When I was studying abroad, I witnessed the incredible view that my western peers were always very serious in their studies. They studied really hard. What I mean by "studying really hard" here is that there was no compromise at all to be lazy.
I don't know, perhaps, what they have in mind are that they have to reach the "NUMBER ONE" by studying seriously. All of them! Their persistence in achieving their study's goals was real and sophisticated! I used to mention them as "professional students".Â
Hence, every day we will see (if studying overseas) that everybody will come to libraries and/or to campuses---especially in the reading rooms or in the computer clusters and they would sit still there quietly: reading, researching, writing, having a study group and so on.
It was usually from 8 o'clock in the morning until 8 o'clock in the evening, except there was a time to have a break in the middle of the day to have lunch, of course! When looking at them, sometimes, I was in awe; WOW!Â
I often made comparisons to the students' life here, in Indonesia. Sometimes, we would see that the students were not so serious in their efforts to gain their studies' goals. We dared to be "the tenth", "the twentieth" or even "the last" ones at schools. It could be said that there is no such interest to always be the "NUMBER ONE".Â
Additionally, it is likely that there is no such tough and fair competition in their studies' life, let alone in their 'life's dictionary'! Possibly laziness, recklessness as well as less interests to read, and likewise, to think, to reflect, to analyse, to research, to write, to discuss, to observe, and to create, are some of the root-causes of it.
Indonesia is well-known as a religious country in the world. Besides, the people essentially have got the Holy Books as guidance for their lives. For instance, in Islam, "IQRA" (means: Proclaim! (or read!)) is the first verse in the Quran (the Holy Book), which was revealed so that people will always bear in mind that to read is absolutely the most important thing to do in life. What should be read? Reading everything in life: reading the written things (including the Holy Book) and the unwritten things (the nature and other God's creations).
Afterwards, the word "IQRA" be continued with "BISMIRABBIK"---means: reading has to be accompanied by "the name of God". As a consequence, what we read and study would become so powerful in terms of its meaning and impact! I believe in the other religion that such thing would be highlighted as well.
My point is that there would be no doubt that this religious value could be totally more comprehend to be reflected, and especially to be implemented by the Indonesian students concerning their efforts in reading and studying if compared to what I have described above about my western peers' habits as to reading and studying. Don't you think so?*
