Abstract
This paper is to show the role of social media in gaining the sympathy of audience, increasing public trust and acceptance, and achieving victory during electoral campaigns. Our generation are addicted to social medias. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram are only few examples of the most commonly used social medias. We can spend hours switching between apps and exploring our feeds. Seizing this opportunity, electoral campaigns try to dominate the field by posting and sharing stories of their electoral candidates using pretentious words. Some may even try to defame opposing candidates. The aspects discussed in this paper are fallacies and biases that takes part in our decision-making process. Emotion plays a huge part in our lives. As human beings, emotion influences our individual preferences. This creates fallacies and biases. Through presenting previous examples, this paper offers an outlook of the utilization of social medias in electoral campaigns from a psychological perspective.

Rasa Sayange, yaitu sebuah aplikasi ponsel pintar yang menyediakan program-program anti diskriminasi dan penghapusan stigma di masyarakat Indonesia. Program tersebut dapat berupa kampanye yang berfungsi sebagai gerakan dalam mempromosikan pentingnya perdamaian dan saling menghormati antar kelompok

“Today an epoch begins in which world history must be rewritten. The old images of the human past are faded; the outlines of the actors seem blurred and their inner motivation falsely depicted, which the collective essence (of the human past) has been almost completely misunderstood. A life-feeling, both young and yet known in ancient times, is pressing towards articulation; a Weltanschauung is being born, is beginning to struggle with older forms, hallowed usages and accepted substances. This struggle is no longer merely an historical one, but one of principle. It is not confined to a few particular areas; but it is a general one.” (Rosenberg, 1971)

The excerpt above paint us a picture of the Nazi doctrine in its glorious days. The national socialism held devotedly by Nazis was associated with the creation of some sort of a new human being and a new world which reassess the whole past. It wanted to completely change the idea of humanity and it seem to be directed against a certain entity. In this case, according to Rosenberg (1937), Jews are regarded as ‘copycats’ (‘Nachäffer’), ‘plagiarizers’ and ‘nihilists’ who possess ‘no talent for indigenous growth, no organic shape of the soul and therefore no racial shape’.

The concept of dehumanizing one’s opponents was not only used during the holocaust. For example, throughout history slave owners have always thought of their slaves as less human or even ‘souless animals,’ Hutus involved in Rwanda genocide is called Tutsian cockroaches, Stalin’s red Army referred germans as "two-legged animals who have mastered the technique of war" “ersatz men” and along with sentences like  "... If you kill one German, kill another — there is nothing more amusing for us than a heap of German corpses. Even in the U.S. Army today, enemies as referred to as targets or tangos during training while in Iraq they are referred to as hajis - or bad guys.

Smith (2011) explained how human beings have always conceived the universe a ‘a hierarchy of value’ with god placed in the highest rank and inert matter at the very bottom of it while everything else is arranged in between scala naturae (the ladder of nature or the great chain of being). While this hierarchy of value doesn’t make a scientific sense, we continue to regard the universe in that fashion.

There’s also this innate tendency to essentialize. Categories of things are represented in our minds as having unchanging properties (Prentice & Miller, 2007). For example, you could take one leg of a chair, put a hat on it and paint it in rainbow colours but we will still know that it’s a chair. A problem arises when we put this idea into human groups, such as races. Imagine different races with different essences and simply substitute them with less-than-human essence, and that’s what called dehumanization. Smith (2011) goes even further saying that the idea of race is a prelude to dehumanization. “So, you take a group of people that you wish to harm or exploit; you attribute to them a fundamental difference; you call them a race; and then the next step is to attribute to them a subhuman essence. They're not...that is, of less intrinsic value than human beings - is that one doesn't have the same moral responsibilities to them as we have towards other human beings.”

History has told us that chances are that might be true. The concept of human is supposed to be simple, but it seems that its definition and attribution might be up for a debate.

Revolusi Industri 4.0 menjadi tantangan baru bagi manusia dalam mengembangkan potensinya sebab perkembangan industri tersebut menuntut segala hal bergerak dengan landasan otomatisasi seiring pertumbuhan pesat teknologi. Untuk menanggulanginya, Kementerian Ketenagakerjaan membentuk sebuah modul yang berfokus pada kesiapan tenaga kerja menghadapi Industri 4.0. Namun, modul tersebut dibentuk atas dasar asumsi bahwa setiap individu akan dengan sigap secara aktif mengembangkan diri dan karier serta menetapkan target untuk masa depan yang melibatkan pembelajaran sepanjang hayat. Sayangnya, realita di Indonesia berbeda sehingga diperlukan kesadaran diri terhadap perubahan yang berlangsung kini dan aksi apa yang akan dilakukannya terhadap perubahan tersebut, serta karakteristik psikologis dan budaya yang mendukung. Oleh karena itu, pembelajaran mengenai ilmu psikologi dasar dibutuhkan untuk mewujudkan kesiapan tenaga kerja menghadapi Revolusi Industri 4.0.  

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Peneliti menilai pembelajaran ilmu psikologi dasar perlu dilakukan sejak SMA sebab pembelajaran tersebut dapat bermanfaat untuk menggali potensi siswa, membentuk karakter, serta persiapan karier di masa depan sehingga Peneliti menggagas model pembelajaran bernama Piko. Piko merupakan model pembelajaran yang menggunakan media video interaktif untuk memberikan pembelajaran mengenai ilmu psikologi dasar seperti empati, altruisme, hingga perencanaan karier. Pembelajaran yang dilakukan nantinya akan dinilai dengan formative assessment yang menunjukkan performa langsung lewat problem based learning (PBL) dan proyek belajar. Pemilihan model pembelajaran ini sesuai dengan perubahan metode belajar akibat Industri 4.0 dimana siswa memiliki fleksibilitas waktu belajar, serta pembelajaran berbasis analisis masalah dan proyek belajar. Harapannya, Piko dapat menjadi inovasi di dunia pendidikan Indonesia yang bermanfaat untuk mengoptimalkan potensi siswa SMA dalam menghadapi Revolusi Industri 4.0.

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Kata Kunci: Pendidikan Psikologi, PBL, Proyek Belajar, SMA, Industri 4.0

While pursuing a degree, students are faced with various kinds of stressors on campus, both academic and non-academic. Stressors can be a threat to the mental health of students. Campuses can overcome these threats by providing mental health facilities that are powered by professionals. Unfortunately, expecting these facilities to be available well on campus throughout Indonesia is still far from the fact that there are still many campuses that have not provided good mental health facilities. The authors see the feasibility of the existence of peer counseling on campus as an ideal form of complement to existing mental health service facilities. The authors also see the good potential of the combination of peer counseling with communication technology as a promotive and preventive media for students' mental health

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Keywords: Psychology, Mental Health, Peer Counseling, University

If someone asked you if you had watched the new Avengers movie, most of you would have said yes enthusiastically. In only 2019 we will be having over 10 superheroes movies with amongst the most anticipated are Avengers: Endgame, Captain Marvel, and Shazam! However, if you lived in the 1980s and someone caught you obsessing over these things, it would have been social suicide. You would have been the bullied kid no one wanted to sit next to at lunch. But today, the geek culture is thriving. What used to be looked down upon and marginalized have transformed into box office smashes, multi-billion dollar industries, and wide-reaching counterculture with their own trends — including fashion, music, and celebrities (McCain, Gentile, & Campbell, 2015). If you look at the geek conventions, you could see hundreds of thousands of people going each year to celebrate their beloved culture.

One might define geek as an enthusiast who develops expertise on a topic through exceptional determination and devotion (McArthur, 2009). Although the term has shifted to a more specific domain: the fandoms. Yep, you know it. The land where everything is possible, from Canons to Crossovers to Alternate Universes (AU). There lived die-hard fans who might go as far as to devote their life, try-hard self-proclaimed ‘expert’ wannabes who claim they know ‘their stuff; and those who are there simply just for fun.

Technology has created mental playgrounds where these geeks can display their true selves. While jocks might shine in football fields, the geeks can now show their colours through social media. There are armies of designers, media mavens, and other cultural producers who release new contents every day (Reilly, 2008). They have defined their own ‘cool’ and built an empire out of it.

Researcher McCain and his colleagues (2015) have come up with hypotheses that might help to explain this phenomenon:

The Great Fantasy Migration Hypothesis — Over the past few generations, level of self-esteem and narcissism have inflated along with the harsh reality of low employment and high living standards. Feeling deflated from reality, these individuals find comfort in fantasy worlds. Narcissistic individuals who don’t feel like they were given the admiration and praise they deserve may turn to a fantasy world where such rewarding experiences are more easily obtained.

The Belongingness Hypothesis — As social beings, we want to belong. Belongingness is thought to be a basic human need (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). Self Determination Theory (SDT) (Deci & Ryan, 1980) and Social Identity Theory (Tajfel, Turner, Austin, & Worchel, 1979) support this idea. We seek to be a part of a group and geek culture may have created a platform where individuals can fulfill their need for belongingness.

