Teenagers with treatment-resistant depression have been offered a new option in a multicenter study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers. The study reveals that six months of switching medication or combining a medicine switch with cognitive behavioural therapy helped more than one-third of teens with such a depression variant, many of whom had been depressed for more than two years, revealed a


The study found that teenagers who showed an improvement of symptoms after just three months into their new regimen were much more likely to show lasting beneficial effects.

"This study provides hope for parents and teenagers that persistence in seeking treatment will lead to recovery in some patients, especially if early treatment is aggressive. Even after six months of treatment, however, about two-third of teenagers were still suffering from at least some symptoms of depression," said Dr. Graham Emslie, professor of psychiatry and paediatrics at UT Southwestern and a principal investigator of the study.

The 334 study participants ranged from 12 to 18 years of age.

They exhibited traits of moderate to severe major depressive disorder, including thoughts of suicide. Historically, these types of patients have the worst treatment outcomes. Selengkapnya...

A new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh suggests that internal and environmental factors trigger unique brain activity in teens that leads them to engage in impulsive, self-indulgent, or self-destructive behaviour.
According to lead researcher Bita Moghaddam, a professor in the Department of Neuroscience in Pitt's School of Arts and Sciences, this study is a starting point in mapping the neural path from stimuli to behaviour in the adolescent brain.

Moghaddam said: "Adolescence is a period of volatility and vulnerability with tendencies toward interpersonal conflict, emotional reactivity, and risk behavior, but we know very little about the brain mechanisms that promote this state.

We want to know how the adolescent brain interacts with the environment at the brain-cell level, when the neural signals are firing. Once we identify how certain factors trigger teenage behavior, we might better understand-and possibly address-the origin of the risk taking and psychological disorders such as depression and schizophrenia that occur during this period."

For the study, the scientists trained adolescent and adult rats to respond to a visual light cue by rewarding them with sugar pellets. Previous studies have shown that adolescent rats and mice exhibit behavioural differences from adults similar to those of adolescent humans, including greater impulsiveness, impatience, and vulnerability to psychological problems, the authors wrote. The rats were placed in front of three holes with the light behind the middle hole. If a rat poked its nose into the center hole when the light was activated, it received a pellet; if it explored the right or left hole, it got nothing. The researchers found that the adolescents responded to the light cue at least as readily as adult rats, suggesting a similar or slightly better capacity for learning.

After six days, the rats were no longer given a reward for choosing the center hole. They were divided into four test groups, each with an equal number of adults and adolescents - rats that were given 20 per cent less food between sessions and received the light cue; rats that received the light cue but could eat as much as they liked between sessions; a group that received less food and no light cue; and a group that could eat between sessions but was not shown the light cue during the experiments.

Moghaddam and her colleagues discovered that adolescents returned to the center hole far more often than the adults even though they received no reward and continued going to the hole long after the adult rats stopped altogether. Such doggedness was even more prominent in adolescents who received the light cue and had a restricted diet before the experiment. This group nosed the center hole 30 times, twice as often as adults under the same circumstances and as adolescents with less food and no light cue. Adolescents that received the cue and had free access to food made for the center hole only a third as often.

Thus, rats experiencing internal and external stimuli-hunger and the light cue-compulsively sought the earlier reward long after the other rats realized it no longer existed.

Moghaddam pointed out that these results suggest human teenagers can similarly behave irrationally and compulsively when faced with certain feelings and settings.

She said: "A scenario could range from the relatively mundane, such as hungry teenagers being more likely than adults to buy fast food immediately after seeing an advertisement, to despair and relationship problems eliciting thoughts of suicide."

The study has appeared in Behavioral Neuroscience.

Pitt neuroscience doctoral student David Sturman was the report's lead author, conducting the study with Moghaddam and Pitt research assistant Daniel Mandell. The project was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health. Selengkapnya...

New Poll Shows That American Teens Have an Increasingly Strong Ethical Compass - But Many Lack the Courage of Their Convictions
Potential to Cave Under Pressure Suggests Continued Education and Support Are Needed.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- An encouraging shift in teens' attitudes on ethics has emerged in a new poll released by JA Worldwide (Junior Achievement) and Deloitte & Touche USA LLP (Deloitte). As an indication that teenagers may be fine-tuning their ability to make ethical decisions, the number who say they would act unethically to get ahead if there was no chance of getting caught has dropped to 22 percent, down from 33 percent in 2003.

However, while exhibiting a strong sense of ethical principles, many teens don't have the courage of their convictions when faced with pressure from above. More than 40 percent of teens admitted they might act unethically if instructed by their boss, and more than a third of teens would likely lie to their boss to cover up a mistake they made at work.

