"Because with knowledge, one will fulfill one's purpose and discover what was previously hidden. Knowledge is the light that leads to wisdom. It is the life of one's soul."
_DR. 'Aidh bin Abdullah al-Qarni, MA.[1]
In the Big Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI), the word 'orientation' is defined as 1) a review to determine the correct and proper attitude (direction, location, etc.). 2) a view that underlies thoughts, attention, or tendencies.
That's more or less the meaning of the word 'orientation' in the Indonesian dictionary. It's important to understand the word orientation to determine direction and purpose, especially the direction and purpose of our lives in this world. Sometimes we... uncertain With life, we become bored, aimless, and adrift, thus losing our direction and bearings. This stems from a lack of life orientation.
Therefore, in life, order 'intention' and straighten out your orientation. Of course, orientation in any matter requires sincerity to achieve and attain it. For example, marriage requires a clear intention and orientation.
It is important to remember that marriage is not just about wanting to channel biological desires, or just wanting to vent lust and lust, that is not the case, but marriage must be oriented towards maintaining mitsaqan ghalizah or maintaining a sacred bond (a complete promise) with one's partner properly and correctly. If the orientation of marriage is guided by this sacred purpose, it will bring happiness in this world and the hereafter.
Therefore, an orientation should be built on goodness. Kindness that can bring benefits to oneself, family, many people and goodness for the upholding of Islam as a civilization. Because, Islamic civilization is the source of goodness, blessings and knowledge that is able to provide solutions and contribute to the problems of human life.
When related to the context of writing, this orientation is very important. (very important). Because writing has various orientations for some people. Some write with the orientation of sharing experiences, knowledge, science, ideas, and the description and inscription of their thoughts in writing. Writing for the benefit of humanity. Benefits-his, writing with intention preaching to spread goodness, the spirit of conveying the truth, strengthening the foundation creed.Writing solely to get a reward from Allah.
In this regard, the orientation of writing was initially exemplified by Muslim scholars. They wrote while preaching. Preaching with the pen and the mind, guiding the Muslim community and society towards truth, goodness, and good deeds. They never considered writing for royalties or material gain. Such was the intention and orientation of the writers of the past.
Slightly different from today, writing is oriented toward building a dream of becoming popular or famous. Writing with the passion of "making money" from book sales royalties. Others write because they want to be seen as highly intellectual. Writing because they want to be known and famous. Writing simply to channel an interest or talent. Writing for promotion, graduation requirements, and various other purposes.
Worse yet, some even write with the goal of trapping and misleading the human mind, creating misunderstandings. They use books to insult and discredit others. They deny the truth by selling falsehoods and doubting the work they write. And there are various other goals and intentions for writing, all of which depend on the individual writer's personal orientation. It's undeniable that writing orientations vary from one writer to another.
Every writer has the right to determine where their writing orientation lies. If their writing orientation is to become wealthy from book royalties, that's the author's prerogative; no one can stop them. Alternatively, if they write with the goal of fame, hoping to become popular with readers, no one will stop them. Whatever they desire to achieve is the author's prerogative.
It's important to note that building dreams and contributing to their growth is each individual's life's task. However, regardless of the emerging orientations, it would be good and right to write for the sake of goodness. Writing with the orientation of voicing the truth, or writing to protect the faith of the community from deviant, liberal, and secular ideas. Being a renowned writer is important, but writing to voice the motivation of truth is far more important.
Fighting with Language
Besides determining your writing orientation, one important thing to remember when writing is to enjoy and internalize the process. The best writers are those who thoroughly absorb the material they write about. Embracing and enjoying the process is the key to a successful writer. Anyone who wants to achieve a goal must enjoy the process. Process is the key word that can motivate a writer.
Without enjoying the process, one will quickly jump to conclusions. Conclusions made without a process tend to be disappointing, regardless of the context. Regardless of profession or job, process is the essence of any profession. The main point emphasized here is the need for a process in developing an idea framework, developing sentences, and paragraphs.
The initial process a writer must experience is the process of "fighting" with language. The power of a piece of writing lies in its language. The style used determines whether it is sharp, beautiful, poetic, piercing, or even capable of stabbing the reader. In the world of writing, language and sentences depend on its processing.
Of course, if the processing is neat and beautiful, it will produce high literary value. If a writer's battlefield is language, then the writer will constantly battle with words, sentences, and the process within the paragraph. The writer will strive to string words, sentences, and paragraphs together as precisely as possible. Gunawan Muhammad, regular columnist marginal notes Tempo Magazine once said in an article; "The writing process is like carving, arranging, and refining, bit by bit, selecting and arranging words and sentences. Struggling with punctuation as carefully as possible, as well as possible.".
It's important to understand that writing requires a high level of commitment. It's a commitment to maintaining language. It's a commitment to enjoying the process, and it's a commitment to determining your writing orientation. Maintaining and nurturing this commitment will result in quality writing. Quality writing is born from the combination of the process and a commitment to writing, without static. Always and continuously write until the final line. finish.
Despite all that, a writer's instinct is to always seek and critically explore ideas and concepts. Soedjatmoko, an Indonesian intellectual, once said, "Ideas have their own legs," meaning that an idea has a strong foundation. The foundation of ideas and concepts lies in the source of reading. Reading provides a source of meaning, both explicit and implicit. Reading not only generates ideas but also sharpens insight and openness to knowledge.
Rest assured, great ideas don't originate in someone else's mind. They all stem from the author's own thoughts and insights. Avoid misrepresenting ideas, thoughts, or orientations, as this can determine a writer's reputation, potentially leading to a steep decline in suffering or happiness.
John Milton once said; "The mind is its own place, and it itself can make a heaven of hell, hell of heaven" (The mind has its own place, and it can turn heaven, hell, and hell into heaven.) In other words, the mind can create good and bring evil. Therefore, improving one's orientation, intentions, and enjoying the writing process are the primary requirements for a writer to continue producing brilliant works.
And Allah knows best
[1] In the book Don't Be Sad: How to Live a Positive Life Without Ever Feeling Sad or Frustrated (Jakarta: Magfirah Pustaka, 2004), p. 96. This book was also published by Qisthi Press by title 'Do not be sad'
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