Left wing, right wing: what about no wings?

I'm tired of this whole left and right wing perspectives. Can't people just have his or her own opinion on things? Sure, their opinions would be influenced by their backgrounds; whether they came from south or north, Americans or Asians, Democrats or Republics--but, don't people have their own innate opinions? Can't people create an original opinion without being influenced by society?

What society tells us is to divide things. Good or bad, right or wrong, white or black, left or right, pro or con--society complicates things. I'm sure people who are reading this are just thinking that I'm too naive. Well yes, I'm still 18 but I have my own views. In Indonesia, we don't have to divide between left and right. However, we have pro-Soekarno or pro-Soeharto. I suggest that this thing is actually weird. I can't decide whether I'm pro Soekarno or Soeharto, but obviously, I am pro-my parents.

To tell you the truth, I have to correct what I wrote in the previous paragraph. Honestly, I don't have my own views. I'm being influenced by my parents, teachers, friends, media, and even random people on the street. I divide things. I stereotype. I prejudice. I want these to stop; but I can't. These things have already engraved in me. I know that I should not stereotype people, but sometimes it's fun. Categorizing people is fun. However, we should be aware that we might ended up being judged by people. Moreover, when we've finally found out that we were wrong, we fell guilty. And that's the part that I don't like.

Dreams

Dream is essential for everyone. I'm not talking about dream such in dreams that we all experience every time we sleep. What I want to discuss is your dream, your aim, what are you going to do in the future, what triggers you to do what you do, your goal in life.

Why does dream essential for humans? Well this is not a hard question. Like I said, dream triggers you to do what you do---it means every action you do in your life is to reach your goals. You go to school, why, cause you want to be a smart person  in the future. You enroll into the best university in your country, why, because you want to learn from the best to be the best in the future. You take piano lessons, why, cause you want to be a pianist..or maybe you want to learn a vocation to be an asset when you have nothing to do during your pension years.

To dream itself gives you a gratification. Have you ever experience a great magnitude when you're dreaming to stand beside a person you love? By only dreaming of it, you'll feel like getting a reward. However, you can't stop here. People mostly stuck in this phase, always dreaming about his or her goals---but never try to reach it. These people are wasting their dreams. The good thing about dream is when you reach it, you will absolutely have a feeling of gratification 10 thousand times better than just dreaming about it!

Now, can you imagine a person who have no dreams at all? What would he be?

An Introduction to Journalism

To become a good journalist you need to do more than learn to interview, write stories and capture images. You must understand as much as you can about the world. A good explanation about why a liberal arts education is important was provided by the College of Letters and Science at the University of California, Berkeley. It said:

• a broad-based liberal arts education does more than prepare you for a job. It lays the foundation for   a future career... You learn to think independently and make sound judgments. You expand your horizons, discover new perspectives, and acquire the tools to defend your point of view. To be liberally educated is to be transformed. A liberal arts education frees your mind and helps you connect dots you never noticed before, so you can put your own field of study into a broader context. It enables you to form opinions and judgments, rather than defer to an outside authority (A Liberal Arts Education 2009).

So during your time at university, in addition to developing your understanding knowledge and skills relating to journalism, use the opportunity to learn what you can about history, geography, philosophy, politics, science, business, economics, health, music, sport, art and culture. Soak up all you can. Above all, be curious and learn how to learn. Then, for the rest of your life, and as you follow your dreams, you will be equipped to keep learning what your life dictates you need to learn. 

It is also important to understand from the start of journalism studies that there is more to journalism than news reporting. Many who study journalism will not spend their working lives employed by news organisations. Some will move into other fields. Some who start their studies with a burning ambition to become a print journalists will find themselves drawn more to radio or television. Others who aimed for radio might find they prefer print or online. But no matter which path you take, studying journalism should help you become a disciplined and effective writer. You should learn to write for radio, media law, appreciate the strong connections between journalism and democracy, and develop a compelling interest in news and current affairs. (Lamble, 2011)

Reference:

Stephen Lamble. (2011). Introduction. In: Natasha Broadstock News As It Happens. Australia: Oxford. pxi-xii.