Learning of History to overcome nation’s problems
April 29, 2013
Bung Karno said, “Bangsa yang besar adalah bangsa yang menghargai
jasa-jasa para pahlawannya” (the big nation
is whose respect to their heroes). Principally, the nation will be the big nation
caused of their heroes’ services, and it will grow up caused of their
generation. What should we do to know the heroes? Of course it is through
history. However, it is very tragic today; history according to the young generation is an uninteresting
thing to be discussed. Whereas, one of the efforts in make the big nation is
started from the history. Majapahit and Sriwijaya are the big kingdom who
recognized internationally. Sriwijaya called
as maritime kingdom because the sea area was very large. In other hand,
Majapahit together with Gadjah Mada able to unite the nation started from
Sumatera until Papua which named Nusantara. We must proud when we see the
victory periods of these kingdoms. Nevertheless, there is no pride of our nation
if we do not know of history yet.
There is an general statement which said that in
fact the teacher of life is only the words without meaning (Kompas
Jumat, 9th July 2010). History
as one of subjects since elementary school until the high school can not give
contribution in character building of the nation in accordance with the
education vision that is educate the nation life and build character as
“nations and character building”. The role of education, in this case is the
history teacher is very affecting, when the teacher is only storytelling and tell stories it is not different with
storyteller. Because of that, history becomes tedious subject which have no
meaning. The teaching method is not interesting, then it is not strange if
student always sleeping and boring. Indirectly, history tell to know it only,
without understand. Actually, history is not only to tell but also to
understand. 
While, we know that national identity and the
changing of future is in a history, which should be teach in well method and
curriculum. The system of history education so far interpreted as knowledge
transferring, history teaching tend to convey knowledge from teacher to student
only, whilst the meaning which contain in each history events was lost. Because
of that, we can conclude that quality of history education is very poor so that
what we called national character do not know by student and they do not
understand of fighting values, identity, social changing, and the wealth of nation.
History education should teach to the student in new
method, and not only as product, it is tend to utilize history facts as the
main material. Actually, it give to the student to explore the meaning of a
particular events or historical figures. Through the values which contain
inside can give discernment that build national character effectively.
Moreover, Indonesia recognized as the wealth national in cultural and tradition
which have many moral values that can increase national identity. Al qur’an was
given the solution of this problem in surah Yusuf: 111 in order human
learn from history because it has the
great function., “Sesungguhnya pada kisah-kisah mereka itu terdapat pengajaran
bagi orang-orang yang mempunyai akal. Al Qur’an itu bukanlah cerita yang
dibuat-buat, akan tetapi membenarkan (kitab-kitab) yang sebelumnya dan
menjelaskan segala sesuatu, dan sebagai petunjuk dan rahmat bagi kaum yang
beriman”. two-thirds of Al Qur’an content is story. Al Qur’an and
hadits are the guidance for human life.
Thereby, it is important to us to study about history from both guidances.
The irony that we faced is people in industry and
modern countries; they are interested toward the history. Museum and other history places are full by
visitors. Almost all of city have place such as these that become pride for
them and forgather place of historian. About 1970, western country showed in
many history films on television, such as Henry the Eight, Young Bless, Martin
Luther, Holocoust. Even the history never come back but it experience is useful
in facing the crisis now days because there is stiil exist the similarities. By
the history perspective, crisis today can understood through comparison between
crisis in the past and now days. 
Whatever the problems of
this country today, the main solution is study from the history. Allah SWT was given special attention toward
history in the Holly Qur’an, one of the prove verse is in surah Yusuf, and told
about Roma History in surah Ruum. 
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