﻚُ 

kerajaan

 

ﻭَﻫُﻮَ 

dan Dia

 

ﻋَﻠَﻰٰ ﻛُﻞِّ 

atas segala

 

ﺷَﻰْءٍ 

sesuatu

 

ﻗَﺪِﻳﺮٌ

Maha Kuasa (1)

ٱﻟَّﺬِﻯ 

yang

 

ﺧَﻠَﻖَ 

menciptakan

 

ٱﻟْﻤَﻮْﺕَ 

kematian

 

ﻭَٱﻟْﺤَﻴَﻮٰﺓَ 

dan kehidupan

 

ﻟِﻴَﺒْﻠُﻮَﻛُﻢْ 

karena Dia akan menguji kamu

 

ﺃَﻳُّﻜُﻢْ 

siapa di antara kamu

 

ﺃَﺣْﺴَﻦُ 

lebih baik

 

ﻋَﻤَﻼً ۚ 

amal/perbuatan

 

ﻭَﻫُﻮَ 

dan Dia

 

ٱﻟْﻌَﺰِﻳﺰُ 

Maha Perkasa

 

ٱﻟْﻐَﻔُﻮﺭُ

Maha Pengampun (2)

Asal Kata "jongos"

Kata "jongos" merupakan salah satu kosa kata bahasa percakapan sehari-hari masyarakat Indonesia, khususnya masyarakat Jakarta. Kata ini memiliki konotasi negatif yang seringkali dilekatkan kepada kelompok masyarakat kelas bawah yang miskin dan tak berpendidikan.

Padahal asal muasal kata ini memiliki makna yang positif, menghargai pihak yang disebut "jongos".

Pendengar yang Baik

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's
too dark to read."

-- Groucho Marx, The Essential Groucho: Writings For By And About Groucho Marx

Selain buku, dan hewan peliharaan seperti anjing, ada teman terbaik bagi manusia. Teman yang rela untuk jadi pendengar yang baik.

Don't Be Shy

From bitly.com/T1Q4iB

Don't be shy
Just let your feelings roll on by
Don't wear fear
or nobody will know you're there
Just lift your head
And let your feelings out instead
Now, don't be shy,
Just let your feeling roll on by
On by …

You know love is better than a song
Love is where all of us belong
So don't be shy
Just let your feelings roll on by
Don't wear fear
Or nobody will know you're there
You're there …

Don't be shy
Just let your feelings roll on by
Don't wear fear
Or nobody will know you're there
Just lift your head,
And let your feelings out instead
And don't be shy,
Just let your feeling roll on by
On by …

Tetesan Pahala dan Butiran Dosa

Tetes-tetes pahala itu sesungguhnya sudah ada, aku sendiri yang harus menjumput dan mengumpulkannya ke dalam kantong, ke dalam sebuah wadah yang nanti aku bawa pulang. Sekalipun kugunakan tanganku untuk mengumpulkan sauk demi sauk tetesan pahala yang kupindahkan ke dalam
wadah, akulah yang harus melakukannya, menggunakan tanganku sendiri.

Henry Miller's Commandment on Writing

1. Work on one thing at a time until finished.

2. Start no more new books, add no more new material to "Black Spring."

3. Don't be nervous. Work calmly, joyously, recklessly on whatever is in hand.

Morning Recitation

Juwayriyah bint Al-Harith reported, the Mother of the Believers: The Prophet came out from my apartment in the morning as I was busy in performing the dawn prayer. He came back in the forenoon and found me sitting there. The Prophet said, "Are you still in the same position as I left you. I replied in the affirmative. Thereupon the Prophet said,

"I recited four words three times after I had left you. If these are to be weighed against all you have recited since morning, these will be heavier. These are:

Pelajaran 3: Di Dapur

Tuti baru pulang dari sekolah.
Ia menyimpan tasnya baik-baik.
Lalu menolong ibunya di dapur.
Senang benar ia bekerja di sana.
Adiknya masih kecil.
Sudin namanya.
Ia mengganggu ibunya saja di dapur.
Ti, ajak Sudin bermain! kata ibunya.
    Ayahmu hampir pulang dari kantor.
    Makanan belum selesai.
Tuti membawa adiknya bermain-main ke kamar.

Mengutip tulisan pakle Ainun Najib:

Sejak kecil saya menangkap ajaran Islam itu akomodatif sekali. Siapapun anda, apapun situasi kondisi anda, di manapun posisi anda, bagaimanapun jua tentang anda; selalu ada kekhususan, pengingat, solusi dan kelebihannya.

Yang miskin berbahagia karena Rasulullah termasuk golongan miskin dan berdoa agar masuk surga bersama orang-orang miskin.

Yang kaya berbahagia karena punya peluang beramal dengan hartanya.

Pelajaran 1.11. Mengisi

di atas bubungan -- di bawah pohon -- di dalam rumah -- di belakang Tuti -- di muka Hasan -- di sisi rumah -- di sebelah kiri Amir -- di dekat sumur -- di balik pohon

Perhatikan gambar di atas ini! Isi titik-titik di bawah ini! Pilihlah salah satu dari kata-kata di atas!


Hasan duduk . . . . . . . . . . .
Anak ayam itu berdiri . . . . . . . . . . .
Ketiga anak itu duduk . . . . . . . . . . .
Adik Tuti bersembunyi . . . . . . . . . . .
Tuti duduk . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . bertengger dua ekor burung merpati.
Ibu Amir duduk-duduk . . . . . . . . . . .
Ada tangga . . . . . . . . . . .
Induk ayam mencari makanan . . . . . . . . . . .

