[caption id="attachment_101934" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Youths are the power for nation - Image of Sebelas Maret University Students. Photo by Sonny Hendrawan Saputra"][/caption] "Give me ten youths and I will conquer the world" (Soekarno, the first president of Republic of Indonesia) Though we think a century is such a long period, historians say it is not. A century is very short range of time, as we, Indonesians, do not realize that National Awakening Day will come to its 103rd anniversary this year. Yes, it has been more than one century after the foundation of Boedi Utomo in May 20, 1908 symbolizing the spirit of Indonesian young people to start to build nation independently. Looking back to that past experience, we can find the evidence that youths (absolutely) can be very beneficial and powerful for the country in any matters of ways to make a positive change and progressive improvement. Now the big question is, after a century, what Indonesian youths today have contributed to the nation? Can we still put hope for Indonesian young people to formulate Indonesia to be brighter in the future? Can they make old generation be proud of them because of their productivity to build Indonesia? Do they have strong characters that can be endless power of nation? [caption id="attachment_101935" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Gambyong dance from SMK Negeri 8 Surakarta to welcome participants of training. Photo by Sonny Hendrawan Saputra"][/caption] US President, Barack Obama has mentioned that "whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation". Related to that statement, off course we must still have high optimism that Indonesians youths today are trusted generation to move Indonesian better in forthcoming era. Parents, teacher, and government have big role to grow characters of the youths with effective blue prints. In government side, Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Republic of Indonesia is aware that it has strategic position to get involved in building Indonesian youths. In April 14th, 2011, this ministry conducted an event entitled "Training of Motivation : Youth Empowerment as A Pioneer of Nation's Character Building" and attended by students from various high schools, vocational schools, and universities. It was held in Dana Hotel in Slamet Riyadi Street in Solo city. This action reminds us to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's statement "We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future". Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Republic of Indonesia gave the opportunity for Ir. Mohammad Rosiman from TRUSTCO to deliver about seven characters that must be owned by youths for the sake as golden generation that will become the pillar of Indonesia. Those characters are the "7 wonders" of the youths, the endless power for nation. Before going further to those "7 wonders" explanations, Rosiman reminds that character is not suddenly born to someone's life. Someone has to have awareness to posses, maintain, and grow it. Character is very important aspect in someone's life. Character is the identity that positively differs someone to others. In wider talk, character of nation as Indonesian must be prominent issue to discuss because many Indonesian young people currently do not really care about the importance of having strong bond of Indonesian characters in their personality. In fact, by having strong Indonesian character, young people can be more confident in global constellation because they have their own wisdom to take action, right position to make decision, and uniqueness that may not be owned by other nations. To represent that message. he gives the quotation: - When wealth is lost, nothing is lost - When health is lost, something is lost - When character is lost, everything is lost After understanding how important the possession of strong characters as Indonesians, let's see one by one those "7 wonders" that must be had by Indonesian young people". In this article, in some points. I elaborate Rosiman's explanations with my own ideas. 1. Being proud of Indonesia [caption id="attachment_101936" align="aligncenter" width="542" caption="Putri Delima Keroncong Group - Example of youths that can show the pride of being Indonesian. Photo by Sonny Hendrawan Saputra"]
13028979552063817299
[/caption] Recent years, we have seen the atmosphere in which people including youths become so cynical and pessimistic toward the development of Indonesia. We are bombarded by the news on television about how bad our progress to develop the prosperity of the people, education, and social life. We have been feared by negative paradigm that Indonesia is not ideal place to stay and to have good self improvement. Those unconsciously may lead the hatred toward Indonesia. In fact, youths must have the responsiveness about those issues. Rather than becoming so sceptical even sarcastic, they must have mindfulness to reverse the condition. Indonesia can still be promising land in the future if they can turn on the fire and eradicate the bad. Even Indonesia still have many aspects to be proud of. Indonesia is the biggest archipelago in the world with more than 17 thousands islands. Indonesia is the second biggest place owning the biodiversity after Brazil. It also uniquely has so many diversities of cultures as you see in its various types of local languages, traditional dances, songs, musical instruments, culinary, customs, and ceremonies. Those positive sides of Indonesia must be like "petroleum" for youths to get up and start to take action. By having the sense of pride toward Indonesia, they can be more sincere and enthusiastic in doing anything they make. Thus, they can more productively create something which is advantageous for Indonesia. By being proud of Indonesia, they can easily have strong willingness to conduct valuable projects with eradicating any corruption, collusion, and nepotism (the old term that have to be erased soon from Indonesian's historical map). 