FINAL EXAM ASSIGNMENT:Making essay of philosophy and Character of particular ethnic.

PHILOSOPH+CHARACTER

What is philosophy? phi·los·o·phy pl. phi·los·o·phies 1. The study of the nature, causes, or principles of re

ality, knowledge, or values, based on logical reasoning.

2. A system of thought based on or involving such study: the philosophy of Hume.

3. The study of the theoretical underpinnings of a particular field or discipline: the philosophy of history.

4. An underlying theory or set of ideas relating to a particular field of activity or to life as a whole: an original philosophy of advertising; an unusual philosophy of life.

character : the way someone thinks, feels, and

behaves : someone's personality : a set of qualities that are shared by

many people in a group, country, etc. : a set of qualities that make a place or

thing different from other places or things

What is character? Character   (kăr′ək-tər) n.1.a. The combination of mental characteri

stics and behavior that distinguishes a person or group. 

b. The distinguishing nature of something.  2.a. Moral strength; integrity: an educationa

l program designed to develop character. b. Public estimation of someone; reputation:

 personal attacks that damaged her character.

3.a. A person considered as having a specific quality or attribute: "Being a man of the world and a public character, [he]took everything as a matter of course" (George Eliot).

b. A person considered funny or eccentric:  4.b. A person or animal portrayed with a pers

onality in comics or animation: a cartoon character.

c. Characterization in fiction or drama: a script that is weak in plot but strong in character.

5. A description of a person's attributes, traits, or abilities.

Indonesian on the eyes of foreigners Indonesians – fearful; neurotic;

extroverted/friendly;; warm and friendly people; lazy; live for today – who cares about tomorrow?; no planners; religious; family-oriented; invented the rubber-time/rarely on time; corrupt; superstitious; slow; inferior; polite; lacking discipline; use feeling not logic; do not follow rules; hypocritical; resistant to change; tolerant; low profile; unwilling to confront or give ‘bad news’; silent in meetings; can’t swim…

Good trait :the characteristic Indonesian people Kindness : if you visit the countryside or villages in

Indonesia, almost everyone there know the neighbors and members of it. if there is a disaster or a person who dies, then the other surrounding villages would come to help them

Trust each other : These trait occurs because of the nature of Indonesian people who kind with each other. Sometimes even without any evidence they may believe and try it.

Keep simple : Most people do not care about the technology because there is a large population in a small area, except people in the large city. For people who live in village rich is something not important, family is something more important.

Good trait :

Patient : This is the nature of the Indonesian people. These trait arise because they respect each other, you can feel it with strong trait in the solo city (east java)

Creative : Since people in Indonesia have an enough patient to do something, creativity  will appears naturally.

Feudal spirit : You must respect to people who older than you, the young should succumb to the old

Bad Trait : Hypocrite : this can be evidenced by the number of

state officials who break his own promise. Weak Character : most people are not proud of their

own culture or product, and easily replaceable by another culture(Korean, Turkey, Indian culture?

Extravagant (boros, bermewah2) : this can be proved many Indonesian people who owe. Other than that this is exacerbated/WORSENED by the Indonesian people who easily believe, so that many cases of fraud (pengelapan uang) occur.

Jealousy and Envy Plagiarism : the loss of some culture in Indonesia

caused by people themselves who not proud with their own culture, and tends to imitate other people

TOGETHERNESS You will notice that Indonesians rarely

do things or go to places alone. Indonesians have a very strong sense of community and prefer to be “one of a group”. They always like to have a friend to accompany them and will feel pity for someone who is alone, saying “Kok sendirian?” (Oh, you’re by yourself?”)

Common culture Anger and Confrontation

Traditional Indonesian culture emphasizes the need to live in harmony. Open displays of anger – shouting, hands on hips, rude looks, or slamming of doors – are all considered highly offensive behavior. Foreigners who behave like this in public (or in their own homes) are seen as rude individuals, unable to control their anger. Indonesian methods of dealing with differences is to strive towards consensus, and dealing with difficulties behind closed doors so that the persons involved do not lose face.