The Desire for Engagement Hypothesis — Self-proclaimed geeks seek to actively participate in their culture. They write analysis, draw fanarts, and some have even created a lifestyle out of their fandoms. There is a tendency to participate in one’s own escapism and entertainment, especially in tandem with other people. One explanation is that there is a greater need for stimulation in today’s generation and they turn to fandoms to fulfil that need.

While these hypotheses might be true, it all comes down to what makes you happy. If that means dressing up as your favourite character or crying through midnight obsessing over an episode, then you do you! After all, in the end, none of this matters if you’re not happy.

The world is not full of sunshine and rainbows. It’s not a place where you can ask a genie to grant your three wishes. Life can suck sometimes. Terrible things like genocide, terrorism, and discrimination do exists and it may happen to anyone on anytime at anywhere. Wouldn’t it be better if we just close our eyes, plug our ears, and pretend they never happen?

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Schopenhauer seems to agree that lack of awareness will result in less sufferings: “Therefore, in proportion as knowledge attains to distinctness, consciousness is and all the more, the more distinctly he knows, and the more intelligent he is. The person in whom genius is to be found suffers most of all. (1818/1966, Vol. 1, p. 310).”

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Now, think about your childhood memories. How do you remember them? Happy? Carefree? Does it brings you to nostalgia? We tend to associate childhood with fond memories. It was the time where we were still naive and couldn’t tell right from wrong. When we were kids, our parents satisfy our every needs and protect us from the terrible things happening around us. As we grow older, we quickly learn how harsh the world can be. Not everything is served on a silver plate anymore. Suddenly, nothing seems easy. The world seems like a cold hard place to live in. The more aware we are, the more intelligent we are, the more we realize that some dreams don’t come true.

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Ignorance act as a defense mechanism. Anna Freud (1936) once suggested a defense mechanism called denial. Denial is when a person hinders external events or information from consciousness. The individual would then be unaware of certain information. As stated by Freud, “instead of perceiving the painful impression and subsequently cancelling it with cathexis, it is open to ego to refuse to encounter the dangerous situation at all.”

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Freud believes that the method of denial is utilized when it is impossible to escape devastating external information. It is done when an individual feels incapable to deal with the situation.

According to Vaillant (1992), There are 5 major properties of defense mechanisms identified by Freud:
1. Defenses are a major means of managing instinct and affect
2. They are unconscious
3. They are discrete (from one another)
4. Although often the hallmarks of major psychiatric syndromes, defenses are dynamic and reversible
5. They can be adaptive as well as pathological

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Note that it occurs unconsciously. We have no control over them. However, it is triggered by our feeling of helplessness. This feeling, while irrational, is influenced by many factors and can be maneuvered.

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Another thing to note is that defenses are dynamic and reversible. It is not permanent and it can be altered. It depends on the individual. When the individual feel capable to process that information and act upon it, their defenses will gradually weakened and the individual can finally recognize external information the way they are.

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Denial is not necessarily a bad thing. We do it to cope with reality. With so much information out there and our brain ‘s limited capacity, sometimes a little ignorance is needed. However, not too much to the point where we have no idea about anything at all.

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The bottom line is: What you don’t know won’t hurt you. At least until it hits you right in the face.

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References:
Hergenhahn, B. R., & Henley, T. (2013). An introduction to the history of psychology. Cengage Learning.
Freud, A. (1992). The ego and the mechanisms of defence. Karnac Books.
Vaillant, G. E. (1992). Ego mechanisms of defense: a guide for clinicans and researchers. American Psychiatric Pub.

"Sekarang, suara masjid kita agak keras ya. Dulu gak begitu kan?" Kalimat inilah yang diutarakan Meiliana yang menyebabkannya dijatuhkan vonis 1.5 tahun penjara atas tindak penistaan agama (“Ini Lho yang Disampaikan Sebenarnya oleh Meliana Soal Pengeras Azan”, 2018). Sepatah kalimat maaf sepertinya tidak cukup bagi masyarakat kelurahan Tanjung Balai. Bahkan rumah kediaman ibu dari 4 anak ini tidak luput dari amukan massa. Apakah ini yang namanya keadilan? Dimana letak Hak Asasi Manusia yang berlaku? Sebagai bangsa Indonesia yang berbudi luhur, bukankah sudah sepantasnya bagi kita untuk membela kaum yang lemah? Hukum penistaan agama sudah tidak lagi berperan sesuai perannya melainkan digunakan sebagai alat demi kepentingan pribadi masing-masing. Sudah selayaknya, hukum ini dihapus.

Hukum penistaan agama diberlakukan dengan tujuan untuk mempertahankan kepercayaan religius dan moralitas serta mencegah penghinaan tuhan (Siddik, 2016). Tidak ada agama yang seharusnya direndahkan atas dasar kebebasan berekspresi sekalipun agar perdamaian dunia dapat terjaga (Butt, 2015). Berdasarkan dua pernyataan tersebut hukum ini sewajarnya melindungi hak masyarakat, khususnya kaum minoritas, namun kenyataannya hukum ini malah berbalik melawan mereka. Kalimat Meiliana kabarnya memicu gerakan anti-Tionghoa yang berlajut dengan pengrusakan beberapa Vihara sehingga banyak keluarga berdarah Tionghoa yang harus meninggalkan kediamannya. Oknum-oknum dari aksi anarkis yang tragis ini hanya divonis satu sampai empat bulan penjara. Mereka menganggap tindakan mereka dapat dibenarkan karena Meiliana telah menodai agama mereka. Padahal jaksa sendiri tidak dapat memberikan bukti fisik yang jelas. TOA dan amplifier dijadikan sebagai barang bukti meskipun tidak ada korelasi dari kedua objek tersebut. Jaksa tidak dapat memberikan rekaman suara ataupun video yang menujukkan bahwa memang benar Meiliana telah menistakan agama, Sekalipun apa yang dilakukan Meliana salah, apakah hal itu dapat menjustifikasi apa yang mereka lakukan? Ismail Hasani, seorang ahli hukum di Universitas Islam Negeri Jakarta, mengatakan bahwa hukum penistaan agama justru membatasi kebebasan beragama lebih dari apapun (Woman’s blasphemy conviction in Indonesia sparks backlash, intensifies concerns, 2018).

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Dalam rentang tahun 2005-2014, Amnesty International (2014) telah mencatat setidaknya 106 individu yang dinyatakan bersalah atas kasus penistaan agama. Selain kasus Meiliana, terdapat masih banyak lagi kasus pelanggaran HAM yang mengatasnamakan hukum penistaan agama, diantara lain: Pada saat sidang pengadilan Sebastian Joe, ruang pengadilan dipenuhi dengan riuhan seperti, “penggal saja pengacaranya!” dan memecahkan pot-pot bunga di luar ruang pengadilan, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama “Ahok” divonis 2 tahun penjara dan menjadi korban serangan amukan massa hanya karena kesalahpahaman dalam pidatonya saat Pemilu Gubernur DKI Jakarta 2017 (Tomsa, 2017), dan Alexander An ditangkap karena kepercayaannya sebagai seorang ateis (Amnesty International, 2012). Mereka bukanlah pelaku kejahatan melainkan korban yang diperlakukan secara tidak adil. Melihat kasus-kasus yang sebelumnya disebutkan, hamper tidak ada tindakan yang diambil oleh aparat keadilan terhadap aksi-aksi yang mendiskriminasi dan menyebarkan kebencian terhadap para korban. Bukankah kita semua sama di mata hukum? Mengapa masih banyak yang menutup mata dan mengalihkan pandangan akan hal ini? Sungguh memilukan.

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Pada dasarnya, penistaan agama merupakan hal yang subjektif. Tidak ada indikator maupun parameter yang objektif dan jelas. Menurut Flynn (1998), terdapat perilaku yang dilakukan secara impulsif tanpa pemberian makna dan dipengaruhi oleh kondisi fisiologis dan psikologis seseorang. Hal ini menyebabkan tindakan seperti penistaan agama bisa saja terjadi secara tidak sengaja. Apabila seseorang tidak bermaksud sama sekali untuk merendahkan ataupun menghina suatu kepercayaan apakah ia dapat dikatakan menista agama? Apabila iya, bukankah setiap kepercayaan secara tidak langsung merendahkan kepercayaan yang lainnya? Seperti contohnya dalam islam, dimana Yesus (atau nabi Isa) yang disembah oleh umat Kristen hanyalah seorang nabi? Dan bukan hanya itu, bukankah setiap kepercayaan menganggap kepercayaan tersebutlah yang paling benar? Hukum penistaan agama hanyalah akan menimbulkan banyak ambiguitas dengan segala misinterpretasi. Bagian abu-abu inilah yang akan dimanfaatkan oleh orang-orang dengan kepentingannya masing-masing.

