Asians Are Less Creative Than Westerners

     Are you not wondering why so many great scientists, musicians, and athletes come from the west instead of the east!? I do believe that we Asians are highly proud of our culture and our hospitality, but come and look beyond : Whether we admit it or not we have lagged behind compared to our counterpart in the west in many possible things.

     Talking about Asian's lack of creativity I think it has been formed since we were child. Most of Asian parents teach their child with a lot of things that can limit their child's creativity. For instance they tell their children that making a mistake is a bad thing and loosing is an embarassing fact. As a result, most Asians do not dare to make any changes because they are affraid of making mistakes.

     The same goes to Asian education. Here in Asia, passion does not have a place in education. Asian educational system, which is highly competitive and performance-oriented, does not provide a conducive climate for creativity, which requires a lot of rooms for individual. Asian students' desire to do well in examinations is mirrored by their lack of passion for what they study. The only thing that they think is : "Will I get a good salary when I graduate !?" That's why creative professions are less popular than doctor, lawyer and others who are considered to be abble to make someone become rich in the short term.

     So guys, now we have known that we can not continue several bad things that obviously can drive us to be uncreative person, it's time for us to leave those bad habbits. Old proverb said that the great person is the one who knows his weakness. After knowing our weaknesses it's time for us to change our Asia to be better. 

* Note

This article is purely my opinion, feel free to submit yours guys ;)

The Changing

           Today is the 5^th day of my holiday and this afternoon I got a special guest. A person coming from my childhood. “I already in front of your house” as she texted me. And there she is, my old friend-Andwi Putri Lika (then I’ll just call her Putri). She came because I persuaded her to have a fasting break in my house, and of course my mom is very glad to see her.

Actually I have a kind of unique relationship with Putri. My parents and Putri’s are a partner when we were child in a government company. Then Putri’s parent decided to resign from the company and choose to be an entrepreneur. The most memorable thing about our childhood is ; Putri often bite my hand until I cried. Because she was seven months older than me, automatically she has more power back then.

After her leaving, we did’n meet each other for a long but finally we gathered again in the senior high school. So Putri was my childhood friend and also my classmate. After we graduated from school we separated again, I took my college in Yogyakarta and Putri continued her education in Universitas Sriwijaya (UNSRI) Palembang to take medical faculty as she want.

My mother was very impressed because of her present, she kept asking Putri about her family an so on. After having a fasting break, Putri and me sat in the terrace and made a kind of chit-chatting. We talked a lot until in the certain session I talked a bit serious. “You know what put, for more than one year I’ve tried to increase my English ability by practicing a lot” as I began. And then I told her that she was one of three persons inspiring me to keep learning English. The first one is Putri, the second one is Mbak Miranda, and the last one is Danang (maybe I’ll tell you latter about mbak Miranda and Danang).

Let me tell you something about Putri, when we were in senior high school Putri was very talented student in speaking English. I mean her ability in speaking English was unquestioned. She kept saying anything in English even though we’re not in English class. She kept making conversation instead of the fact sometimes we didn’t understand what he said. For certain person she looked so arrogant because they think she just wanted to show off all the time. But finally I realize that’s the only one way to be proficient in English. Keep practicing.

Still fresh in my memory when we had a morning ceremony and for each Monday we always have a speaker to present an English speech. But until the last minute we didn’t get any speaker yet. There’s no one dare to be a speaker. Suddenly Putri raised her hand and said “let me be the speaker”. What the ......!? She will be the speaker without any preparation, and she made it! And Putri kept winning a lot of speech contest in many championships. At that time i felt nothing compared to Putri and I decide from now I have to increase my English ability no matter what it takes.

And then I asked her whether she still practice her English or not. And I got a bit of shocking answer. “Rarely do I practice my English, I’ve left my English behind and now I only focus on my study”. For a couple of minutes I did’nt believe that Putri who I used to know, left all that tings behind. She said when she was in senior high school, she was a kind of achievement oriented person. She always push her self into her limit. But she was not happy because she only cares about how to attain something that she want. And then she said again, being famous and getting what you want are good but the most important one is how to make yourself is useful for the others. “Now I just concerned in my study and keep everything I have, my friends, my family, and make myself to be a useful person for the others” as she described. Then I realize she has turned off all of her ego and let go of everything that she though it cannot give any benefit to the others. Now she turned from achievement oriented person to be a social oriented person. She just want to make herself meaningful for the others.