"We believe it is incumbent upon organizations to create a culture that values personal integrity and expects ethical behavior," said James H. Quigley, CEO of Deloitte & Touche USA LLP. "When students tell us they can be swayed under pressure, it's a call for help. Supporting education and dialogue about ethical decision-making is an important way we can encourage kids who may have difficulty making the right choice, and it's a long-term investment in fostering a high standard of integrity in the marketplace."

In other findings, the poll shows that the positive relationship between business ethics and professional success continues to resonate with teens. The percentage of teens who believe "people who practice good business ethics are more successful in business than those who don't" has jumped to 69 percent this year, up from 56 percent in 2003. The number of teens who think "you have to bend the rules to succeed" has also declined.

"These poll results indicate that teens are aware of the importance of good ethics. They know the 'right answer' when faced with an ethical dilemma, but need support and ethics education to follow through on that knowledge," said David S. Chernow, president and chief executive officer of JA Worldwide. "JA Worldwide is proud to join with Deloitte -- not only to teach students about business and entrepreneurship, but to provide them with tools that will help them to be upstanding members of society."

Professor Arthur Brief, Director of the Burkenroad Institute for the Study of Ethical Leadership at Tulane University concurred. "Such findings," he said, "regrettably are consistent with what we're seeing in the workplace. Without education and a culture that encourages ethical behavior, sometimes good people can make bad decisions."

Junior Achievement's "Excellence through Ethics" is a Deloitte-sponsored business ethics curriculum, the third edition of which has just been released. The goals of the curriculum include bringing the issue of business ethics to the forefront of students' minds, providing students the tools and training they need to become ethical business leaders and having a positive impact on the business leaders of tomorrow and on society. It is used in all JA programs for grades 4-12 in the United States. Activities are designed for classroom use and contain valuable tools to teach students about ethics. Content of the lessons includes, among several topics: examining the concept of intellectual property rights, learning the importance of presenting yourself accurately and truthfully during a job search, learning why insider trading is illegal, exploring ethical accounting practices, and understanding why ethical standards are important for business people. For more information about "Excellence through Ethics," visit http://www.ja.org/ethics.

The survey of 777 teens between the ages of 13 and 18 was conducted in July 2005 as part of the release of the third edition of "Excellence through Ethics" curriculum, a $1 million initiative of JA Worldwide and Deloitte to promote business ethics among today's young people Selengkapnya...

By Janine Warner

Imagine how important your cellphone would be if using it were the only way to get together with your friends after school, compare notes about your classes, or keep in touch with your high-school sweetheart.

That's the reality for most of the young people in Japan today, arguably the most wired population in the world with 97 percent cellphone usage reported among Japanese college students and 79 percent among high school students.

''Kids get phones because they are excluded if they don't have one,'' said Mizuko Ito, a visiting scholar at the Annenberg Center for Communication at the University of Southern California.

Although the United States lags behind with only about a third of teenagers using cellphones today, that number is expected to grow to two-thirds by 2005, according to the Yankee Group.

Ito's research in Japan, however, provides a glimpse into social changes that are dramatically altering the way young people interact all over the world.

Ito, who has a doctorate from Stanford and a master's degree from Harvard, specializes in the anthropological study of technology use. At a conference at the University of Berkeley this month, she reported some of her findings on the use of cellphones by Japanese youth.

''[Cellphones] extend the spatial and temporal boundaries of a physical encounter,'' she said, explaining that cellphones are providing a way for young people to stay in touch when they are apart.

Japanese youth use text messaging to send brief, silent messages to each other in places where it would not have been appropriate, or private enough, to have a conversation before. Students share text messages during classes, as they ride the subway and in front of their parents, she said.

To help conference attendees appreciate the impact in Japan, Ito explained that most Japanese teenagers don't get much privacy. School is very strict, and often they share a room at home, so the cellphone becomes one of the only ways to have private conversations.

Linked by cellphones and possessing the ability to exchange silent messages anytime, anywhere, these young people respond to each other quickly, creating the feeling of always being connected.

''A 30-minute delay in replying was cause for apology,'' Ito found. Most kids respond almost instantaneously to each other's messages. Leaving a cellphone at home, or turning it off except in extreme circumstances, is highly taboo, she added.

Because contact is almost constant, kids no longer need to set appointments with each other based on time and place. More importantly, they no longer need to wait for each other to arrive somewhere.

For example, instead of agreeing to meet by the statue in the plaza at 3 p.m., they can query each other as to their current locations, agree to head for a common area, and then trade messages as they walk or travel by subway. That makes it possible to coordinate a final meeting place as they close in on a shared location.