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Tanpa adanya hukum penistaan agama pun, masih ada pasal-pasal yang mengatur penghinaan terhadap suatu golongan. Pasal 156 KUHP menyatakan  bahwa “barangsiapa di muka umum menyatakan perasaan permusuhan, kebencian atau penghinaan terhadap suatu atau beherapa golongan rakyat Indonesia, diancam dengan pidana penjara paling lama empat tahun atau pidana denda paling banyak empat ribu lima ratus rupiah.” Kemudian, ada pula pasal 157 KUHP yang menyatakan bahwa “Barang siapa menyiarkan, mempertunjukkan atau menempelkan tulisan atau lukisan di muka umum, yang isinya mengandung pernyataan perasaan permusuhan, kebencian atau penghinaan di antara atau terhadap golongan-golongan rakyat Indonesia, dengan maksud supaya isinya diketuhui atau lebih diketahui oleh umum, diancam dcngan pidana penjara paling lama dua tahun enam bulan atau pidana denda paling hanyak empat rupiah lima ratus rupiah. “ Dengan adanya pasal-pasal tersebut, sudah jelas tidak ada siapapun yang berhak menghina maupun mencemari nama baik suatu gologan meskipun dalam penegakannya masih diperlukan perincian untuk menegaskan dan memperjelas batasan dari pasal tersebut.

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Pelaksanaan hukum penistaan agama di Indonesia bertentangan dengan peran Indonesia sebagai negara yang adil dan beradab. Akibatnya, terjadi pelanggaran-pelanggaran HAM seperti kebebasan berpendapat dan hak untuk diperlakukan adil serta opresi minoritas yang terjadi secara berkelanjutan. Hukum penistaan agama memiliki dampak negatif yang besar dan penerapannya menyimpang dari tujuan diberlakukan hukum tersebut.  Hukum ini secara tidak langsung menciptakan masyarakat yang intoleran. Sudah saatnya bagi kita untuk melakukan gerakan perubahan. Kita memiliki kewajiban untuk menegakan keadilan dan membela kaum yang lemah. Marilah kita mulai membangun Indonesia yang adil dan makmur, sesuai dengan cita-cita bangsa.

Amidst the rising tension between United States and North Korea, the genocide of Muslim Rohingnya, and Syrian refugees, lays the constant crisis that has been around for more than centuries: Climate Change.

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Not too long ago, we bid goodbye to the threatening Cempaka Cyclone which took up to 41 victims with the total number of 28.190 people fleeing their home.  The loss costs trillions of Indonesian Rupiah along with the damages of infrastructure, settlement and the economy.

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However, we are again faced with another cyclone, the Dahlia Cyclone. ITB Climatology Expert, Armi Susandi, explained that the cyclone would be faster than the prior, with its speed reaching 80 km/hour compared to the Cempaka Cyclone which only reached 57 km/hour.

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The danger of climate change is as real as it can be. Yet, why does it appear so distant?

According to a psychologist, Daniel Kahneman, when we're faced with uncertain treats about things we might lose in the distant future, our brains will invent all kinds of excuses not to act on them today. In this case, we feel like there are other global priorities bigger than climate change.

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Imagine reading about an event affecting a group of endangered animals. While we do sympathize with their whole experience, we don't have the motivation to do anything about it until they are actually gone. Our brain subconsciously fills our thoughts with more urgent matters. Something that needs to be taken care of immediately and concerns us personally.

When we talk about climate change, it always seems to be in future tense and its effects sound unlikely to affect us directly. Words in media like 'sheltering future generations,' 'standing up for our future,' and news of extreme weathers and disasters have become so familiar to the point where it becomes normal. But, it doesn't feel like it's happening to us.

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Climate change is something that proceeds rather slowly. It will be the cause of a long chain of events.  We wouldn't realize its effects until it's gone too far. Climate change is not something that can be magically disappeared with one move, either. It takes time and continuous actions.

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So, yes, climate change is real and it's that bad. It's happening now, right in front of our eyes. It's affecting us. Not just polar bears.

November 8th, 2016.

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I had just gone home from school when my phone rang, alarming a new message was in. That day was like any other ordinary day. No typhoons, no earthquakes, and not even genetic mutated monsters coming out of some sort radiation lab. But, a storm was coming. A storm, in the form of none other than Donald Trump.

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I checked out my phone to see what the message was. It was from a friend of mine who had been living in the US from quite some time. I can remember exactly what it was. Three simple words, as simple as words could be, that said, “Donald Trump won.”

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However, I knew it had a deeper meaning than that. I knew what it meant for her. She was scared for her life, just like probably half of the Americans or anyone with any nationalities living in the US today.

I told my friend that it would be okay. Everything would turned out fine. However, within the deepest part of my heart, I knew it was a lie.

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Donald Trump’s victory meant that a lot of voices would be repressed. Those voices would be ignored, going through the right ear and out of the left ear.

Donald Trump’s victory meant that people’s rights would be taken, stripped down until there was nothing left.

Donald Trump’s victory meant that it would be okay for people to carry guns. It would be okay to have guns pointed right to your head.

Donald’s Trump victory meant the end of freedom.

–Trump won and so did sexism, racism, and violence.

Donald Trump, to put it simply, is racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, homophobic, and on top of it all, a hypocritical liar. These goes with facts.

In 2007, he said that he ‘respected women’, having too much respect, in fact, yet he called Hillary a nasty woman. He called female journalists a bimbo, a dog. He even made sex jokes to his own daughter.

In 2010, he said that he was ‘a environmentalist’. However, later he claimed that global warming was a hoax by the Chinese despite the hundreds to thousands of cries of scientists.

In 2016, he said that he was ‘the least racist person’. However, he judged Mexicans, Chinese, and basically any other non white-skinned races as poorly educated, violent, and should be banned from the US; that he would build a wall separating US and the rest of the world.

Is this the type of person who should be a president? How did he end up as candidate in the first place?

I didn’t know that a candidate should promote hate against certain groups of people.

I didn’t know that a candidate should be egoistical and proud.

I didn’t know that a candidate should be someone who got demonstrated on his worst week in the office

I thought that a candidate, someone who someday would lead a country, should be someone that can be trusted. Someone who can hold the weigh of his nation on his shoulder. Someone who believes in peace and harmony.

It is a shame that most people tend to ignore this. They would say, “It’s none of my business,” or “What happen in the US, stays in the US.” Well, guess what? Trump could be plotting world domination right now and maybe when a bomb is dropped onto their house then they will finally realized that it is everyone’s business.

Trump could easily make the economy collapses if he wants to. He could start world war III

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So, I texted my friend once again on Trump Inauguration day, “Be safe.”

Globalization has been there since a long time ago. It started when Columbus set his sail in 1492. He opened the barrier between nations overseas and with that, the size of the large world turned to medium.  Trading, cultures, languages, they were all blended like a glass of juice. In this era, countries and governments were trying their best in breaking the walls and knitting the world together. The primary question was: How can we go global and collaborate with others?

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After that, came the Great Depression and World War. This era shrank down the world from medium to small. The multinational companies ruled this era. With the creation of steam engine, telephone, PC, and all that, it was the industrial revolution. It was during the era we really saw the birth and maturation of a global economy. And the question was: Where do we fit into this new global economy?

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 On that mark, the 21st century, began. The time where technology is at its peak. Medical science, social engineering, and basically everything revolves science are evolving rapidly. From creating a printer for 3D objects to cloning genes, there has been a long list of tremendous success. What humankind has reached today was once a dream out of reach. But man curiosity-perhaps god's greatest and humblest gift- conquered those all.

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We live in times that are so revolutionary that they demand new and different abilities. In this new brand era, everything moved vastly and we have to keep up. However, the question is ‘How?’

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It is a simple question yet so difficult to answer. Some people would think hard and finally say, ‘You should go with the flow.’ Or ‘Just do what you do now.’ Wrong. It is such a shame that most people are living in blissful ignorance. They live in their own little bubbles unbeknown of what happened outside of it. The world is facing serious global issues of terrorism, poverty, ethnic conflict, social inequality, and environmental destruction.  It is our responsibilities to tackle these issues. If not us, who else?

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Looking up on the internet we would find answers such as critical thinking and creativity; not to mention communication and collaboration. Better curriculums and ways of teaching are also advised on the net. Is it wrong? No. Is it right? Yes but not exactly. As ridiculous as it sounds, all skills are crucial for humanity to thrive. Initiative, leadership, engineering, and even something completely irrelevant as entertainment skills.

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For example, a farmer should not be taught only to harvest crops. He should be taught of economy, literature, and biology. With economy, he would learn how to sell his crops better. With literature, he would gain the art of speaking, in a way that will attract his costumers. With biology, he would know how to plant the most efficient way while not harming the ecosystems. They are connected with invisible strings that cannot be denied.