Putri with some children from an orphanage

But despite her changing, Putri also let go of her English ability. This thing can be clearly seen from the way she spoke. I though now her English is decreasing. She said “My mistake is despite I let go of my ego, I also let go of my english”. She told me that she seldom use English in her daily life, she just use it when she got an assignment to find reference in the English text book. And also she didn’t have any environment supporting her to keep practicing, for instance an English group or English debating forum. As a friend I suggest her to start practicing again. I do believe Putri was still sharp as I used to know, all she need is only practicing to get her English back.

What a cool conversation with my childhood friend. I have seen a changing in her and I realize sometimes someone’s life that we think beautiful actually it is not as beautiful as we though before. The most important thing is we always gratitude with the life we have and run ours best. And even though now Putri is a bit different from Putri I used to know, at least she’s happy with her life now, and that’s the most important one. Go ahead put!

LINTANG

     

This morning I read Laskar Pelangi for the second time, and I,m still amazed with the way of Andrea Hirata defined his life story. It is so touching and inspiring me in many possible ways. It told me many auspicious life, such as :

- It makes me realize that no matter how hard our life, we don't have any excuses to blame the condition          and    abandon our life.

- God is fair. He always  gives us the same right to be successful person, each of us. No matter where    you're from or no matter the social status you have.

     Perhaps many of you have read this book and I do believe you have your own assesssment about this book. i have two books written by Andrea Hirata-Laskar Pelangi and Sang Pemimpi. I love both, but for Laskar Pelangi I have the most touching part, there it is :

      "Mungkin ia lebih berhak hilir mudik keluar negeri, mendapat beasiswa bergengsi, dibanding mereke yang mengaku dirinya intelektual tapi tak lebih dari ilmuwan tanggung tanpa kontribusi apapun selain tugas akhir dan nilai-nilai ujian untuk dirnya sendiri. Aku ingin membaca namanya dibawah sebuah artikel dalam jurnal ilmiah. Aku iningin mengatakan pada setiap orang bahwa Lintang, satu-satunya ahli genetika di Indonesia, orang yang telah menguasai operasi Pohon Pascal sejak kelas satu SMP. Orang yang memehami filosofi differensial dan integral sejak usia sedemikian muda, adalah murid perguruan Muhamadiyah, temanku sebangku.

      Namun hari ini LIntang ternyata hanya seorang laki-laki kurus yang duduk bersimpuh menunggu giliran kerja rodi. Kini ia terpojok di bedeng ini, tampak tak yakin akan masa depannya. Aku sering berangan-angan ia mendapat kesempatan menjadi orang melayu pertama yang menjadi matematikawan. Tapi angan-angan itu menguap, karena disini di dalam bedeng tak berpintu inilah Isacc Newton-ku berakhir"

English free translation :

      "Perhaps he deserves to go abroad and takes a prestigious schoolarship. he deserves to take all of it rather than those claiming they are an intellectual but actually they are only a fake scientist without any contribution except their final task and academic value for them self. I want to read his name in an article in the science journal. I want to say to everyone that Lintang the only one genetic expert in Indonesia, the person understanding Pascal's Triangle since Junior High School. The person understanding differential and integral's philosophy was a student of Muhamadiyah, my chairmate.

      But today Lintang is only a man sitting on the couch, waiting for work schedule. Now he is in this room and it seems he is not sure about his future. I often dream about he has an opportunity to be the first Melayu's person becoming a math expert, but that dream wont chase it self because here in this room, my Isaac Newton is over"

This part taken when Ikal (Andrea Hirata) visited Lintang in the PT TIMAH worker's dormitory

      When I read this part, I keep asking to my self why life could be so bad for some people. If God has another plan for Lintang, What's that !? Because I can't stand to hear a genius trapped in the scoundrel life, while in the other place there are many arrogant dumb people act like a genius, and the children of the rich abandoned education's chance.

      Then for many times Laskar Pelangi teached me (again) about appreciating the chance of studying. From now on, when I get lazzy I'll remember that there's Lintang-The genius who doesn't have a single opportunity to reach a great education.