Facilitator, Java PoG Team
A Power of Goodness Facilitators Workshop in Jogjakarta facilitated by Arif
Hi! My name is Wahyu Arif Raharjo, but everyone calls me Arif. That name was given by both my parents in the hope that I could be a wise person (‘Arif’ means wise in Bahasa Indonesia). My parents live in a small town in Purwodadi, that’s where I was born. It is in the island of Java in Indonesia, same island to where I live now in the cultural city called Yogyakarta. I was born in 1988 to a Javanese Muslim family in Indonesia, the last one of 5 children.
I now work as a lecturer teaching International Relations at a university in Yogyakarta.. I need to wake up early at 3.30 AM in the morning to prepare for my classes. This is also the time that I practice stopping, meditating, do Fajr prayers and then journaling. I love this morning routine so much, as it gives me time to really contemplate where I am in my life right now. It gives me a sense of meaning and planning in my every single day.
As a lecturer, it is a challenging effort to treat my students as equals. Oh, don’t get me wrong, even though it looks easy, often it is not as it seems. Privilege is given to you when you are the teacher holding power for grading. And it is so easy to abuse this power, for whatever interest you have.
But this stops students from approaching me for who I am. When we are learning, the process of exchanging thought processes is present.. When the students feel like they are not equal, it prevents them from thinking, speaking, and expressing themselves as they are. This hinders the process of learning. I build peace by treating everyone as equals; by listening and making myself available to them. I love being an ear for people.
That’s also why I facilitate Power of Goodness workshops, the place where I could learn and hear more lessons from people, as well as sharing my experience. Beyond that, as an academic, I look closer into conflicts and peace in Indonesia. That’s the reason why we have intercultural PoG sessions in Jogja, to tackle interethnic tension that has been going on for a while now.
When I first encountered the Power of Goodness workshop in December 2021, I was so happy that I found this. And when I continue my journey to Creating Cultures of Peace in May – July 2022, I am certain that I want to spread the word to the world. It has the power of embracing, not pulling closer with force. The first time I arrived at Peace Place Pati, I said to some of my friends that it felt like you were welcomed in heaven. And it is since that time that I have volunteered for more workshops and training in Jogja. The way that we treat each other as equals, is the lesson I want to always practice in my life. That’s what gives me meaning in life: to be the person who treats others as equals.