Kids can also inform each other of impromptu events, like a fight in the school playground or a sale at a local mall.

In his new book, Smart Mobs, Howard Rheingold describes how groups of young people in Tokyo's Shibuya crossing would swarm together, almost like a school of fish, using cellphones to coordinate their final formation.

Text messaging on cellphones also provides a discreet way to get someone's attention. It's considered rude to initiate a voice call without sending an e-mail or IM first to see if they're available, Ito said.

Being able to check silently before calling also makes it possible to communicate at odd hours. In the past, if you were studying until 1 a.m. and had a question for a peer, you would never have called their home phone because you would awaken the entire household. But with text messaging, and phones set to vibrate, you can check to see if someone is available, then follow up with a quiet voice call.

All this demonstrates that for Japanese teens cellphones aren't just portable extensions of the phones most of us have at home. These little wireless devices, which now come with built-in cameras and even video capability, represent a fundamental shift in the way people communicate.

Consider the impact on other cultures as these trends spread throughout the world, including the United States, where cellphone use is growing rapidly. The highly-wired youths of Japan provide a glimpse into emerging social habits and changes in personal interaction that most of us will likely take for granted in the future. Selengkapnya...

British teenagers are the worst behaved in Europe, according to new research. Fifteen-year-olds in the UK are more likely to get drunk, act aggressively and be sexually active than their peers on the continent.
• Headmaster sparks fury as he allows 14-year-old truants to smoke
• Cameron says 'tough love' is best weapon against youth crime

The statistics collected by the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR), Tony Blair's favourite think-tank, will be presented in a report to the Government next week.
It will state that 27 per cent of British teens are regularly drunk, the highest in Europe. That compares with just three per cent of French teenagers and five per cent in Italy.
British teenagers are also the most aggressive with 44 per cent having been involved in a fight in the last year.
German teenagers are the least aggressive with 28 per cent involved in some sort of fracas over the last year.
With the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe Britain is also the most sexually active. In France only 22 per cent of teens have had sex compared with 38 per cent in the UK.
Researchers claim teenagers in Britain are more out of control because they have less contact with adults, particularly parents, than in the rest of Europe.
Nick Pearce, director of the IPPR, said that our teens are "disconnected" from adults around them. As a result they lack the "soft social skills" displayed by teens in Europe who spend more time in the company of adults.
Teens from traditional nuclear families are more likely to succeed and avoid trouble than teens from single parent unit or even families where the parents cohabit.
British teens spend less time in the company of parents and other adults due to cultural differences compared to the continent. Whereas Italian, French or German teenagers eat regularly with their families and spend more time in mixed-age company British children are left to their own devices and often eat at separate times to adults.
In Italy only seven per cent of 15-year-olds don't eat regularly with their parents whereas that figure is 36 per cent in the UK. In contrast 45 per cent of teens in England, and 59 per cent in Scotland, are out with friends every night.
As a result teenagers socialise with other children their age but miss out on developing the social skills acquired when spending time with adults. Structured activities organised by adilts such as scouts groups or drama societies, which were popular in the 1950s, are now shunned by teenagers in favour of hanging out in youth clubs.
The researchers say that children who spend less time with their parents are more likely to commit antisocial behaviour.
The spokesman added: "Children from a nuclear family are on average more likely to succeed according to statistics. What matters is what happens within the family. It's about being interested in their education and in talking to their children."
The report says that changes in the family, local communities and the economy have combined to cause "deep inequalities in the transition to modern adult life and leave increasing numbers of young people incapable of growing up safely and successfully".
Now it seems that teenagers don't need time with their friends but time with adults. A spokesman for IPPR said: "There is nothing genetically different about British teens to make them behave like this. They need more structured time in the company of adults, working towards a goal in order to pick up these skills."
The report also shows that participation in structured youth activities is better for young people than unstructured youth clubs. It suggests that activities like the Scouts or drama groups are beneficial for teaching children to interact with adults. Selengkapnya...

Pengenalan

Berbagai ragam krisis akhlak dan moral kini terus menular, merebak dan mewabak dalam masyarakat kita khasnya di kalangan remaja. Daripada kes bosia, hamil luar nikah yang diikuti dengan pembuangan zuriat di dalam tong sampah, penderaan, gengsterisme dan vandalisme, rogol, sumbang mahram, ketagihan dadah, hinggalah kepada mat rempit.