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The most basic and fundamental thing is awareness. Look around. Do researches. Once understood, take initiative. It does not have to be something big, start by something we know we could do. Something simple. We need to stop over thinking all the problems and actually act on it. Thinking would get us nowhere.

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Learn all the things around the world, devour them. There is no such thing as useless knowledge. Once tired, make something new, an innovation. Do a little something for the world as it has given us so much.

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We may or may not successful but without trying, how would we know? Thomas Alva Edison was called stupid for his entire childhood even by his own father and did it stop him? No. He continued his studies and grew up to be one of the greatest inventors in the history of mankind. His contribution to the world has made endless discoveries happen.

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Communication is the key, as what they said. Get engaged with as many people as possible. We could learn from their experiences, their mistakes, so that we would not do the same and instead, do better. The diversity of their characters would influence our characters. Therefore, surround ourselves with good, well-mannered, people. That does not mean we exclude the others, no. We could bring them back into the light. To justice. Cliché, it may seem.

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It has been a long journey for mankind until today. We have encountered different kind of obstacles and we were able to pass through every single one. How about the future? Of course, we can. Humanity needs us and the time is now.

It didn’t use to be this way.

A month ago, our gaze would linger every time we passed by, and I would greet him casually as he kept his eyes on mine and returned the gesture.

​

A month ago, we would stay up past midnight, sending each other meaningless late night messages and goofed around.

​

A month ago I wouldn’t be tongue-tied when he stood there in front of me

A month ago, he wouldn’t dare lie to my face even if the truth would hurt so much.

​

A month ago-
was something I couldn’t return to.

3 am is for depression,
the haunting shadows in the darkest nights.

​

3 am is for restless dreamers,
whose hopes are shattered every time.

​

3 am is for brokenhearted fools,
who trade their love in exchange for tears.

​

3 am is for the abused,
who are trying their best to gather every last piece of their sanity.

​

3 am is…. for me.

Mary told me she wanted to die.

And at that moment, it made me realize-
that what scared me the most wasn’t my own death.
Perhaps, it was the feeling of being left, alone.
After all, dead men couldn’t feel.
The burden was carried by the living.

So, when Mary said, ‘I want to die,’ I was terrified.
You could stop a murderer to kill a victim.
But how do you stop a victim who killed himself?

Every seconds was torture.
Every words turned into cuts hidden under their sleeves.
Every breath was poison.

And so,
they drowned,
into a world of madness.
Insanity.

They welcomed death as an old friend.
And death smiled upon them-
as he pulled their soul into his realm.

She shines brightly in the darkest of the night,
her eyes sparks a thousand lights,
she smiles ever so vividly,
her aura glitters with colors.

​

she is his sun,
his damsel in distress,
his muse,
his soulmate.

​

she found him,
and he didn’t want to be lost again.

The most common misconceptions about love is that love is an escape

​

And for some time,

​

you were my escape.

​

But soon I realized,

​

Loving you wasn’t an escape

​

You were never an escape

​

You are home

​

Because home is where the heart is

​

And

I’ll always go back to you

While it is true that there have been several cases revolving around political dynasties, it is also unfair to reject someone based on their family status.  It is against our basic principles which strongly believe in equality and which stated as fifth in Pancasila, “Social justice for all of the people of Indonesia.” Including in this matter. It is also stated in Article no. 27, The 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, “All citizens shall be equal before the law and the government and shall be required to respect the law and the government, with no exceptions.”

​

A child growing up in a family with a tradition of politics, usually live thorough their childhood with politics. By the time the reach adolescence politics talks are no longer strange to their ears. They would have been more prepared and gains knowledge from their own family experience.

​

A ban on political dynasty might instead of reducing (KKN), actually reduce the chances of young brilliant minds leaders to grow. It does not assure that violations and illegal doings will stop.

For example:

Gayus Tambunan, a famous case in his time, a case of tax corruption. He didn’t grow up in a political family. No. But did it stop him? No. If this ban was there at the exact time and place, would it change anything?

IT is ineffective.

Judul Buku      : Laskar Pelangi

Penulis             : Andrea Hirata

Negara             : Indonesia

Bahasa             : Indonesia

Genre               : Roman

Penerbit           : Bentang Pustaka

Tanggal terbit   : 2005

Halaman          : 534 halaman

ISBN                : ISBN 979-3062-79-7

​

Sinopsis

​

Novel ini bercerita tentang semangat juang dari anak-anak kampung Belitong untuk mengubah nasib mereka melalui sekolah. Cerita diawali dengan terancamnya sebuah sekolah Muhammadiyah di desa Gantung, Kabupaten Gantung, Belitung Timur. Apabila jumlah murid tidak memenuhi kuota, yaitu 10 anak, maka Depdikbud akan membubarkan sekolah tersebut. Pada upacara pembukaan, terlihat hanya ada 9 murid. Akan tetapi pada akhirnya seorang anak bersama ibunya datang untuk mendaftar. Nama mereka ialah: Syahdan, Lintang, Kucai, Samson, A Kiong, Sahara, Trapani, Harun, Mahar dan sang tokoh utama Ikal. Di tengah cerita akan dihadirkan seorang karakter lagi yang bernama Flo.

​

Buku ini berkutat pada kehidupan masa kecil ke-11 anak ‘Laskar Pelangi’ ini. Mulai dari perkenalan, kehidupan sehari-hari mereka, dan kejadian-kejadian penting lainnya. Anak-Anak laskar pelangi hidup dalam kebahagiaan dan mempunyai cita-cita setinggi langit, akan tetapi dengan hidup serba kekurangan, mereka harus tunduk pada nasib.

​

Kelemahan dan Kelebihan

​

Banyak penggunaan kata yang tidak sering dijumpai, yang membuat pembaca mungkin kurang menikmati novel ini. Walaupun novel ini dilengkapi dengan glosarium, letaknya masih kurang tepat, yaitu berada di bagian belakang novel.

Novel ini juga tidak mempunyai alur yang pasti. Terkesan tidak teratur dan membingungkan pembaca. Latar waktu juga sering terlihat kabur jadi sulit untuk menghubungkan timeline antar kejadian.

​

Meskipun begitu, novel ini memiliki makna yang sangat mendalam. Gaya penulis dalam menceritakan cerita pun cukup menyenangkan.

Kesimpulan

Banyak pelajaran hidup yang bias kita ambil dalam novel ini. Yang terpenting adalah menghargai apa yang kita punya dan terutama hidup kita.

I am a dreamer.

Born in a world driven by madness,

Where the silent screams of the crowd are engulfed in darkness,

Where pieces of paper determine our worth,

Where the sky is covered by dust and black smoke,

Where feelings seems to be nonexistent,

Where birds’ chirps in the morning are replaced by roars of monsters of iron and machines,

Where smartphones have become smarter than our brains,

Where my voice cannot be heard.

I am a dreamer.

I dream of peace,

Of harmony between leaders and their people,

Of my mother’s smile as she get out of bed,

Of the wind breeze that goes through my hair,

Of me, being happy.

Because I am a dreamer.

Data / Identitas Film :         

​

Judul Film          : Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale

Sutradara           : Wei Te-Sheng

Penulis Naskah  : Wei Te-Sheng

Produser            : John Woo, Jimmy Huang, Terence Chang

Sinematografi    : Ricky Ho

Penyunting        : Chen Po-Wen and Milk Su

Distributor         : The ARS Film Production,  VISION PICTURES, Fortissimo Films, Huaxia Film

                              Distribution Company (China)

Tanggal Rilis      : Part 1: September 9, 2011      Part 2: September 30, 2011 (Taiwan)

Durasi                 : Total 276 menit

Negara               : Taiwan

Bahasa               : Seediq, Jepang, Taiwan

​

Sinopsis :

Film ini menceritakan perjuangan suku Seediq di tahun 1895. Pada masa itu, di atas perjanjian Shimonoseki, Cina menyerahkan Taiwan kepada Jepang. Jepang yang mengetahui betapa kayanya sumber daya alam Taiwan, ingin menguasai seluruh daerah Taiwan. Hal ini dipersulit dengan perlawanan-perlawanan dari suku asli pedalaman.

​

Film dimulai dengan Mouna Rudo muda yang membunuh suku lain di daerah perburuan mereka untuk mendapatkan tato yang diceritakan dibutuhkan pada saat menyebrangi jembatan pelangi untuk menemui roh nenek moyang ketika meninggal. Disini diperlihatkan bagaimana Mouna Rudo memiliki daya juang yang tinggi dan sangat bangga atas suku dan dirinya sendiri. Hal ini membuatnya tidak disukai dan ditakuti oleh anggota dari suku-suku lain, terutama Temu Walis.