Pelajaran 2: Di Kelas

Ini kelas dua.
Anak-anak sedang belajar.
Pak Guru berdiri di muka kelas.
Ia sedang bercerita.
Di tangan kirinya ada sebuah buku.
Buku itu buku cerita.
Tuti duduk di depan.
Amir duduk di belakangnya. Di mana Hasan?
Anak-anak itu menyimak baik-baik.

(terjemahan dari Just Write)

Jika kamu kesulitan memulai untuk menulis, berikut ini beberapa ide untuk mengalirkan aliran jati-dirimu:

• Tulis sesuatu tentang kekhawatiran dan perasaan-perasaan takutmu
• Tentang harapan dan impianmu di masa depan
• Tentang sesuatu yang sudah kamu hindari selama berhari-hari, berpekan-pekan, atau bahkan bertahun-tahun
• Tentang keluarga dan teman-temanmu
• Tentang pekerjaan, atasanmu, sekolah, atau guru-gurumu

Apapun bisa kamu tuliskan! Aksi menulis sangat bermanfaat, khususnya ketika kamu menulis tentang pikiran-pikiran yang tidak kamu bagi dengan orang lain. Bacalah tentang manfaat kesehatan dari menulis jurnal di sini.

Mati, Hidup, dan Amal

Maha Suci Zat yang di Tangannyalah tergenggam kekuasaan.
Dan Dia, atas segala sesuatu, adalah Maha Kuasa.

Zat yang menciptakan Kematian dan Kehidupan,
Agar Dia menguji kamu,
Siapakah di antara kamu yang melakukan amalan terbaik.
Dan Dia adalah Maha Perkasa, dan Maha Pengampun.

(QS 067:001-002)

Ubiquitous Computing

Pembahasan tentang padanan kata Ubiquitous computing dapat dibaca di blog mas Ivan Lanin.

About Time to Excel in Life

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the musical genius, once wrote to his friend,

“People err who think my art comes easily to me. I assure you, dear friend, nobody has devoted so much time and thought to composition as I. There is not a famous master whose music I have not industriously studied through many times.”

By the time he was twenty-eight years old, his hands were deformed badly because of so many hours he had spent practicing, performing, and gripping a quill pen to compose his extraordinary music.

There is no such a thing such as 'natural geniuses'. All those extraordinary things happened in human history takes time to achieve. Mention great names you have in mind, and read their biography, and learn what they did in their life. They devoted their life to whatever they are mastering. And when people talk about life, implicitly they talk about time, because life is about time.

Some people think the result will come instantly. They read one great book, and they think tomorrow they will get the 'big result'. It simply cannot happen.

Read many books, write many pages. Do many small errors, and learn from them. Be patient and be consistent. Don't give up because of those errors. And don't give up because the result seem so far away or so high to reach. Be confident and be patient to take a ladder a day, by the end of the week you will stepped seven ladders. And if you pay enough attention to the process of doing it, by the end of the year, you are 365 ladders higher than those people who are expecting instant results.

Patience is not the same as not doing anything. Patience is about put your faith about the end result, however long it will take to get there. Patience is about taking those ladders every day. Do something every day, whatever it is you can do. Take that one ladder today to make you higher than anyone else.

Time to excel in anything, takes time, endurance, and patience.

About Time to Love Something (or Someone)

Dalam bukunya "The Right to Write", Julia Cameron menulis:

The busiest and most important man can always find time for you if he's in love with you and if he can't, then he is not in love.

Jika diungkapkan dengan lebih umum, kalimat tersebut bisa ditulis begini:

The busiest and most important person, whoever he (she) is, can always find time for anything or anyone if he (she) is in love with it or someone. And if he (she) can't, then he (she) is not in love.

 Berbagai kalimat dan pernyataan serupa bisa diturunkan dari kalimat sederhana itu:

When we love what we do, we will find time for it.

If we love to write, then we will allocate a time, anytime during the day, to write.

If we love to take pictures, then we will allocate some time in our busiest day to read books or articles about photography.

If we love our family, then we will commit some time to work and pray for our kids, even early in the morning.

Asal-usul Kata "Mosque"

Sumber informasi dari Merriam-Webster's Dictionary.

The Word of the Day for June 26 is:

mosque \MAHSK\ noun

: a building used for public worship by Muslims

Examples:

On the last day of Ramadan, Abdul and his family attended prayer services at a local mosque.

"Last year, a Muslim congregation in Murfreesboro, Tenn., a pleasant college town of about 110,000 people southeast of Nashville, decided that the time had come to build a proper mosque." -- From an op-ed by Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times, May 19, 2011

Did you know?

Mosques were known to the English-speaking world long before we called them "mosques." In the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, we used many different variations of the word -- "moseak," "muskey," "moschy," "mos'keh," among others -- until we finally hit on "mosquee," emulating Middle French. The Middle French word had come by way of Italian and Old Spanish from the Arabic word for "temple," which is "masjid." In the early 1700s, we settled on the present spelling, and "mosque" thus joined other English words related to Muslim worship: "mihrab," for the special niche in a mosque that points towards Mecca; "minaret," for the tall slender tower of a mosque; and "muezzin," for the crier who, standing in the minaret, calls the hour of daily prayers.

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