The Enchanted Fish

There once was a fisherman who lived with his wife in a small hut close by the seaside. The fisherman used to go fishing every day. One day, as he sat in his boat with his rod, looking at the sparkling waves and watching his line, all of a sudden his float was dragged away deep into the water. He quickly started to reel in his line and managed to pull out a huge fish. "Wow! This will feed us for days." Much to his surprise, the fish started to talk and said, "Pray, let me live! I am not a real fish; I am an enchanted prince. Put me in the water again, and let me go! Have mercy o' kind fisherman." The astonished fisherman quickly threw him back, exclaiming, "I don't want to hurt a talking fish! Go on! Go where you came from." 

When the fisherman went home to his wife, he told her everything that had happened and how, on hearing it speak, he had let it go again. "Didn't you ask it for anything?" said the wife. "No, I didn't, what should I have asked for?" replied the fisherman.

"I am surprised you don't realize what you should have asked for. We live very wretchedly here, in this nasty dirty hut. We are poor and I am so miserable. You should have asked for a nice cozy cottage. Now go back and ask the fish that we want a snug little cottage," said his wife.

The fisherman wasn't sure about this but he still went to the seashore, sat in his boat, went to the middle of the sea and said:

"O enchanted beautiful fish!

Hear my plea!

My wife wants not what I want,

and she won't give up till she has her own will,

so come forth and help me!"

The fish immediately came swimming to him, and said, "Well, what is her will? How can I help your wife?" "Ah!" said the fisherman, "she says that when I had caught you, I ought to have asked you for something before I let you go. She does not like living in our little hut, and wants a snug little cottage." "Go home then," said the fish, "She is already in the cottage!" So the fisherman went home, and saw his wife standing at the door of a nice trim little cottage. "Come in, come on in! Look at the beautiful cottage we have." Everything went fine for a while, and then one day fisherman's wife said, "Husband, there is not enough room for us in this cottage, go back to the fish and tell him to make me an emperor." "Wife," said the fisherman , "I don't want to go to him again. Perhaps he will be angry. We ought to be happy with what the fish has given us and not be greedy." "Nonsense!" said the wife; "The fish will do it very willingly, I know. Go along and try!" With a heavy heart the fisherman went to the middle of the sea and said:

"O enchanted beautiful fish!

Hear my plea!

My wife wants not what I want,

and she won't give up till she has her own will,

so come forth and help me!"

"What would she have now?" said the fish. "Ah!" said the fisherman, "she wants to be an emperor." "Go home," said the fish; "She is an emperor already."

So he went home and he saw his wife sitting on a very lofty throne made of solid gold, with a great crown on her head full two yards high. And on each side of her stood her guards and attendants in a row. The fisherman went up to her and said, "Wife, are you an emperor?" "Yes," she said, "I am an emperor." "Ah!" said the man, as he gazed upon her, "What a fine thing it is to be an emperor!" "Husband," she said, "it is goof to be an emperor." They were happy for a while.

Then a time came when she was not able to sleep all night for she was thinking what she should ask next. At last, as she was about to fall asleep, morning broke, and the sun rose. "Ha!" she thought, as she woke up and looked at it through the window, "after all I cannot prevent the sun from rising." At this thought she was very angry, and weakened her husband, and said, "Husband, go to the fish and tell him I must be Lord of the sun and the moon." The fisherman was half asleep, but the thought frightened him so much that he fell out of the bed. "Alas, wife!" he said, "cannot you be happy with being such a powerful emperor?" "No," she said, "I am very uneasy as long as the sun and the moon rise without my permission. Go to the fish at once!" "I don't think this is a good idea," said the fisherman but his wife wouldn't listen to him. "Why don't you just go and ask the fish to make me the Lord of everything," she said.

Then the man went shivering with fear. As he was going down to the shore a dreadful storm arose. The trees and the very rocks shook and the sky became black with stormy clouds. There were great black waves, swelling up like mountains with crowns of white foam upon their heads. Unfortunately the fisherman did not have any choice, so he got onto his boat and rowed to the middle of the sea and cried out as loud as he could:

"O enchanted beautiful fish!

Hear my plea!

My wife wants not what I want,

and she won't give up till she has her own will,

so come forth and help me!"

"What does she want now?" said the fish. "I am truly ashamed of my wife's greed but I can't do anything. She wants to be Lord of the sun and the moon." "Go home," said the fish, "to your small hut." And it is said that they live there to this every day.

Adapted from Grimm Brothers, 1812. "The fisherman and his wife"

Adopted from Bahasa Inggris Kelas XI SMA/MA/SMK/MAK Semester 1. Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan 2014.