​

Suatu saat pasukan jepang datang menyerang. Mouna Rudo dan ayahnya memimpin perlawanan atas kaum jepang ini dan pada akhirnya kalah dengan kurangnya persenjataan dan jumlah pasukan. Mereka dipaksa untuk hidup dalam pengawasan pasukan jepang. Para lelaki diwajibkan untuk bekerja memotong kayu dan membawanya ke desa dengan gaji rendah. Sementara para wanita dipekerjakan sebagai membantu rumah tanggal dan pembawa anggaran untuk pasukan jepang. Mereka diperlakukan dengan tidak adil dan anak-anak mereka walaupun diperbolehkan untuk sekolah seringkali dikenakan kekerasan dalam pembelajaran.

​

Beberapa anggota suku memiliki untuk hidup sebagai orang jepang. Mereka mengganti nama mereka dan hidup seperti orang jepang. Tetapi, kenyataannya diskriminasi tetapi tidak lepas dari hidup mereka.

​

Setelah bertahun-tahun hidup dalam kesengsaraan dan dikarenakan permintaan dari sukunya, Mouna Rudo memimpin perlawanan yang sudah ia rencanakan selama bertahun-tahun. Mereka tahu apa resiko dari perang ini. Kematian mereka adalah pasti tetapi mereka lebih baik mati dengan hormat dan menemui roh nenek moyang mereka. Kesempatan mereka datang pada hari olahraga, dimana semua orang jepang akan berkumpul dalam satu tempat.

​

Dengan mengumpulkan kekuatan dari suku-suku lain mereka melaksanakan perlawanan mereka. Semua orang jepang dibunuh tanpa belas kasih, hanya kaum Han yang bisa selamat. Satu polisi jepang berhasil kabur dan memberi tahu apa yang terjadi.

​

Jepang pada saat itu juga langsung mengambil tindakan. Suku Toda dalam pimpinan Temu Walis pun direkrut untuk melawan pasukan Seediq. Jepang pun mempergunakan bom gas dalam penyerangan ini. Banyak sekali korban dalam perang, baik dari sisi Seediq maupun sisi Jepang. Para wanita dan anak-anak dari kaum Seediq pun satu per satu membunuh diri mereka sendiri.

​

Mouna Rudo melihat situasi ini memberikan tanggung jawab kepada anaknya, Tado Mona, untuk tetap bertarung ataupun menyerah sebelum akhirnya Rudo memutuskan untuk bunuh diri. Tado diberikan kesempatan untuk menyerah tetapi memilih untuk mati dengan hormat bersama kaumnya dan akhirnya bunuh diri.

​

Jasad Mouna Rudo ditemukan oleh seorang pemburu yang melihat Mouna Rudo dan sukunya menyebrangi jembatan pelangi untuk menemui roh nenek moyang mereka.

​

Ulasan:

Film ini menggambarkan dengan jelas apa yang terjadi pada masanya. Perjuangan Mouna Rudo dan suku Seediq dalam melawan pasukan jepang merupakan salah satu dari banyak perang yang kita bisa ambil hikmahnya. Semangat juang yang tinggi dan keberanian mereka adalah hal yang patut kita contoh. Film ini berhasilkan menyampaikan perasaan orang-orang pada masa itu.

Akan tetapi, bagian-bagian yang sadis seperti kepala yang dipotong mungkin tidak cocok untuk ditampilkan kepada khalayak umum. Walaupun memang itulah yang terjadi, hendaknya tidak diperlihatkan secara detail yang mungkin terkesan berlebihan. Ada beberapa editan pula yang masih perlu diperbaiki lagi. Namun untuk keseluruhan, saya pribadi sangat menyukai film ini.

Title: Dorothy Must Die

Author: Danielle Paige
Publisher: HarperCollins
Edition: First
Plot: Forward

Settings:
Place: Kansas, Oz
Time: Modern Age

Characters:


Amy Gumm

Her dad had left her in her mother’s care since she was born. Things were perfect until her mother dwelled on drugs which probably affected Amy’s personality. She used to be a carefree
optimistic girl, but with all the pressure she’d gotten, she turned a bit negative. As the story goes on, little by little, her attitude changed for the better.


Madison Pendleton
She is your usual antagonist; a snobby rich and popular girl who seemed to love doing anything to cause others sorrow.


Indigo

A brave and intelligent munchkin. Hard to approach at first, but she knew where her loyalties at.


Ollie

A monkey who would do anything to get his kind’s freedom back. He was cautious and somehow a coward, although it was mainly because he didn’t want to be under Dorothy’s control again.


Gert
She used to be the ‘Good’ witch, until Dorothy came. She sensed her craving for fame and power and decided to leave her throne. She knew how to attract people, to make them comfy, and she made it an advantage to overthrow Dorothy.


Nox
A boy whom the Order took in and made a wizard. He got talent for magic and also Hand-to-hand combat. He wore a calm expression all the time although he was so determined on killing
Dorothy and almost had no time for thinking anything else.


Glamora
Glinda’s twin. She looked so much like her sister, fancy and classy, with a slightly different style. She was a bit crazy, but honestly, who could blame her?


Mombi
She was strict and realistic. The worst member of the Order, or so Amy thought. However, she had the same goal, bringing Oz back to how it was before.


Dorothy
She grew up in a farm and had a nice personality, but as she tasted her first power, she gave in to her greed. A cruel and oppressive ruler of Oz, a tyrant to be precise.

​

Scarecrow

His curiosity and thirst of knowledge made him did unthinkable things. Cruelties were done in the name of science and he modified body parts to make new creatures as the queen’s
servants.


Tin Man
He’d been modified into a warped nightmare version of him. He looked more like a machine that had been cobbled together out of spare parts. He devoted his life to Dorothy and would do anything for her.


Lion
Not the same coward lion as he used to be, he now fed on other’s fear. He was huge and golden, with bulging, grotesque muscles and a filthy, snarled mane that would scare anyone even from a mile away.
  

Glinda
Once, she was one of the Good witch. However, terrified of losing her throne, she continued to work under Dorothy’s command.


The Wizard
The first human to step his feet on Oz. He had a twisted mind and had his own ways to do things. He used to be the Oz’s ruler, but grew lazy over time and left the palace.

​

​

The story starts with the main character’s background, Amy Gumm, a high school teenager from Kansas whose mother had been an addict since her father left them. Being poor and all made her a target for the rich bully Madison.

One day, she got into a big trouble with Madison and ended up taking all the blame, as always, to be expelled. Frustrated, she went back to her trailer, to her mother, only to have her mother mad at her for being expelled. Amy blamed her mother parenting skills, unfortunately, it only fired up her mother’s rage as she finally went to the bar to clear up her mind.

All of sudden, a tornado came out of nowhere and swept up the trailer, along with Amy to Oz. However, Oz was not what it should had been. The new Oz was dark and depressing and the residents were clearly chafing against the tyranny even thought they acted like automatons. What happened? Dorothy.

Dorothy had found a way to come back to Oz. She seized power and the power went to her head. She used the munchkins to mine magic all across the country, and made all of her friends guards to maintain ’ The Happiness degree’, as they called it, but the only happiness that mattered was Dorothy’s.

Amy met a grumpy munchkin named Indigo along the way, who turned out to be a runaway from Dorothy’s slavery and later helped her to find her way to the palace. As they walked down the Yellow Bridge, they found a monkey dangling upside down to a post as it expressed his anguish scream. He was sentenced for ‘the crime of sass, another victim of Dorothy. Without hesitating, Amy freed the monkey and immediately continued on the move, not wanting to
get into trouble.

They were soon caught by the Tin Woodman and his knights. They tried to run, which ended up in failure, except for the monkey. Indigo, however, was not that lucky. She was melted into a big
lump of sticky, pinkish flesh.

Amy was brought to the palace to meet Dorothy. Everything went well at first, until Dorothy found out that Amy, too, was from Kansas and thus, she was sentenced to A Fate Worse than Death. She was put in a prison cell to wait for punishment. There, time goes by without her noticing. When the day for her trial finally had come, a witch named Mombi promised her freedom. Amy was suspicious at first, but seeing no other choice, she agreed.

She was brought into a secret hideout, where she was recruited to be member of the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. She trained with the other members, consisted of the Wicked Witches, a young warlock, and some failed experiments of the Scarecrow. And so, she
learnt magic and redefined her whole definition of good and wicked as time goes on.

Amy had developed feelings for Nox, the only warlock in the Order; nevertheless, she realized that there was no time for romance. The other members, however, simply saw this as an opportunity to make Amy stronger.

Once she was deemed strong enough, the order gave her a mission to disguise herself as a loyal servant within the castle to get close to Dorothy and overthrow her. She was briefly stationed as lady-in-waiting and lost the job after an incident which cost a life of her
guardian at the palace.

Later, Dorothy hosted a ball for all of Oz's wealthy to come to and Amy was set to serve drinks at it. Seeing it was her chance and also as an exchange for her carelessness, she decided to make her move. It all went well until the last minute. Dorothy managed to use her magic to whisk herself to safety and Amy was saved by flying monkeys.