Pelbagai kes jenayah berlaku turut melibatkan kes Juvana. Dalam tahun 1995 ,1,895 kes melibatkan Juvana. Daripada jumlah itu 406 kes curi kenderaan atau (21.42 peratus), lain-lain kecurian 451 kes (23.80%), pecah rumah malam hari 324 kes (17.10%), curi dalam bangunan/orang gaji 277 kes (14.62%), mendatangkan kecederaan 154 kes (8.13%), pecah rumah siang hari 148 kes (7.81%), rogol 70 kes (3.70%) dan samun 58 kes (3.06%). Perangkaan-perangkaan yang menggerunkan ini menyerlahkan kepada kita betapa seriusnya krisis akhlak yang melanda remaja di negara kita ketika ini.

Ternyata bahawa pendidikan moral kita dengan enam belas nilai teras, pendidikan sivik, pendidikan Islam, pendidikan jarak jauh dan sebagainya; masih jauh untuk dapat menangani kegawatan dan kemerosotan dalam bidang ini. Faktor-faktor tertentu seperti mencari kepuasan nafsu, ingin membebaskan diri dari kemiskinan,kongsi gelap, dadah, bertelingkah dengan ibu bapa , gagal dalam peperiksaan , bosan duduk di rumah, trauma akibat perbuatan seks dan sebagainya rupa-rupanya lebih berpengaruh dari asuhan institusi pendidikan yang sedia ada.

Perkembangan akhlak seseorang boleh dibahagikan kepad tiga tahap :
a) Tahap awal kanak-kanak
b) Tahap pertengahan dan akhir kanak-kanak
c) Tahap baligh dan remaja

Peringkat pertama

Dalam peringkat ini kanak-kanak mula membentuk keyakinan kepada persekitarannya. Proses ini amat bergantung kepada belaian ibu yang berterusan di mana ibu memenuhi keperluan emosi dan fisiologinya. Hubungan ibu dan anak dalam peringkat ini perlulah dijaga dan perkukuhkan sehingga kanak-kanak mempunyai keyakinan kepada lingkungan dan alam sekitarnya. Anak-anak yang tidak memperolehi perhatian serta kasih sayang ibu dalam tahap ini perkembangan emosional dan fizikalnya mungkin akan terbantut. Anak tersebut kelihatan lebih kecil dari umurnya yang sebenar.

Dalam peringkat 18 bulan hingga 3 tahun kanak-kanak mula beralih daripada bersandarkan kepada ibu semata-mata. Kanak-kanak mula membentuk keperibadiannya tersendiri, di mana ia bertarung untuk memastikan pilihannya sendiri. Dalam peringkat ini ibu wajar memberikan penuh perhatian. Kegagalan kanak-kanak tersebut dalam merealisasikan kemandiriannya menyebabkannya ia akan ragu terhadap dirinya serta kurang yakin dengan kemampuannya sekaligus mengakibatkan berkurangnya keyakinan kepada orang lain. Anak-anak akan bersifat malu dan merasa serba kekurangan.

Keupayaan anak-anak untuk mandiri serta merasakan kewujudan dirinya yang tersendiri cukup penting dalam peringkat ini. Dalam tahap inilah berkembangnya sifat-sifat personal seperti sayang, benci, ego serta kebebasan untuk mengungkap perasaan. Dalam peringkat umur 3 hingga 6 tahun kanak-kanak tersebut terus mengembangkan kemandirian dengan kegiatan yang lebih meluas; di mana mereka lebih aktif bergerak, mempunyai tahap prihatin yang lebih tinggi, banyak bertanya dan bercakap. Ibu bapa dan pengasuh wajar mengarahkan kanak-kanak dengan bijak agar mereka memperoleh kemahiran-kemahiran mengatur dan menyusun sesuatu sehingga kanak-kanak berjaya melaksanakannya. Layanan yang kasar serta kekerasan yang berlebihan boleh menjejaskan jiwa, mental dan fizikal kanak-kanak.

Ibu bapa tidak wajar menganggap kanak-kanak pada peringkat ini seperti orang tua dalam erti kata meletakkan tanggungjawab moral dan akhlak terhadap perbuatan dan reaksinya kerana kanak-kanak masih belum mampu membezakan dengan tepat dan memahami sesuatu. Mereka hendaklah dikasihi, diperlakukan secara lemah lembut dan sikap toleransi. Rasulullah S.A.W. sendiri pernah menunjukkan sifat-sifat yang demikian. Abu Qatabah meriwayatkan pada suatu hari Nabi keluar menemui kami. Beliau mendokong Umamah Abu 'Asr. Beliau bersembahyang sambil mendokong Umamah, apabila Baginda ruku', beliau meletakkan dan apabila ia bangun ia dukung semula Umamah. Hadis ini membayangkan betapa kasihnya Rasulullah kepada cucunya.Beliau tidak memperlakukannya sebagai manusia yang mengerti segala-galanya.Beliau membenarkan anak tersebut bersamanya ketika sembahyang walhal sembahyang itu adalah ibadah yang suci dalam Islam.

