My Culture My Identity

Small notes of cross-cultural experience. Private document

By; Fredy Suni

I've been holding onto this feeling of tightness inside of me for a long time. This feeling started from an encounter with my friends from Javanese, Kalimantan, Sumatran, Balinese, Lombok, Flores, Papuan, Manado cultures, etc. As a young person, I felt ashamed to show my existence as a Dawan person. Why?

Because just by mentioning Dawan's name, people have put a skepticism on me. While in that struggle, I began to ask questions. The most basic question is: Am I clueless -- what? Yes. I don't know anything.

If I already know everything, why should I study again? Wouldn't knowing everything make me look down on other people even more? If this happens to me, it means that I have tarnished my human nature as an intelligent being. Because reason is given by the Creator to humans to complement each other and be used in a good and right space.

While enjoying my wilder imagination, I was awakened by the circumstances around me. Where my friend who is from Batak (Sumatra) said that "How beautiful it is that one day I can live and work amid your culture." Ha? Did I hear wrong? No!

Instantly a feeling of pride and joy flashed in me. Besides, this encounter was a big blow to me. Where this event invites me to get out of my comfort zone. That is, I have to leave the feeling of inferiority (low self-esteem) in me. Especially going out to share my culture with others.

Is existence only owned by people - people who have shared their culture with others? Of course, existence is owned by everyone. However, the most essential difference here is the existence of selfishness in people who have never shared their culture with others.

Because the culture it has will continue to be enjoyed by itself as well. This big problem is in today's young generation. More precisely, in today's students. The question is, where will Timorese culture (Dawan) go in the future?

The above question was the biggest concern for me as a young person. I'm sure that this concern also exists in other people. However, most of the young people today are just worried about their credit and internet quota.

Of course, this problem cannot be avoided anymore in today's young generation. Considering the development of today's communication media which has alienated (alienated) human beings from their nature.

Between one culture with another, of course, different. The most striking difference is how each individual lives it. Everyone's way of understanding their culture has been polluted with the development of science and technology today.

The development of science and technology has hypnotized the younger generation to move further away from their existence as culturally social beings. It is said to be a cultured creature because we live side by side with other cultures. Therefore, the culture that we have must also be shared with others. Don't be shy about sharing your culture with others. So that our local Pancasila wisdom is also known by other cultures.