​

The mission failed, of course, but the palace was burned horribly with everything inside. The Order escaped separately and Amy was the last to run. As she was about to leave the palace, the Wizard revealed what had to be done to take down Dorothy;

Remove the Tin Woodman’s heart.
Steal the Scarecrow’s brain.
Take the Lion’s courage.
And then-
Dorothy must die.

Among renowned names during World War II (i.e. Hitler, Stalin, and many others), stand the name of Josef Mengele. Well known for his inhumane experiments during his duty as a member of the Schutzstaffel, a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, he earned himself the title ‘Angel of Death’.

​

Josef Mengele was born on March 16th, 1911 as the eldest children in the Mengele household. In addition to being blessed with intelligence and popularity, he also immersed himself in music, art, and skiing. He studied medicine in Goethe University along with Philosophy and anthropology in Ludwig Maximillian University of Munich. His fascination in twins rose when he became an assistant of a famed researcher, Verschuer, who studied twins at the institute for heredity, biology, and racial hygiene.

​

He was a victim of the Nazi Doctrine, which allowed him to do the experiments without the slightest guilt. The Nazi ideal of the future would benefit from his experiments. If all Aryan women could certainly give birth to blond blue-eyed twins, he would make history.

​

While he would lead other children and their respective parents to gas chambers, he would keep the twins to suffer through his experiments. The twins would be carefully measured before the experiments and after. The experiments included blood transfusion from one twin to another, the change of eye color that might cause temporary blindness, Injections and shots that were given with no anesthesia and even surgeries of organ removal, castration, and amputation. Some samples would be sent to Verschuer for further study.

​

After the war, he found himself in us custody. However, he got lucky. The US officials didn't recognize him as a wanted criminal. Under fake identity, he fled to Bavaria and worked there from 1945 to 1949. At that time, his wealthy family provided everything he needed to escape to Argentina. After his crimes had been organized and filed, west German authorities issued a warrant for his capture in 1959 and requested for his extradition in 1960. Alarmed by the capture of Adolf Eichmann, one if the major organizer of holocaust, he moved to Paraguay then to Brazil, Sao Paolo. He suffered a stroke while swimming and drowned. He was buried under the fictive name Wolfgang Gerhard. His remains were carefully hidden until 1985 and later DNA evidence confirmed his identity in 1992.

​

While his experiments cannot be justified, his findings did contribute to modern medical science although they weren’t publicly known. Perhaps the only applicable researches known were of hypothermia and phosphene gas. There are other Nazi era research that doctors now used and built on but the data gathered were mostly gruesome and simply unscientific.

  In this era of globalization, environmental issues that we have been trying to escape from have finally caught up with us, hitting us like a giant hurricane. Developing countries declare that developed countries that have long revel in the benefits of industrialization are to blame for providing a significant contribution in addressing the issue of climate change. Meanwhile, the advanced group insists that the progress of industrial growth and the rapid rise of fossil fuel-based energy usage in developing countries have been a lot worse.

​

  Living in Indonesia, as one of the developing countries, has made me realize that the lack of technology is such a big deal. Indonesians have beautiful minds, we are smart and broad-minded. We accept new trends and ideas quite easily, as long as it doesn’t cross with our belief. Stereotypes usually described us as friendly hard-working people and it’s true. We are capable of doing great things, how come are we not on top of the world?

​

There are a lot of answers to this, but one thing for sure: Technology.

​

  Indonesia has a lot of resources. From water, coal, gold, oil, to spices, we have them all. However, without technology, there is nothing much to do. They are raw, pure, and untouched. Indonesia could have been ruling the world by now, yet there are still people on the streets, caps on their hands, living poorly and begging for support. This is the hard truth.

​

  I usually take buses or trains to home to avoid the traffic and you would be amazed how I could endure those. It takes around 2 hours to reach my destination and I have to stay put with the improper conditions of these transportations. The broken windows coated in torn dark lining plastics, the floor covered with footprints and trash splattered everywhere, the hot ACs which supposed to be cool, and not to mention the black smoke drifting through the air.

​

  We had tried an endless list of solution and cooperated with dozen countries but it seemed like every contracts we made with another countries was not in our favor. Freeport for example. We were supposed to get more than half of the profits but with all the corruption and lies, the dream of becoming a developed country faded.

​

  Now, our financial situation put us in a place where we can’t afford to make nor buy the technology to produce renewable resources and instead we have depend on the non-renewable resources, which will be used up one day. When that time come, how will we survive?

​

  I believe that transparent exchange needs to be enacted between countries. Countries that are capable of making renewable sources should export to developing countries and underdeveloped in order to fulfill the energy needed in remote regions. For example: Biomass produced in less developed Asian and African countries can be traded to developed countries for technology. This way, both countries can have the benefits from the trade.

​

  Mass producing renewable energy source would also help to increase competitiveness to eventually decrease the price. In some countries, money is a huge issue. Their citizens don’t have anything else to give. They are starving everyday and they need us to support them. To help these countries, the prices need to be lower down that anyone could afford it.

​

  Policies regarding renewable energy have to be created, focusing on how countries should set clear and concise targets to gradually convert their energy source to renewable energy resources on a scale that suit the needs and capability of their own countries. All countries are different and we should respect that.

​

  The world is like a domino. If one falls, another will fall. Thus, let’s push down our ego and look around. There’s no harm done is helping others.

​

Bersatu kita teguh, bercerai kita runtuh.

The morning time symphony of spring was carried out by the birds. Their calls, chirping, and chattering, interweaved with the sunlight to brighten the day and spurred one on to action. The sweet smell of flowers blooming in the chilly air filled my nose as it gently drifted through the lawn. Sparkling strands of thin lights came from above, casted upon the world and embraced it with its warmth. Clouds shaped like marshmallows glided slowly across the sky, travelling from one point to another. ‘Just another normal spring day,’ I thought, slumping down the seat.

​

Taking a sip of the dense black liquid, I drank all the bitterness down my throat. I had never been a fan of coffee but after endless tiring nights of work, I had no choice but getting used to it. As a new scientist, it wasn’t unusual for me to get weird jobs and work overtime. Nevertheless, there was a strong attachment, passion, and a dab of determination burning with every new project. The way how science could reveal the untold secrets of universe was what infatuated me the most.

​

Soon, my peace was disrupted by a certain paperboy. “Here is your newspaper, Miss Zara!”

“You know Nate, “I frowned, “Your loudness never ceases to amaze me.”

​

He grinned like he always did, and let out a small chuckle, “Thank you!”

​

                Before a single word could leave my lips, he had already dashed to the next house. ‘Teenagers.’ I shook my head and opened the newspaper.  I flipped through the pages, reading mindlessly until a piece of article caught my eye.

LEAVING THE BLUE PLANET

HUMANITY MAY NEED MILLENNIUM TO FIND A NEW HOME IN THE UNIVERSE--OR JUST A FEW YEARS
Around the globe, seasons are shifting, temperatures are climbing and sea levels are rising. Flooding, drought and intense summer heat could result in no time. We have received yet another indication of extreme climate change for the next years to come.

Faith in humanity on earth is fading. The utopia we had once dreamed had been lost. It’s time to leave. Scientists and engineers are combining forces in order to discover another planet for us to thrive.

The end is near. This is no longer a joke, no longer a fictional Sci-Fi movie. This is re-

​

A sharp pain stung into the back of my head. All the colors drained from my face, with only ghostly white remained. I gasped helplessly for air, my hands was reaching out for nothing. Tears started to stream down from my face, never in my life I had felt like this before.

Flashbacks played out in my mind like a broken record, jumbled and obscure. ‘Focus, Focus.’ I repeated the word to spell myself out of this mess. After what seemed like forever, I calmed down. A new scene came to play, a memory.

​

“Zara, you need to leave! Come with us!” My sisters raised her hand, waiting to take my hand. But, I didn’t.

​

The world was dying. People were scattering on the streets, trying to save themselves and keep their family safe. The idea of a new world was tempting but I just couldn’t leave.

​

“No, you go. Just leave me.”

“But—“ I brought a finger up to my sister’s lips.

“Just go, okay?”

With that, I was back in my room. Panic started to overwhelm me, killing me with its every claws and eating me from inside. I climbed up the stairs, only to find nothing. I searched every room, every single corner. There is no one here.

​

“Mel? Where are you? This is not funny.” I called up my sister desperately. She had always been there for me, for better or worse. “Mel?”

​

Then, it hit me. This is not real.

​

Getting my senses back, I saw the reality my mind had tried to hide. Dust lay on every surface like dirty snow, papers of my work were on the floor, and old tea cups my sister loved so much now lay on a coffee table thickly encrusted with dried up mold. It was almost as if it had gotten hit by a tornado. Did it?

​

I took a deep breath, regretting it the moment I did it. Unknown gas had filled up my lungs as I gasp helplessly for oxygen. I tried to scream, only to realize that it was useless. I was alone, afterall.