Peringkat pertengahan dan akhir kanak-kanak

Dalam peringkat ini kanak-kanak mula memperluas arena hubungan sosial dan pergaulannya dengan orang lain yang sekampung atau sesekolah atau juga rakan sebaya dengannya. Kanak-kanak mula menyesuaikan diri dengan situasi dan kondisi baru dalam hidupnya. Ia mula membezakan perbuatan dan jenis-jenis tindak tanduk yang disukai oleh orang lain atau sebaliknya. Ia gembira jika orang lain puas dengan perbuatannya. Sebaliknya ia kecewa, menyesal jika orang lain marah kepadanya. Ini adalah permulaannya yang betul bagi proses pembentukan akhlak yang luhur.

Perkembangan akhlak yang positif ini menyebabkan kanak-kanak selalu berusaha untuk menyelaraskan antara kehendak dirinya dengan kehendak orang lain. Antara kecenderungan dan motivasi dengan nilai agama, akhlak, tradisi, guru, peraturan dan undang-undang. Dalam peringkat ini terteralah kesedaran tentang tanggungjawab akhlak dalam diri kanak-kanak sehingga ia mencapai tahap perkembangan akhlak yang ke-3. Dalam peringkat ini ibu bapa dan guru perlu perihatin kepada kecendurangan ini dan amat perlu diarahkan secara yang bijaksana sehingga kanak-kanak dapat memperolehi model yang utama (role model) di samping mengembangkan kearah nilai-nilai kebaikan.

Peringkat yang ketiga iaitu peringkat baligh dan remaja

Perkembangan akhlak pada masa ini mula berakar dan mantap. Fizikal kanak-kanak mula berkembang dan membesar. Perkembangan ini diikuti oleh perkembangan sosioemosinya di mana anak tersebut mula memperolehi keperibadiannya yang unik. Ia mula merasakan 'sense of belonging' kepada kelompok yang lebih besar. Peringkat ini adalah peringkat yang amat komplikated (rumit) dan ia disertai oleh pengalaman-pengelaman baru serta peranan dan peluang-peluang yang baru. Menyerlahnya dorongan kejantinaan semakin merumitkan hubungannya dengan orang lain. Keupayaan fizikalnya semakin kukuh dan mencapah. Tanggungjawab persekolahan ikut bertambah, disiplin hidupnya mula terbentuk.

Kanak-kanak mula berubah menjadi manusia yang berupaya mengawal kehendak nalurinya. Ia mula menundukkan diri kepada contoh utama yang telah terserap jauh dalam batinnya. Ia menjadikan contoh utama tersebut sebagai kriteria dalam tingkah laku dan situasi yang bersifat moral. Ia akan beriltizam dengan saranan-saranan dan contoh yang ditunjukkan sama ada wujud dalam bentuk undang-undang, sistem, adat dan budaya sosial atau ketiadaannya.

Kesempurnaan perkembangan akhlak berkaitan dengan kesempurnaan perkembangan akal, kejiwaan dan sosial. Huzaifah meriwayatkan Rasulullah s.a.w bersabda : "Janganlah kalian menjadi pak turut. Kalian menyatakan kalau orang lain buat baik kalian buat baik. Kalau mereka jahat kalian buat jahat. Akan tetapi mantapkanlah pendirian kalian. Jika orang baik kalian wajar berbuat baik. Jika mereka melakukan kejahatan janganlah pula kalian melakukan."

Pembentukan Akhlak Remaja Islam

Pembentukan akhlak di dalam Islam dimulai dengan pengukuhan akidah melalui ikrar bahawa tidak ada Tuhan sebenarnya yang disembah kecuali Allah dan Muhammad adalah Rasulullah. Bagi kanak-kanak yang baru lahir pendedahan ini dimula dengan azan dan iqamat. Dalam peringkat berikutnya kanak-kanak dilatih dengan budaya hidup beragama Islam oleh ibu bapanya . Apabila lidah anak-anak sudah boleh bertutur mereka dilatih menyebut nama Allah dan beberapa ayat ringkas seperti:

وَقُلْ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًا وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ شَرِيكٌ فِي الْمُلْكِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ وَلِيٌّ مِنْ الذُّلِّ وَكَبِّرْهُ تَكْبِيرًا(111)
Dan katakanlah: "Segala puji tertentu bagi Allah yang tiada mempunyai anak, dan tiada bagiNya sekutu dalam urusan kerajaanNya, dan tiada bagiNya penolong disebabkan sesuatu kelemahanNya; dan hendaklah engkau membesarkan serta memuliakanNya dengan bersungguh-sungguh!"

atau doa kepada ibu bapa:

وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنْ الرَّحْمَةِ وَقُلْ رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا(24)
dan lain-lain.