Burping/bersendawa It is not considered impolite to burp, and can even be regarded

as a sign of appreciation of a good meal, therefore Indonesians generally do not excuse themselves after burping.

Coughing and sneezing

It is not common for traditional and less educated people in Indonesia to carry handkerchiefs or tissues, and often they do not understand how diseases are spread. Therefore it is not unusual to see people coughing or sneezing openly without attempting to cover their mouth or nose. If your domestic staff or driver have this habit, it would be best to explain to them your concerns and then provide them with some tissues and ask them to cover their mouth or nose when coughing and sneezing. Alternately, you might suggest they cough or sneeze into their sleeve (not their hands as it spreads the germs when they come into contact with other things).

Hey Bule Yes, we know, all foreigners are albinos (the actual meaning

of the word bule). It is not uncommon for people to yell out “Hey Bule” when they see you … addressing the novelty of your appearance in their neighborhood.

The best response is just to smile and nod your head … ! Most foreigners are also familiar with the common variety of “Hey Bule”, which is “Hey Mister” … yes all foreigners are men.

These verbal pointing episodes are most common when there is a group of boys or young men gathered, often trying to comment each other with their verbal acknowledgment of your presence. If you are a woman and their form of address is impolite, it’s best to just ignore them.

Women should understand that dressing immodestly (tidak sopan) will undoubtedly result in more staring and more “Hey Misters” or other rude comments.

Smoking

The vast majority of Indonesian men smoke, excessively! There are many public spaces where you will inevitably have to breathe in cigarette smoke. There is a general lack of understanding as to the detrimental effects on the health of cigarette smoking, and little consciousness of the dangers of inhaling secondhand smoke.

A law that banned smoking in transportation terminals, malls, offices, hospitals, schools, universities, places of worship, buses, trains and playgrounds has been in effect in Jakarta since 2006, but it is not entirely enforced.  Most office buildings and public areas of malls are complying/obeying, however, there will still be a smoking section in most restaurants.

Spitting

This habit is particularly common during the fasting month. Some strict Muslims refuse to swallow their own saliva while fasting, and spit saliva onto the ground or in the street. Gargling and spitting is part of the ritual cleansing before Muslim prayers.

Squatting

For Indonesians squatting (mejeng/jongkok) is a very natural and comfortable position and they can remain in such a position feeling totally relaxed for a long time. You will often see groups of men or children by the roadside just passing the time of day, smoking and chatting, and squatting. They are trained from infancy to assume this position and do it with their feet flat on the ground – something that is very difficult for most westerners. For most Indonesians this is also the most natural and comfortable way to use the toilet, hence the prevalence of squat toilets even in some luxurious shopping malls and office buildings.

Use of the Left Hand

Throughout Indonesian society the left hand is used for “toilet duties” and is therefore considered unclean.

In Indonesia, it is rude and offensive to hand someone something with your left hand, especially food or drink, or to shake hands with your left hand.

When you think of where that person’s left hand has been, you probably wouldn’t want anything from it anyhow! If your right hand is occupied, it is best to try and switch the item to your left prior to receiving an object. If you are forced, due to circumstances, to hand something to someone with your left hand, acknowledge the unavoidable cultural slight by saying “Maaf, tangan kiri.” (Sorry, I had to use my left hand).

This cultural idiosyncrasy leaves the left-handed person at a constant disadvantage in society! You may ask, what do the left handed Indonesians do? Indonesian children are trained from a very early age to use their "tangan manis" (sweet hand) and are urged to do everything with their right hand.

Staring

In Indonesia, it is not considered impolite to stare. Sometimes when you are out in public, you will feel yourself the object of staring. Adults will point you out to their children, people will stop what they are doing to watch you, etc.! The fewer foreigners in the area, the more stares you are apt to receive.

Most expats deal with the staring by just ignoring it. There is really nothing you can do about it; no matter how uncomfortable you are, it will always happen!