Intro:

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was published in 1925 and praised as one of the best pieces of American fiction of its time. A novel of mystery and tragedy, noted for the stunning way its author portrayed a man’s life in the American society he was a part of. Although, it was not an initial success for Fitzgerald during his lifetime, as it was treated only as a snapshot of the frantic post war society known as the Jazz Age, today it gives readers with a window through which to observe life in the 1920s and has been read and taught all over the world. Part of Fitzgerald's charm in The Great Gatsby, in fact, is his ability to capture the mood of a generation during a politically and socially critical and intense period of American history.

​

Compiled into nine brief chapters, The Great Gatsby involves the lives of four wealthy characters which later acquainted with Nick Carraway, whose perspective is used in the book. Nick’s life was based on the life of Fitzgerald himself. They came from the same town, attended the same university, served in the same army, and ended up in New York after war.

​

He decided to work in the bond business and settled West Egg, Long Island. His neighbor was a mysterious wealthy man in his thirties, named Gatsby, who was the subject of endless conversation to the guest of his parties. He had been rumored to be a hero at the Great War, while others said that he served as a German spy. As Nick gradually became closer and learned more about Gatsby, every detail about him seemed suspicious, except his love for Nick’s cousin, the charming Daisy Buchanan.

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Jay Gatsby's night parties were held with one and one reason only: to attract Daisy, who lived just across the bay, in the more fashionable East Egg. From the lawn of his incredible mansion, Gatsby could see her house just across the bay. A green light could be seen shining at night, which later becomes a symbol of the "future that year by year recedes before us."

Though Daisy was already a married with another man and had become a mother, Gatsby still worshipped her as his "golden girl." They first met when she was a young lady from a prosperous family and he was a working-class military officer. Daisy promised to wait for his return from the war. But instead she married Tom Buchanan, a wealthy classmate of Nick's. Coming back with a great amount of fortune, Gatsby, who still believed that they belonged together, tried to pursue Daisy.

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Gatsby's mission to his beloved had guided him from the bottom to the top to the edge of life—death.

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Summary:

Nick Carraway had just moved from Midwest to the west egg—the less fashionable part of the town as some may said—to get into bond business. It had been his coworker’s idea to buy a house and move in together. However, at the last minute he was sent back to Washington and he was left alone.

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Upon a dinner with his second cousin, Daisy and her husband Tom, whom he had met in college, his neighbor, Gatsby, was brought up in a conversation. As he tried to speak up, the subject had changed and he held back his tongue.  Tom had left the table and Daisy expressed her disappointment of Tom’s secret affair with Jordan Baker, another guest at the house.  Nick finally excused himself and just as he was about to go, Daisy mentioned her interest between Nick and Jordan, thinking that they would be a good match. When he got home, he saw his neighbor and built up his courage to call him. But when the words about to come out, he vanished.

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Time past and Nick was invited to go to New York, to meet Myrtle, Tom’s Mistress. Without Daisy, obviously. They stopped by George B. Wilson garage shop, where Tom met Myrtle and arranged a meeting at the station, before Tom picked her up. Nick was then introduced to Catherine, Myrtle sister whom on their first meeting was looking at the furniture possessively like it was hers and the Mckees from the flat below the one they are on. Gatsby was mentioned by Catherine and Myrtle and gossips were exchanged, leaving Nick wondering who Gatsby really was.

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Finally, an opportunity knocks by. On one Saturday morning, a chauffeur gave him a formal note as an invitation to Gatsby party, signed by Jay Gatsby himself and so he went to the party that night. It was a wondrous party, complete with orchestra and people came from every corner, even the ones that hadn’t been invited. Mostly were bored tourists visiting the Long Island and ended up on Gatsby’s front door.

On his way to meet Gatsby, he ran into Jordan and soon introduced to her friends who—as any other girls in the story—were busybodies who couldn’t just mind their own business and Gatsby was once again their main discussion. Jordan then brought him to her own little party on the other side of the garden before she finally took him to the host himself, Gatsby. However, he was extremely hard to find hence they walked together and spent the night together until Nick met a man whom he had met at war. The man turned out to be Gatsby. He was surprised to find him easy to talk to as he thought Gatsby would be a ‘florid and corpulent person in his middle years’.

Nick found the fact that bad rumors of him were told everywhere—to think that he even killed a man— despite Gatsby being like this was peculiar. When the night ended, Jordan told him to find her on the phone book and called her on the matter upon her and Gatsby discussion that night when they had separated. When he left Gatsby’s drive, a man stood in the middle of the road and was looking fiercely at his car. His car was broken and this man later would be known as Owl Eyes. In the car, there was someone else who were as frustrated as he was. It seemed that the car and wheels wasn’t connected anymore. As Nick went back, from afar Gatsby bid him a quick farewell.

For a while Nick lost track of Jordan Baker, whom he seemed to have a feeling with until one summer, they began to get closer again. In these events he found out that Jordan was’ incurably dishonest’ and at her first tournament, cheated to win. This led Nick to the conclusion that Jordan was not happy to be one at disadvantage.

Once Nick tried to keep track of people who came to Gatsby Party. From East Egg, came the Chester Beckers, the Leeches, a man named Bunsen whom he had known at Yale, Doctor Webster Civet, the Hornbeams, the Willie Voltaires and a whole clan named Blackbuck. Then came the Ismays,  the Chrysties, Edgar Beaver, Clarence Endive, the Cheadles the O. R. P. Schraeders, the Stonewall Jackson Abrams of Georgia, the Fishguards, and the Ripley Snells.  The Dancies came too, S. B. Whitebait, Maurice A. Flink, the Hammerheads Beluga the tobacco importer and Beluga’s girls.

From West Egg came the Poles, the Mulreadys, Cecil Roebuck, Cecil Schoen, Gulick and Newton Orchid, Eckhaust, Clyde Cohen, Don S. Schwartze, Arthur McCarty, the Catlips, the Bembergs, and G. Earl Muldoon. Da Fontano the promoter came there, Ed Legros, James B. (“Rot-Gut’) Ferret, the De Jongs, and Ernest Lilly.

Of theatrical people there were Gus Waize, Horace O’Donavan, Lester Meyer, George Duckweed and Francis Bull. Also from New York were the Chromes, the Backhyssons, the Dennickers, Russel Betty, the Corrigans, the Kellehers , the Dewars, the Scullys, S. W. Belcher, the  Smirkes,  the young Quinns, Henry L. Palmetto, Benny McClenahan , Faustina O’Brien, the Baedeker girls, Mr. Albrucksburger, Miss Haag, his fiancee,  Ardita Fitz-Peters, Mr. P. Jewett, Miss Claudia Hip, and Duke.  A particular man named Klipspringer was there so often and so long that he became known as ‘the boarder’. Although, this was quite a long list, the person whom Gatsby wished to come never did.

On another occasion, Nick had a ride and lunch together with Gatsby. That day, they had deep conversation in which from it Nick knew Gatsby more than ever. Gatsby told Nick his whole life and all the sort of things he had done. Gatsby was cleared in the suspicion as he had proofs to prove it. One of the major things was a memorial with Gatsby name on it for ‘valor extraordinary’. In farewell, he was told to have afternoon tea with Baker as there would some things that Gatsby wanted Nick to know. On the ride home, they met Mr Wolfshiem, Gatsby friend and had a little talk while eating. They were then interrupted by Tom, who seemed to disapprove Nick’s acquaintance with Gatsby.

Nick proceeded to his meeting with Jordan baker, where she told him her part of story with Daisy and Gatsby. How she knew them and later became Tom and Daisy’s bridesmaid. She told Nick when she had mentioned Gatsby earlier in the story, Daisy recalled Gatsby as the man she had known before. It was then revealed the reason that Gatsby bought the house there was because that he thought that Daisy would be near and eventually come to one of his night parties some night, but she never did. Jordan asked Nick to invite daisy for an afternoon tea and let Gatsby come so he could get back with her. Finally, Daisy and Gatsby met once again and reconnected their past. Gatsby then invited them to his house which Daisy was uncertain at first but in the end, they did. This only left Gatsby feeling blossomed and grew.

On another day, Gatsby told him the reason why he changed his name from Jay Gatz to Jay Gatsby, how he invented the new him and the story of his best friend, Dan Cody who had died a long time ago and left Gatsby a legacy of twenty five thousand dollars, which he never received. For several weeks, he hadn’t had the chance of meeting him and mostly in New York with Jordan and her aunt until one day he reacquainted again along with Tom. Here came the talk of Daisy and Tom hadn’t been the slightest amused about it. When the next party was held and Daisy decided to come, Tom tagged along, perturbed by the idea of Daisy meeting Gatsby on her own. In this part also tom showed his disgust and annoyance of Gatsby.