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Wujudkan Sikap Toleransi Antar Umat Beragama

Toleransi merupakan sebuah konsep yang menggambarkan sikap saling menghormati di antara kelompok-kelompok masyarakat yang berasal dari latar belakang yang berbeda, mulai dari perbedaan suku, etnis, bahasa, gender, jenis kelamin, hingga perbedaan agama.

Dalam sebuah masyarakat, toleransi sering menjadi fenomena yang dapat menimbulkan konflik. Konflik tersebut biasanya terjadi karena ketidakmampuan anggota kelompok masyarakat dalam menerima perbedaan yang ada diantara mereka. Masing-masing anggota kelompok masyarakat merasa bahwa kelompoknyalah yang paling sesuai dengan aturan yang berlaku, sedangkan kelompok yang lainnya dianggap menyeleweng dari aturan yang berlaku dalam masyarakat tersebut.

Islam sebagai agama rahmatan lil’alamin memberikan ajaran tentang aturan toleransi dalam kehidupan masyarakat, terutama toleransi dalam keberagaman agama. Seperti yang dijelaskan dalam QS. Alkafirun ayat 6, yang artinya “untukmu agamamu dan untukku agamaku”. Dalam ayat tersebut digambarkan bahwa islam tidak memaksakan kehendak kepada kelompok lain untuk mengikuti ajaran agama islam.

Selain itu, menurut islam, toleransi tidak hanya terhadap sesama manusia, tetapi juga terhadap binatang, lingkungan, dan alam semesta. Dengan makna troleransi yang begitu luas, maka toleransi antar umat beragama dalam islam memperoleh perhatian penting dan serius. Ia begitu sensitif, mudah memicu konflik sehingga menyedot perhatian besar dalam islam.

Toleransi berasal dari bahasa latin tolerare yang berarti menahan diri, bersikap sabar, membiarkan orang berpendapat lain, dan berhati lapang terhadap orang-orang yang memiliki pendapat berbeda. Dalam bahasa arab, toleransi diistilahkan dengan tasamuh yang berarti membiarkan sesuatu atau membolehkan, mengizinkan, dan saling memudahkan. Toleransi pada dasarnya merupakan sikap yang mengakui kebebasan serta hak-hak yang dianut orang lain.

Toole adalah istilah dalam konteks sosial, budaya dan agama yang berarti sikap atau perbuatan yang melarang adanya diskriminasi terhadap kelompok-kelompok yang berbeda. Sebagai contoh adalah toleransi beragama, dimana penganut mayoritas agama mengizinkan keberadaan agama-agama lain.

Prinsip Toleransi dalam Alqur’an

Nabi Muhamaad SAW sangat menghargai keyakinan dan agama orang lain. Sikap yang toleran ini merupakan gambaran pesan islam terhadap umatnya. Oleh karena itu, toleransi merupakan bagian dari ajaran islam yang harus dikembangkan.

Toleransi pada islam didasarkan pada prinsip-prinsip dasar yang digariskan dalam alqur’an, yaitu :

1. Tidak ada pemaksaan dalam beragama

Islam adalah agama yang menebarkan perdamaian, persaudaraan, dan persamaan. Oleh karena itu, hal-hal yang dapat memicu lahirnya konflik anta kelompok harus dihindari. Salah satu yang tidak diperkenankan adalah pemaksaan satu kelompok terhadap kelompok lain. Agama bagi islam adalah keyakinan yang harus datang dari kesadaran diri terhadap eksistensi dan kekuasaan Tuhan. Dalam surat Al-Baqarah ayat 256 Allah berfirman yang artinya,

“Tidak ada paksaan untuk (memasuki) agama (Islam); Sesungguhnya telah jelas jalan yang benar daripada jalan yang sesat. karena itu Barangsiapa yang ingkar kepada Thaghut dan beriman kepada Allah, Maka Sesungguhnya ia telah berpegang kepada buhul tali yang Amat kuat yang tidak akan putus. dan Allah Maha mendengar lagi Maha mengetahui.”

2. Kebebasan memilih dan menentukan keyakinan

Manusia, dalam perspektif islam adalah khalifah di muka bumi yang bebas memilih dan menentukan pilihannya sesuai dengan keinginan hati nuraninya. Sebagaimana firman Allah dalam surat Al-Kahfi ayat 29, yang artinya

“Dan katakanlah: "Kebenaran itu datangnya dari Tuhanmu; Maka Barangsiapa yang ingin (beriman) hendaklah ia beriman, dan Barangsiapa yang ingin (kafir) Biarlah ia kafir". Sesungguhnya Kami telah sediakan bagi orang orang zalim itu neraka, yang gejolaknya mengepung mereka. dan jika mereka meminta minum, niscaya mereka akan diberi minum dengan air seperti besi yang mendidih yang menghanguskan muka. Itulah minuman yang paling buruk dan tempat istirahat yang paling jelek.”