Pengungkapan syahadat sebagai suatu proses pembangunan akhlak bergandingan dengan tujuh syarat yang mustahak dipenuhi seperti mana yang disebutkan oleh Saikh Yusuf al-Badri:

a) Ilmu yang menafikan kejahilan
b) Kecintaan kepada Allah yang menafikan kecintaan kepada yang lainnya
c) Keyakinan yang menafikan keraguan
d) Penerimaan yang menafikan penolakan
e) Kepatuhan yang menidakkan keingkaran
f) Keikhlasan yang menafikan kesyirikan
g) Kejujuran yang menafikan sifat mendustakan atau sekadar berlakon.

Pemantapan kalimah tauhid ini bermakna pendidikan membentuk pemikiran, perasaan serta penanaman nilai-nilai keimanan yang dinyatakan oleh Rasulullah sebagai 60 atau 70 lebih cabang dalam diri umat Islam. Sesungguhnya kesedaran manusia tentang kewujudan, kebesaran, kekuasaan dan keesaan Allah s.w.t. tentunya akan menimbulkan keperihatinan yang tinggi terhadap arahan-arahanNya.

Dalam konteks yang sama, perkara utama yang perlu dilakukan oleh seorang muslim ialah memastikan dirinya bersih dari kekufuran atau tanda-tanda kekufuran kepada Allah dan Rasulnya; iaitu samada menafikan perkara-perkara asas agama, atau melakukan perkara-perkara yang membatalkan syahadat. Kemudian, ia harus memastikan dirinya terlepas dari sifat-sifat kemunafikan, samada yang bersifat tanggapan mahupun yang bersifat amalan. Kemunafikan dalam tanggapan umpamanya, meyakini sesuatu yang bercanggah dengan hakikat Islam yang sebenar walhal lidahnya mengatakan ia menurut Islam yang sebenar. Kemunafikan dalam amalan ialah melakukan akhlak-akhlak orang yang munafik seperti tidak mematuhi janji, membiasakan diri dengan berdusta dan bersifat khianat. Ia hendaklah memastikan dirinya bersih daripada kefasikan atau penderhakaan kepada Allah. Tidak melakukan apa yang dilarang oleh Allah. Tidak menyalahi perintah Allah. Manusia muslim mesti menghindarkan diri dari segala kejahatan ; lahir dan batin.


Pembangunan akhlak bermula dengan perlaksanaan :
1- solat.
2- zakat dan infak.
3- puasa.
4- haji.
5- membaca al qur'an.
6- zikir.
7- memikirkan penciptaan allah.
8- mengingati mati dan memendekkan angan-angan.
9- muraqabah, muhasabah, mujahadah dan mu'atabah.
10- jihad, amal makruf dan nahi mungkar.
11- dedikasi dan bersifat tawadduk.
12- mengenali tipu daya syaitan terhadap manusia serta menangkis dan menutup laluannya.
13- mengenal jenis-jenis penyakit hati serta mengetahui cara-cara merawatnya.


Bagaimana Membangunkan Akhlak Umat Islam

Menurut Syaikh Abdul Rahman al Midani; akhlak manusia memang boleh berkembang dan boleh dibentuk dengan berbagai cara. Antara cara-cara tersebut ialah melalui:

a- Latihan Amali Dan Amalan-Amalan Menjernihkan Batin

Pendidikan akhlak tidak hanya melalui penjelasan mengenai nilai-nilai akhlak kepada masyarakat di mana mereka boleh memilih dan menghargai nilai-nilai tersebut tetapi juga pendidikan akhlak boleh dibuat berdasarkan latih tubi, perlaksanaan atau penghayatan yang berterusan umpamanya. Walaupun di peringkat awal ia dilaksanakan kerana arahan atau tekanan dari luar, namun lama kelamaan ia akan menjadi kebiasaan dan tabiat. Manusia sememangnya berupaya memperolehi akhlak atau sifat yang mulia melalui pendekatan ini. Rasulullah s.a.w. bersabda ( maksudnya ) :

"Suruhlah anak kalian bersembahyang ketika mereka berumur tujuh tahun dan pukullah mereka kerana meninggalkannya ketika umur mereka ( menjangkau ) sepuluh tahun.