2. Thinking Positively "Stay positive! Think Positively! Be positive" are simply seen as cliché term that does not mean a lot even powerful. In fact so many scientific researches have proven that thinking positively can add our energy more than the limit than we imagine we can have before. By becoming positive, we will be more productive. Studying and working become something interesting to do, not boring and tiring activities. So what are the basic steps to do to make ourselves always have positive thinking? These are some examples: - Starting everything with sincere and good willingness - Having positive prejudice to other people's plan and action at the first place - Being oriented to achieve success, whatever the constrains. Do not put any fear by having imagination of becoming failed. - Focusing on the solutions, not the problem. - Focusing on the strengths and formulating weaknesses into potencies. - Focusing on the benefits, not the fear of loss. Keep believing that any efforts will result something though we never know when we will get the "sweet" of it; it may take short time or even many years. Do not give up and keep going. 3. Getting United and Having Spirit of Working together Undeniably, modern era with its very strict competition makes the people become more individualistic. In worsen context, some people even try to "kick out" their own friend for making easier in gaining higher position in certain organization. Take some breathes and contemplate, we will feel so sorry if this character grows more and more. Indonesia actually has local wisdom that is called as "gotong royong" or mutual cooperation. Indonesians essentially have the nature of helping each other and spirit to work together. Youths have to start to appear the spirit of "gotong royong" again. If "gotong royong" philosophy is told in analogy, one plus one is not two, it is possibly bigger in energy and result. From Indonesian old proverb - Bersatu kita teguh bercerai kita runtuh - that is commonly taught in primary school, we know that "when we get united, we will become stronger, but when we are divided, we will broken into pieces". Young Indonesians also have to posses strong acquittance so that they are not easily divided into frictions. If they have this character, they will not easily do fighting between two or more other different groups that may have dissimilar belief and value. 4. Respecting Pluralism We must be very thankful to live in Indonesia, on the place where we can find the diversities. It makes our life become more colourful and not boring. Sadly, for some people, differences can be sources of conflict and fighting. Youths have to own conciousness of being open minded that there is no one totally same with themselves. Thus, they have to respect differences as normal thing occurs in the world of people with various types. "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" must be guideline for the youths that even though all people in Indonesia are naturally different, they are actually still one as family; family as Indonesians. Pluralism of cultures and religions are the beauty when we can feel in deeper. It also eventually becomes nation's power if the citizens can maintain it well and avoid any frictions that will destroy the Indonesians' kinship that potentially vilifies Indonesia's good name in other countries. 5. Loving Peace As we see, many fightings occurs between two schools just because of personal conflict between one student in school A and one student in school B but the conflict can spread out to whole two schools. By having the spirit of creating peace, youths will not spend the time ridiculously to fight something without reasons and prefer to have discussion to solve the problems. "Mature country" is country that can maintain peace and show its elegance in find out keys of the problem without impacting any absurd "sacrifice" like we often see many victims in unimportant riot. 6. Having Unshakable Mentality and Spirit to Gain Achievements Many youths have high spirit at the beginning to get their dream, but after facing many problems, their energy turns off. So what do they have to learn? First, youths have to know about the basic concept that failure is something normal before they get something bigger in life. The most important think is they have to be consistent in reaching their target and unshakable from any pressures and constrains. Thus, they will have high spirit in gaining achievements by running and running without looking back the "catastrophe" in their past. They will keep going even though the dream seems impossible and many people underestimate their process in affording it. We are lucky to have so many Indonesian role models owning this style of character: those are our heroes who have fought gallantly for nation. Indeed, we will never forget how unshakable the mentality and spirit to get achievement of independence of our heroes like Soedirman, Soetomo, Cut Nyak Dien, Diponegoro, Kartini, and still many others. Youths must take them as example for having amazing end of life with wonderful accomplishments. 7. Being Democratic Indonesia is the country that is still on going process of learning democracy. Youths must actively participate in this process. They can start it by learning the principle of 'appreciating others' achievement or winning". They have to try to keep away from the jealousy feeling. Having envy can kill productivity because they will focus on how to "throw out" their opponents rather than focusing on making their own glory and success. Other way to learn is appreciating other people's ideas. If there is any contrast concepts, they have to end the subject with discussion with elegant and diplomatic ways. By being democratic in ideal implementation, people can feel happy together at the execution process from certain decision in their organization. Even though it can be impossible to satisfy all sides, in democracy they learn to find win-win solution that at least tries to accommodate all the needs of the people. [caption id="attachment_101937" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Atmosphere during training. Photo by Sonny Hendrawan Saputra"]1302898930637218445
[/caption] George Bernard Shaw, one of the most notable novelists in the world said "Youth is wonderful thing". Being youth can be your most attractive and wonderful time in your life. If you are still young, from now on, try to find your "7 wonders" and improve those all as your strong characters. At the same time, start to do something as part of your contribution for Indonesia in any expertise that you have and you can do it in you own ways. Be the endless power for nation. Do not waste your time, make it precious and who knows someday you can be inspiring young people in history. [caption id="attachment_101939" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Togetherness from the training. Photo by Sonny Hendrawan Saputra"]13028990011317212552
[/caption] [caption id="attachment_101941" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Taking picture with trainer Mohammad Rosiman. Photo by Sonny Hendrawan Saputra"][/caption]