Yesterday afternoon while hanging out and enjoying coffee in Ubud, Bali. The weather that had been hot suddenly became cloudy. Not long after, heavy rain fell and wet the earth. At that time I was with my friend who was born and raised in Bali. He is an artist and also the owner of a coffee shop in Ubud, Bali. The daughter came to her father. He said he had just returned from the city of Banjar, and participated in a regional music and dance competition there. The little girl's face looked happy because she had won first place in the city of Banjar.
My friend who owns the coffee shop said that all Balinese will learn the art. All Balinese people can dance even though they are not experts, all Balinese people can make music even though they are not professional musicians, and many Balinese people can paint and sculpt stone or wood. Whatever the Balinese touch will become a beautiful work of art. Balinese culture is indeed so beautiful, religion in Bali is so colorful but still tolerant, taking care of each other for the sake of beauty. No wonder, people all over the world want to go to Bali to learn about beauty.
People who learn the art of the heart will be happy, not easily sad, and not disappointed when experiencing failures and plans that do not match reality. People who understand art are connected to a much deeper dimension of life. This is proof that Balinese people are happy people. Happy people don't cause trouble to others. This is one of the things I like about the Balinese people.
The art teachers in Bali are very skilled at educating aspiring artists so that the resulting art has a very epic beauty. Art and beauty have become a tradition in Bali, so we don't have to die to get to heaven. Balinese people have created a paradise through the beauty of art and culture. In this way, Bali has become an example for other nations. There are many people from all over the world studying art in Bali. Many people from all over the world seek inspiration and happiness from the many works of art in Bali.
Many people from various countries go to Bali to study art and beauty, but many Indonesians are reluctant to learn from Bali. Even though Bali is still part of Indonesia. Maybe there are still many Indonesians who are stupid so they still feel at home with a life full of chaos. There is still a lot of poverty, religious radicalism, the loss of conscience, and common sense. This proves that the Indonesian nation must learn from the beautiful and exotic Bali.
Another reason why Indonesians do not learn from Bali is the religious formalism that still dominates Indonesian education today. This can be seen in the way of teaching in each school. Memorization is still being cultivated, blind obedience is still the main tradition. It is not surprising that education in Indonesia is of low quality. In Indonesia, education is dominated by religious formalism which teaches educators to obey without deep understanding. This blind obedience diminishes the value of spirituality and wisdom. So that the outer appearance is more highlighted than the inner one.
This kind of education pattern will kill the common sense of generations. A critical attitude and a rational way of thinking logically are considered enemies and dangerous. As a result, the way of thinking of the Indonesian people is getting narrower. Beautiful art is considered an idol and must be destroyed. Artists are considered sinners who mislead people. Indirectly, these narrow-minded people have killed their conscience.
It is time for Indonesian society to change. We must be together to advance the nation by educating reason and conscience. Art education must be taught to generations of the Indonesian nation. Just as the Balinese do, the Indonesian nation must learn the art. Even though you don't have to be a professional or an art expert, it is enough to be able to have a sense of beauty that makes life and this nation meaningful. Art will make human life more beautiful and lead to a higher level of life. Art should not be separated from human life because it provides unlimited beauty.