Wetness in bathrooms

On the subject of bathrooms, it may seem to the average foreigner that the typical traditional bathrooms are wet all over! A traditional Indonesian bathroom contains clean water, from which water is scooped up in a plastic dipper (gayung) and poured over the body while standing on the floor of the bathroom.

After soaping up all over, more dippers full of water are splashed over oneself to rinse off. This same practice is utilized when going to the toilet, resulting in very wet toilet seats!

What about Javanese?

Javanese vs Toba Batak

Javanese vs Toba Batak Javanese and Batak are two Indonesian ethnic groups that

are often contrasted with each other due to different values that seem to oppose each other.

In Indonesian society, be it in real-life situations or only in fictional movies and TV series, people often treat Javanese and Batak as two opposite cultures based on the way the people from these ethnic groups interact with other people.

The popular stereotype is that Batak people are loud, aggressive, and often viewed negatively as ‘kasar’ (roughly means ‘rude’). On the other hand, Javanese people are often viewed as too calm, too polite, and ‘tidak tegas’ (this roughly means ‘indecisive’).

Some questions However, as a skeptical scholar, there

are many questions about these stereotypes. Are they true? Are Javanese people really too calm and indecisive? Are Batak people really rude and aggressive? Are their cultures really different from one another? If so, how different are they?

Why “wong Jowo”? Javanese – This is the largest and most

dominant ethnic group in Indonesia. Solo &Yogyakarta, located in Central Java, are the center of Javanese culture. The majority of Javanese people today are Muslim, but their culture owes much to animism as well as Hinduism.

Language + character The Javanese language of East Java is more

coarse/harsh/rough and generally considered less respectful than that spoken in Central Java. In Central Java, politeness and good manners are highly regarded. Loud displays of emotion are considered quite rude.

Thus, the Javanese are known for their indirectness and great respect to authority in order to avoid negative, embarrassing or uncomfortable feelings. This trait stems from the Hindu court traditions of pre-Islamic influence.

The philosophy of wong jowo Kebatinan, also called Kejawen, Agama

Jawa and Kepercayaan is  Javanese religious tradition, consisting of an amalgam of animistic, Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic, especially Sufi, beliefs and practices. It is rooted in the Javanese history and religiosity, syncretizing aspects of different religions.

Bersih desa/sedekah bumi/Rasulan,Tahlilan?

The definition The term kebatinan is being used interchangeably

with kejawen, Agama jawa and Kepercayaan, although they are not exactly the same:

Kebatinan: "the science of the inner",  "inwardness", derived from the Arabic word batin, meaning "inner" or "hidden".

Kejawen: "Javanism", the culture and religious beliefs and practices of the Javanese people of Central Java and East Java.  It is "not a religious category, but refers to an ethic and a style of life that is inspired by Javanist thinking".

Kepercayaan: "belief","faith“ or Kepercayaan kepada Tuhan Yang Maha Esa, "Believer in One Mighty God". "Kepercayaan" is an official cover term for various forms of mysticism in Indonesia.

Aliran Pangestu, Sapta Darma, Subud, dan Sumarah

?

PHILOSOPHY+CHARACTER Alon-alon asal kelakon. Nerimo ing

pandum/self-submission/Qona’ah? Mangan-ora mangan kumpul-wether

happy or unhappy, be toghether. Surodiro joyoningrat lebur dening

pangastuti/ja’al haqq wazahaqol bathil.

Ngono yo ngono NING OJO NGONO. Ajur-ajer. Gusti Allah ora Sare. Luwih apik meneng tinimbang rame.

I don't know what's worth fighting forOr why I have to screamBut now I have some clarityTo show you what I meanI don't know how I got this wayI'll never be alright

So I'm breaking the habitI'm breaking the habitI'm breaking the habitTonight...

Your final exam task Make a minimum 5 pages essay dealing

with the life philosophy and character of particular ethnic like:

The life philosophy and character of Javanese/Batakese/Sundanese/Madurese/etc….

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.