Seandainya sembahyang boleh dibiasakan sejak dari kecil , maka puasa, zikir dan tilawatul Qur'an pun boleh diamalkan sejak dari kecil dan secara berterusan; sehingga menjadi amalan yang lazim dan budaya hidup. Amalan amalan ini pastinya lambat-laun akan menjadi adat atau kebiasaan seseorang.

b- Meletakkan Diri Dalam Lingkungan Persekitaran Yang Soleh

Persekitaran sosial dan budaya kerap mempengaruhi manusia. Persekitaran tersebut merangkum tradisi, model tingkah-laku dan saranan serta rangsangan yang bersifat akhlak. Manusia memang sering terpengaruh kepada persekitarannya; dengan cara meniru serta mencontohi figure yang disanjungi oleh mereka. Kewujudan seseorang dalam lingkungan masyarakat yang baik serta soleh sudah tentu akan menyebabkan ia beriltizam dengan amalan dan etika yang dihayati oleh kumpulan tersebut. Ia akan berusaha melaksanakan sesuatu yang disanjungi oleh masyarakatnya. Sebaliknya, perbuatan yang dianggap keji oleh lingkungannya, ia akan berusaha sedaya upaya untuk menghindarinya.

Dalam kontek menegaskan kesan lingkungan ini Allah SWT berfirman:
وَالْبَلَدُ الطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهُ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ وَالَّذِي خَبُثَ لَا يَخْرُجُ إِلَّا نَكِدًا كَذَلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَشْكُرُونَ
Maksudnya :
"Negara yang baik (makmur) akan menampilkan hasil mahsulnya ( yang baik dan sihat) dengan izin tuhannya, manakala negara yang buruk, tidak akan dapat menghasilkan kecuali pengeluaran yang buruk. Demikianlah Kami ajukan tanda-tanda kebesaran Kami kepada kaum yang bersyukur."
Surah al 'Araf, ayat 58 :

Masyarakat yang buruk ialah masyarakat yang tidak melaksanakan syariat Allah. Mereka menguatkuasakan peraturan dan undang-undang ciptaan manusia yang menyimpang dari jalan Allah yang lurus. Dengan demikian, warganya sudah pasti akan berkembang di dalam masalah sosial yang tidak sihat. Mereka akan terpengaruh dengan gejala-gejala kejahatan yang berkembang pesat dalam masyarakat yang dilanda oleh fenomena moral berkenaan.


c-Qudwah Hasanah

Manusia juga dipengaruhi oleh idolanya. Idola tersebut kerap menjadi rol model dalam kehidupan mereka. Manusia yang berperanan menjadi rol model tersebut antara lain ialah tokoh politik, artis, seniman, atlit sukan, ibu bapa, guru dan sebagainya. Meskipun Rasulullah adalah qudwah yang paling ideal bagi umat Islam, namun penghayatan nilai-nilai yang dibawa oleh Rasulullah hendaklah dipaparkan oleh golongan idola berkenaan. Mereka sewajarnya sentiasa berusaha menunjukkan contoh dan teladan yang terpuji agar dapat ditiru oleh generasi muda. Penghayatan golongan idola tersebut terhadap nilai-nilai yang luhur dan utama pasti akan mengukuhkan keyakinan generasi baru bahawa keutamaan dan keluhuran memang sebenarnya boleh dilaksanakan. Ia bukan zaman dahulu kala atau idealisme khayalan belaka; tetapi malah ianya suatu realiti yang tentunya boleh dicontohi dan direalisasi oleh generasi masa kini.

Allah SWT berfirman:
لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا

Bermaksud;
"sesungguhnya Rasulullah itu bagi kamu adalah contoh ikutan yang baik untuk mereka yang mengharapkan Allah, mengharapkan ( ganjaran ) hari akhirat dan mereka yang kerap mengingati Allah." Surah al Ahzab, ayat 21.


d- Tekanan Sosial Dari Masyarakat Islam

Antara mekanisme yang digunakan oleh Islam dalam membentuk penganutnya serta memastikan mereka melaksanakan tata kelakuan berakhlak ialah wujudnya komuniti sosial yang komited dengan dasar dan prinsip-prinsip Islam. Masyarakat Islam yang mempunyai impak yang besar dan pengaruh yang kuat dalam memaksa individu mengamalkan atau menurut nilai dan norma-norma akhlak. Mereka boleh melaksanakan tekanan moral yang berkesan untuk mendisplinkan golongan yang berkecenderungan untuk melakukan kejahatan. Manusia memang suka dipuji, dihormati dan disanjung. Manusia juga takut dikeji dan dicemuh oleh kumpulan di mana ia mempunyai sense of belonging kepada mereka. Faktor-faktor tersebut adalah anak kunci yang sedikit sebanyak menentukan tindak-tanduk seseorang. Masyarakat Islam yang aktif boleh berperanan menyuburkan semangat dan amalan hidup berakhlak. Ia juga boleh membendung trend-trend kufur dan maksiat dalam masyarakat melalui perlaksanaan amal mak'ruf dan nahi mungkar. Apabila masyarakat kehilangan keprihatinannya terhadap kewajipan menegakkan makruf dan mencegah yang mungkar, maka bermulalah proses penghakisan moral, akhlak dan martabat umat berkenaan.

