Monday, August 16, 2010

Youth, Idealism, and Violence Business

The category of youth is closely related to agent of change because of their important position and strategic role to social change. Thus, youth has a very important position in development. The important cause is actually youth idealism to deal with this role. They have many dreams about how the ideally world should be. Their ideas are often normative, but the positive things that can be understood is they dare to make a change through their intellectual activities combined with social action.
Meanwhile, when we look at contemporary development, it seems that youth problems become a very interesting topic. After the wave of reformation promoted by the youth, their function as agent of change seems to be significant. Dramatically, those changes occurred along with the freedom of expression and speech which are guaranted by a set of values namely ‘democracy’. The globalization of idea and system, not merely happened in the space of political expression and economic, but also penetrate and transform culture and social life of youth. In this context, youth actually have many aspirations in doing social control, that their aspirations through letter, speech or demonstration sometimes can influence policy maker to act. But ironically, the better changes can be held by the youth, the more problems they have to face as well especially in controlling their idealism. It dramatically causes the youth often become a target of certain group’s business. What business?
Nowadays, Indonesian youth often becomes potential target even an actor of violence business. For example, the violence action which organized by FPI many times ago and have been signalled involving young people, seem to be a very important topic to discuss. This tragedy was an irony that can explain how dillematic idealism of Indonesian youth. Ideally, youth involvement in social organizations could promote their social capital and knowledge whitin social life. However, the existing result was an indoctrination error that causes an insolent action. They might claim their action as a social religious spirit, but its implementation was out of the corridor. In other cases, for example, youth involvement in punk community or in certain gangs has often made them aggressive and offensive. In this context, youth should prevent and defend themself from an intention to act violence either toward themself (moral violence) or other people. They should not become victims even actors of this violence from a group which used to exploited and paid youth to involve in anarchism. Ironically, some young people even have very weak character that –according to Hariyanto Imadha’s term- they tend to be a ‘dogmative –passif’ citizen. Thus, all doctrin and dogma they got were accepted without critizing through intellectual ability which also important related to social values and the spirit of peace. Those actually can lead them to act brutally and immorally. Indoctrination error toward youth about how to implement values and norms causes them fanatic but ironically not supported by ability to uncover and understand the truth. Even, the truth based on theirs was relative and exclusive that something can be right recognized when it based on their faith and interests.
Then, if the phenomenon of violence businesses that utilize idealism of youth has been so creeping social life, we need to seek a mechanism of 'Youth security'. Youth security in this case include not only physical security but also protection of their life and moral from doctrinal influences which are utilized for the benefit of certain parties anarchism. What is the importance of moral protection? Of course, since morality is an essential element of the humanitarian aspect, element of social capital, and as a basis for youth character in building itself. Protection of Indonesian youth from any violence business is ultimately our responsibility because of the youth community is going to emerge the figure of the future leaders who are progressive and visionary. Let's commit!