After this party, Gatsby confronted his feelings of daisy with Nick. But Nick saw how Daisy had acted last night and he came to the conclusion that maybe they didn’t belong together and told Gatsby to forget the past. After all, you couldn’t repeat the past. Gatsby, however, being a persistent hard-headed man that he was, he believed that Daisy and him would last together.

Later, when he came over again he found out that Gatsby had dismissed most of his servants to make sure that when Daisy arrived, no one would gossip and cause a misunderstanding. The next day, Nick, Gatsby, Jordan and the Buchanans were having lunch together, which was the perfect definition of awkward. They decided to left to town with Gatsby’s car. On the way, they stopped by Wilson’s garage and found that the Wilsons would move west. Myrtle, on the other hand, was looking from afar with jealousy at Jordan baker, whom she thought was Tom’s wife.  After a little talk with George, they soon left. After going around having nowhere to go, they finally stopped at a Plaza hotel. Here was the final confrontation of Tom and Gatsby.

Tom was mad at Gatsby who had interfered with his marriage and seemingly destroyed his affair with Daisy, while Gatsby believed that Daisy loved him and that she would definitely left Tom for him. They broke into a fight and Nick tried to stop them, failing miserably. Jordan and Nick tried to leave the scene but Tom and Gatsby insisted for them to stay. Finally, the focus turned to Daisy. Tom and Gatsby forced her to proclaim her opinion on their fight and she revealed how she had  loved Gatsby in the past but when she thought that he was died, she moved on to tom. Gatsby still confused and surprised by this confession, thought that she was too excited and couldn’t think clearly. Tom, in his rage, revealed the drug business Gatsby was on and his bond with Wolfsheim and how Walter Chase who was in prison was connected to Gatsby. In this chaos, after a moment it went down and Nick realized that it was his birthday—not that it mattered anyway.

The Wilsons was having their own heated argument and the wife was locked up. When she tried to escape, she was hit by a car. It was a yellow car as what the witness claimed and Wilson got suspicious of Tom and Nick. Holding a grudge, Tom explained to him that it wasn’t their car they were driving but Gatsby’s. Which was true, actually, however he wasn’t the one who was driving but instead, Daisy was in control.

Nick suggested him to go away at least a week as the investigators would trace his car but he  postponed as he wanted to at least enjoyed a few moments with daisy first. It was described how Daisy was in despair and depressed in the letters to Gatsby when he left but she had found solace in Tom. Jordan, meanwhile, called him and it ended with a sharp click, leaving nick wondering if he would ever talked to her again. Upon the funeral of Myrtle, Catherine was hard to locate and when they finally did she fainted and someone, either kind or curious brought her to her sister’s body.

Wilson in this funeral and had a little conversation with Michaelis, which involved him telling Michael that he would find and kill Myrtle’s killer. Thinking that the one who killed and had been having affair with her was the same man, he was filled with rage.

Gatsby was going to the pool when it happened. He had no care in the world as his own warmth had gone leaving him. The chauffeur heard the gun shots and when he, Nick, the butler, and gardener rushed to the pool but Gatsby couldn’t be saved. The gardener saw Wilson’s body from afar. It had been done.

Surprisingly, not a lot came. Only the police, newspapermen and photographers came to the front door. Catherine didn’t say anything but that her sister never had seen Gatsby and was completely happy with her husband and had been into no mischief with this acclaim, Wilson charge was reduced to a man ‘deranged by grief’ and the case ended there.

Nick had informed the West Egg and answered questions involving Gatsby. However, when he called Daisy, She and Tom had left with their baggage. Nick wanted to have at least somebody for Gatsby funeral so he called Wolfsheim who left him with no answer and after a few tries he eventually gave up. When the news was up in the newspaper, he expected a reply from Daisy and Wolfsheim but what he got was only a letter from Wolfheim, stated that he couldn’t came as he had another business to attend to and that he didn’t know Gatsby family at all. Suddenly he had a phone call who he had thought at first to be daisy but instead it was another man who hung up when he said Gatsby was dead. Later on, a telegram came signed by Henry C Gatz, gatsby’s father that wanted Nick to postpone the funeral until he came.

When he came, grief was written all over his face but death had not been uncommon for a man in his age and he looked around the room with great pride of his son. They have a conversation of Gatsby and Nick stumbled upon Klippspringer. Nick was relieved when he met him as he saw him as a promise to attend the funeral. However, when he mentioned the funeral, klipspringer tried to make up an excuse that he had a picnic and this definitely aroused nick’s irritation. He even tried to meet Wolfsheim himself but he was told that Wolfsheim had gone away to Chicago. But hearing Wolfsheim voice and Nick insisted to meet him. Wolfsheim finally came out of his office and told him how he and Gatsby met. Nick asked Wolfsheim to be in the funeral as he was one of Gatsby’s closest friends but he didn’t want to get caught with it.

The funeral went with only Nick, Henry, a few servants, the minister and owl eyes. They waited a bit more but saw no sign of anyone coming. After Gatsby’s death, it haunted nick more than anything that he went back home and before he left he met again with Jordan and she announced that she had been engaged to another man.

On another day, he met again with Tom Buchanan and at first was disgusted that he wouldn’t shake hands with him but, in the end, he did it out of formality. Tom told him what he had said to Wilson before the tragedy happened and that he had his share of guilt too but Nick couldn’t just forgive him.

Nick then thought how Gatsby had live his life.  While he had tried to grasp his past, he hadn’t known that it had left him far behind. Too soon that he fell and couldn’t catch up.

Characters:

Nick Carraway: The narrator of the story who defined himself as ‘one of the few honest people he knew’.  The story revolves around him and his acquaintances as he became more and more involved and tangled in the mystery of Gatsby.

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Jay Gatsby (James Gatz): The focus of the story and indirectly the main character. He devoted his life to Daisy, whom he had met before and fallen in love with in the army and promised to wait for him to come back. However, as he returned with a great amount of fortune, Daisy already had been married with Tom Buchanan. Not bothered by this fact, he continued his quest of pursuing Daisy.

Daisy Buchanan: Nick Carraway’s second cousin. Although, married with Tom and became a mother, she still had feelings for Gatsby, which led to a forbidden affair and eventually to tragedy.

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Tom Buchanan: Daisy’s Husband and Nick’s friend in college. He was a big hulking man who was considered a national figure. He had been having a secret affair with another woman, Myrtle, who was the wife of George B. Wilson. Despite this affair, he was mad upon knowing Daisy’s affair with Gatsby.

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Jordan Baker: A girl whom Nick had encountered several times and seemingly Nick had feelings for. They gradually became closer as the time went by. She was engaged with another man in the end.

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Myrtle Wilson: Tom’s Mistress and George B. Wilson’s wife. She was disappointed of her marriage with George, having little money and power, and was happy with her affair with Tom. She was killed in a car crash incident involving Daisy and Gatsby.

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George B. Wilson: The owner of a small car repair company. Bewildered after the car crash that took his wife’s life and thinking it was the same man whom his wife had been having affair with, he was determined to find and kill the killer. Since Gatsby was the one who had the yellow car in the incident, he became the subject of George’s rage.

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Henry Gatz: Gatsby’s father which later would appear in the story, after Gatsby’s death.

Meyer Wolfsheim: Supposedly to be one of Gatsby’s closest friend. However, when invited to Gatsby’s funeral, it was then revealed that his bond with Gatsby was all business and he didn’t want anything more to do with Gatsby.

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Catherine: Myrtle sister who had been introduced to Nick the same day he met Myrtle. A reckless girl full of lies who wanted everything to work in her favor.

Dan Cody: Gatsby’s best friend who had already been dead. He left Gatsby a legacy of twenty-five thousand dollars which Gatsby never took.

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Ewing Klipspringer: A man who resided at Gatsby’s mansion and lived as though as his own. When informed about the funeral, he gave a picnic as an excuse to leave.

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Owl Eyes: A man from Gatsby’s all night parties. He was one of the few people who came to Gatsby’s funeral.

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F. Scott Fitzgerald

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald on September 24, 1896, in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was an American novelist and short story writer who was considered one of the most famous authors of the Jazz Age in 20th century.  His novels includes This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, The Great Gatsby (his best known), and Tender Is the Night. A fifth, unfinished novel, The Love of the Last Tycoon, was published after his death. Fitzgerald also wrote numerous short stories, many of which held themes of youth and promise, and age and despair.

Cold

It’s cold

And I can’t breath

It’s all water

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I guess I was drowning

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And now I’m at the bottom

Even on the days when it feels okay,

Memories just keep crashing back

So I kill myself

Over

And over again

New day, new me

Yeah, right.

She was a dreamer

She dreamt of nice things,

Butterflies, pancakes, and flowers.

She has her head on the clouds,

And her feet off the ground.

She wishes upon a star,

And prays to god everyday.

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She was a dreamer

She got hurt, beaten, and brokenhearted,

But she didn’t try.

Because she was dreamer.

And dreamers don’t try,

They dream.