Bomb at Bethel Church Solo : Victim of Misunderstanding about the Difference

Sunday, 25th September 2011. There was a bomb at Bethel Church Solo. It happened, again and again. Why did it happen? Terrorism? Maybe it sounds classic when Muslim and Christian suspect each other because of the difference that they have. Let’s grow up and open our mind. The real problem is not a difference, but our ignorance about the meaning of the difference itself in our real life. Because of that ignorance, there is very possible for misunderstanding about the difference to be happened. To solve this problem of course we have to understand first about what the real meaning of the difference is. It will not be end before we can respect each other and see the beauty of the difference among us.

As we know Indonesia is a country which full of diversities. Not only religion diversity that shown on paragraph above, there are so many kind of diversitiy such us culture diversitiy, languages diversitiy, tribe diversity, etc.

Those diversities precisely will generate the difference one and another. Actually those differences will create our social interaction among us be more meaningful to learn and complete each other. Unfortunately, most of Indonesian people do not understand well about what the meaning of the difference is and how to see the beauty of the difference in doing social interaction in our real life. So, what can we do to make a change about this condition? For making Indonesian people aware about the difference? The answer is Humanistic Studies.

Humanistic Studies is a course that learns about multiculturalism and religion at human life involved interaction on it. Learn about multiculturalism and religion is impossible if we will not talk about the difference. It sounds horrible at the first time because the difference is sensitive thing. There is a worry that it will create more conflict about the difference that we have. Actually it will be more horrible if we never talk about that difference because the misunderstanding will always be happened if we never share about the difference and clear the misunderstanding on it as soon as possible (Gazali, 2011).

Hopefully, through this course we will understand about the attendance of the difference in human life. It will open our mind to see the beauty of the difference among us in doing social interaction. Have a good perception about the difference will make us be more respectful about the difference that we have. As a candidate of teacher, we will have students from various family background, tribe, and religion. So, we are not only expected to be respectful about the difference, but also be able to persuade the students to be respectful about the difference that they have. I hope, after having good perception about the difference by learning Humanistic Studies we will also have a good explanation, reason, and way to show to our student about the beauty of the difference in order to make them be more respectful in doing interaction one another with all of differences that they have.