3. Tidak melarang untuk bekerjasama dengan orang yang tidak sepaham

Islam mendorong umatnya untuk bekerjasama dalam berbagai segi kehidupan dengan siapa saja, termasuk dengan agama lain sepanjang kerjasama mereka dilakukan untuk kebaikan. Sebagaimana firman Allah dalam surat Al-Mumtahanah ayat 8 yang artinya,

“Allah tidak melarang kamu untuk berbuat baik dan Berlaku adil terhadap orang-orang yang tiada memerangimu karena agama dan tidak (pula) mengusir kamu dari negerimu. Sesungguhnya Allah menyukai orang-orang yang Berlaku adil.”

4. Mengakui adanya keragaman

Allah SWT menciptakan manusia di muka bumi ini dengan bermacam suku bangsa, ras maupun bahasa. Keragaman ini merupakan sunnatullah yang tidak dapat dihindari dan harus disikapi dengan wajar. Oleh karena itu, hak-hak hidup bagi orang dan pengikut agama yang berbeda harus diberikan secara wajar dan proporsional. Allah berfirman dalam surat Yunus ayat 99 yang artinya,

“Dan Jikalau Tuhanmu menghendaki, tentulah beriman semua orang yang di muka bumi seluruhnya. Maka Apakah kamu (hendak) memaksa manusia supaya mereka menjadi orang-orang yang beriman semuanya?”

Sistem Persaudaraan dalam Islam

Persaudaraan dalam islam disebut dengan ukhuwah. Ukhuwah sendiri diartikan sebagai persaudaraan di antara umat manusia. Dalam arti luas, ukhuwah melampaui batas-batas etnik, rasial agama, latar belakang sosial, dan sebagainya. Dengan konsep ukhuwah diharapkan terdapat persaudaraan dan persamaan yang tidak membeda-bedakan umat manusia atas dasar asal-usul, etnis, warna kulit, status sosial, dan sebagainya.

Berdasarkan pemaknaan ukhuwah menurut Al-Qur’an dan al-Sunnah, maka ukhuwah dibedakan menjadi empat macam, yaitu :

1. Ukhuwah Ubudiyah, yaitu persaudaraan antara seluruh makhluk ciptaan Allah. Sebagaimana firman Allah dalam surat Al’An’am ayat 3 yang artinya,

“Dan Dialah Allah (yang disembah), baik di langit maupun di bumi; Dia mengetahui apa yang kamu rahasiakan dan apa yang kamu lahirkan dan mengetahui (pula) apa yang kamu usahakan.”

2. Ukhuwah Insaniyah, yaitu persaudaraan antara seluruh umat manusia, karena mereka berasal dari ayah ibu yang satu. Firman Allah dalam surat Al-Hujurat ayat 12 yang artinya,

“Hai orang-orang yang beriman, jauhilah kebanyakan purba-sangka (kecurigaan), karena sebagian dari purba-sangka itu dosa. dan janganlah mencari-cari keburukan orang dan janganlah menggunjingkan satu sama lain. Adakah seorang diantara kamu yang suka memakan daging saudaranya yang sudah mati? Maka tentulah kamu merasa jijik kepadanya. dan bertakwalah kepada Allah. Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Penerima taubat lagi Maha Penyayang.”

3. Ukhuwah Wathaniyah, yaitu persaudaraan sebangsa dan setanah air. Allah berfirman dalam surat Al-A’raf ayat 65 yang artinya,

“Dan (kami telah mengutus) kepada kaum 'Aad saudara mereka, Hud. ia berkata: "Hai kaumku, sembahlah Allah, sekali-kali tidak ada Tuhan bagimu selain dari-Nya. Maka mengapa kamu tidak bertakwa kepada-Nya?"

4. Ukhuwah Islamiyah, yaitu persaudaraan intern umat islam. Sebagaimana firman Allah dalam surat Al-Ahzab ayat 5 yang artinya,

“Panggilah mereka (anak-anak angkat itu) dengan (memakai) nama bapak-bapak mereka; Itulah yang lebih adil pada sisi Allah, dan jika kamu tidak mengetahui bapak-bapak mereka, Maka (panggilah mereka sebagai) saudara-saudaramu seagama dan maula-maulamu. dan tidak ada dosa atasmu terhadap apa yang kamu khilaf padanya, tetapi (yang ada dosanya) apa yang disengaja oleh hatimu. dan adalah Allah Maha Pengampun lagi Maha Penyayang.”

Keempat ukhuwah diatas mempunyai kesamaan, yaitu adanya anjuran untuk hidup rukun, saling menghormati, tenggang rasa, solidaritas sosial, dengan mendudukkan pada posisinya masing-masing sesuai dengan ciri khas bentuk ukhuwah yang dilakukan.

