“Please tell me about yourself!” That was the question when I experienced a job interview a week ago when I was interested to take a part time job on holidays. At that time, I answered all good things about me. Then, getting out of the interview room, I kept thinking, “Was I as good as I said?”
We live in the age of branding creation when branding or imaging is everything. Almost every human being maintains his/ her branding. It is commonly known as personal branding. It is not an awful thing as long as he/ she does correctly and properly. Personal branding is how we are seen by others at how we behave; we speak, and we perform everyday which determine our characterisctics towards others.
In fact, personal branding is very essential. When other people understand if we have strong characters and expertise in a spesific field, there will be many opportunities and paths for us to reach the great careers in the future. Certainly; this personal branding should really reflect on our true self, it is not what others want to see. Imagine if we should build a fake charm or appearance and character; then, we are required to behave, speak, and perform untruthfully which are not our identities. In short term, we may handle this, but if we do this in long time, it will be so tiring and exhausting.
Nowadays; a person can be busy to make a brand or an image for himself instantly. I call it instant because he makes a brand or an image for himself with false branding. For example, he persistently seeks others’ attention by doing certain things which are usually ingenuine. A person could talk more without being able to do what he/she said. In fact, there are also people who consider others’ likes is everything. He is willing to do anything, changing himself to be liked by others and ignore the undesirable effects which can transpire on himself or the environment.
In fact, being you, yourself is more fun. We do not have to bother ourselves with fake branding. We do not need to follow all others’ wishes which are not suitable with us just for getting the appreciation. Instead; we will not be happy because who knows we are happy or not is ourselves.
If we want to look around, we can get the inspirations from the nature. In Indonesia, there are several kinds of indigenous fruits which teach us to be ourselves. The first is Kedondong. Kedondong is a traditional Indonesian fruit, the fruit is smooth from its external point of view and green, but when we feel the fruit, we bite, or we split, it will look a form that is not in accordance with the outer appearance. He has a fiber that travels everywhere. It alarms us when we sway the fruit, the fibers sometimes slip between the teeth. That is what we often experience in our life. There are some people who are like wolf in sheep’s clothing, they are sweet and soft or calm ouside but having the rotten heart. They are lovely in dressing but bad in behavior. A good human should be equivalent on both body and soul.
The second one is Thorny Palm(in Indonesia we says Salak). The nature of the fruit is opposite to Kedondong. We know that Thorny Palm has a sharp, and difficult outer form, it is difficult to be peeled. But inside there is a sweet and fresh fruit. We often find people like this; we do not have any right to judge a person by appearance, race, or skin color. We do not know what we think it is bad outside but; sometimes, it is good inside. The ugly can have the golden beautiful heart and mind. So it is true that the wise sentence, “Do not judge the book by its cover”.
The third fruit is the Duku fruit. Duku fruit is a small fruit-shaped fruit. Duku is not as big as durian or mango but it has smooth skin and sweet contents. It has beautiful outside and inside. That is how we should be. Body and soul should be matching. It is not different between the heart and the lips.
All in all, we can get the moral message that we should not be like Kedondong, we should see other people similar to see Thorny Palm or Salak, and we should be like Duku. In Java, one of the provinces in Indonesia, the three fruits become a song entitled “Dondong Opo Salak” (Kedondong or Salak). It is a simple song but it has a very deep message. The lyrics can be seen below:
Dondong Opo Salak
(Kedondong or Salak/ thorny palm)
Duku Cilik-cilik
(The small duku)
Andong Opo Mbecak
(Riding the horse or taking the a pedicab (a traditional transportation means in Indonesia))
Mlaku Thimik-thimik
(it is slow moving)
It is a short song but iit is meaningful, which is inspired by the philosophy of the three fruits mentioned before. So, let’s be yourself with the truth, as real as possible. Be ourselves, our lives will be more fun. And finally, be authentic. Own your words, your images and your ideas. Be true to yourself; do not try to be something you’re not.
Written by : Risma Nur Anissa (BC PE P AKT 2014), Edited by : Tusyanah