Dengan demikian, ntuk mewujudkan kebersamaan dalam pluralitas agama dalam suatu bangsa, diperlukan adanya sikap membina kerukunan dan kebersamaan yang dimulai dari diri sendiri, keluarga, dan masyarakat. Jika dalam komponen-komponen bangsa tersebut sudah terbina sikap kebersamaan, tentu tidak dipungkiri lagi bahwa kehidupan yang rukun dan damai akan terwujud dalam suatu bangsa.

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Harmony in Cultural Diversity

Culture is one of reality that cannot be rejected its existence in the life. It is anything which is created by human and implied in daily life. Culture is not about right and wrong, good and bad, or polite and impolite. It is about how something is viewed from its came –the society which have that culture. Culture shows the behavior of society.

Society is the social community which consists of many people with many differences. They come from difference background such as custom, tradition, religion, and perception, etc. They have a lot of diversity in doing everything based on their way.

That differences influence someone’s perception in society. Most of person cannot accept the cultural differences because they think that if something does not appropriate with their culture, they will judge it as the bad culture. This case is caused by ethnocentrism which grows in society. It is about their own perception that their culture is the best culture than others. The effect of this behavior is conflict which appears in society.

In order to decrease the conflict in society, people should have harmony in social life. They should receive the differences culture as the diversity and colorful thing in life. They should have more knowledgeable about their own culture and cross culture. Despite of it, they also should have more understanding about cross culture in order to be cultural-person who can receive and become tolerance person.

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Controlling Children Using Computer

Computer and internet are useful as well as powerful. Information about health and safe usage of computer and Internet, especially for children, should be owned by each family. Computer connected to internet is powerful way to socialize with others. It can be good but also bad effect. Recently we hear a lot of children get the advantage of social networking sites but we often see the news about the disadvantage of it for children. Healthy and safety of computer and Internet usage should continue to be campaigned.The role of parent in assisting and directing children in using computer is very necessary. Installation of software monitor such as key logger which has function to watch and note all activities relating to keyboard usage is helpful but not enough to protect children from potential harms. Children tend to hide what they have done in front of the computer to their parent. They see that all of they have done are their privacy and no one may know.

We cannot prevent children from using computer because it is multifunctional. However, many parents worry about what their kids do in front of the computer; whether they are doing homework or even just playing games. Or spending all time to surf internet which is the materials do not fit with his age. There is a tendency, especially teenagers, want to become acquainted with many strangers out side. The lack parental supervision of children's activities is likely to pose a potential danger to them. So, parental monitor against the use of computers needs to be done from time to time.

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The Connection of Literature with Modern Life

In this globalization era, all individuals are starting to think modern. The modern’s thoughts arise because as the easy access to a variety of things, such as it’s easy tomove from one place to another place, the easier to connect with others, and easier to get information.In addition, modern thoughts are also due to the influence of various media, such as newspapers, magazines, television, radio, etc. In some media were so many elements that are capable of and it's easy to give effect to all aspects of human life. One of the media had a major influence in the life of modern’s people is the television. Television is a thingwhich is give the influence and persuade individuals to act according to his will. Television chosen because most or even all people ever and can access television. This is one of the strategies of modern humans to make a difference to the world. Both changes in the form of positive and negative.

Indonesia is one of the countries with the level of consumption to the electronic media is high. Television is a medium that can not be separated by Indonesian society. This is because the condition as a developing country, the television to be excellent for the community to access information than as a medium of entertainment. Usefulness of television as a medium of entertainment has an important role in the development of Indonesian society. With the attitude of most who simply accept without filter, Indonesian society is the true consumer target.

In television, there are many shows that have a variety of effects, both negative and positive effects. One of the impressions that are very popular in Indonesia is a sinetron. Sinetron is one of the impressions that shows the reality of people's lives. Nevertheless sinetronimpressed suggests a life too dramatized. With this impression as the sinetrontoo many negative impacts than positive impacts. With the sinetronof modern humans can easily affect the lifestyle of Indonesia. Besides modern humans is behind sinetronconsumers do not pay attention. Sometimes, there are children who do not know that they are also sinetronconsumers.

In addition to sinetron, the children’sprogram in television also have the impact by things that did not deserve. In some television program for children are negatively impact the individual child. There was also the impression of real children is not appropriate given the impression to the kids.

In addition to sinetron, advertising also influences the lifestyle of Indonesia society. Advertising is an appropriate means to spice up the Indonesian society to follow new things. With the attractively packaged ad, Indonesian society will easily be affected regardless of the impact resulting from the product being advertised. Such as, food and drink fast. The product does provide facilities for people to eat. But they do not see the effects of these products.

Sinetron and advertisement, as well as program in television is one kind of literature. It can be concluded that the literature can affect people's lives and can change the life of the world. So, we can say that literature shapes the world.

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