e- Kuasa Negara Islam melalui sistem keadilan dan galakannya

Tuntutan akhlak dan nilai-nilainya tidak akan bermaya tanpa digandingi oleh kuasa atau autoriti yang menguatkuasakan nilai-nilai tersebut. Oleh kerana itu, antara tanggungjawab negara Islam ialah mewujudkan mekanisme dan jentera-jentera pentadbiran yang dapat beroperasi untuk memastikan ketertiban serta penghayatan kaedah-kaedah akhlak dalam masyarakat. Jika negara tidak melaksanakan amanah ini kerana ia tidak berlandaskan sistem perlembagaan dan undang-undang Islam sudah pasti keadaan akhlak umat akan lebih parah dan malang.Melalui puluhan kementerian, badan-badan berkanun, agensi-agensi kerajaan akhlak akan digugat dan dihakis. Amalan pemerintahan yang tidak adil menjanjikan kemusnahan bukan hanya dalam bidang akhlak tetapi juga dalam semua hal.

Selain dari apa yang telah dinyatakan di atas maka akhlak juga boleh dibentuk oleh media massa, sekolah, rakan sebaya, masjid atau surau dan sebagainya. Untuk lebih jelas ada baiknya kita terangkan satu persatu peranan tersebut :

f - Peranan Media Massa

Media massa merupakan satu mekanisme yang mempunyai pengaruh yang amat besar dan berkesan di dalam pembentukan keperibadian manusia. Ia merupakan agen sosialisasi dan memainkan peranan penting di dalam menanam dan menggalakkan amalan-amalan berakhlak di dalam masyarakat. Media massa mampu mencorakkan hati budi, mentaliti dan sahsiah umat khasnya yang beroperasi 24 jam. Media massa tersebut perlu bebas dari cengkaman faham sekularisme, budaya komersial yang melampau, faham kebendaan dan dorongan untuk hidup secara mewah dan berpoya-poya. Media massa hendaklah mempunyai asas falsafah dan dasar-dasar komunikasi yang selaras dengan nilai-nilai akhlak Islam. Para petugas media massa hendaklah meningkatkan rasa akauntabiliti, tanggungjawab dan kewajipan mereka untuk memihak dan menegakkan nilai-nilai luhur seperti kebenaran, kejujuran dan sebagainya.

Para pengguna media massa terutama golongan yang bertanggungjawab seperti ibubapa, guru, pemimpin politik dan pentadbir hendaklah lebih bijaksana dalam mengarah, membimbing, meningkatkan rasionaliti, kematangan dan kewaspadaan serta keupayaan memilih siaran yang lebih bermanfaat untuk ditontoni oleh anak-anak atau orang-orang yang di bawah jagaan mereka. Media massa juga sebenarnya boleh menjadi wahana "cultural domination dan imperialisme" melalui berbagai saluran teknologi maklumat yang canggih seperti internet, multimedia dan sebagainya.


g - Peranan Sekolah

Sekolah mempunyai fungsi yang tersendiri dalam mendidik generasi baru dengan akhlak Islam. Antara lain sekolah boleh :

1. Menggandakan keberkesanan institusi pendidikan, menambahkan produktivitinya, meningkatkan kewibawaannya di kalangan setiap anggotanya baik mereka itu pelajar atau petugas.

2. Memperbaiki suasana persekolahan, mendaulatkan undang-undang atau peraturan Islam khasnya yang berkaitan dengan persekolahan, memperbaiki hubungan antara sesama anggota sekolah atau institusi.

3. Memancangkan dengan teguh akan nilai-nilai murni dan akhlak yang baik seperti ketaatan atas dasar kesedaran menghormati peraturan dan pihak yang berwewenang, menjaga perasaan orang lain, menjaga standard layanan dalam berinteraksi, berkorban untuk kepentingan ramai, bekerjasama, melakukan self criticism, mengawal diri, menghargai ilmu, menghormati ulama' dan sebagainya.

4. Membaiki prestasi persekolahan murid-murid dari segi kualiti dan kuantiti, mendidik mereka dari segi agama, akhlak dan sosial secara wajar dan sihat, mempersiapkan mereka agar dapat memikul tugas dan tanggungjawab yang bakal mereka hadapi; di samping melatih mereka menghukum atau menilai diri sendiri sebagai seorang yang berfikiran matang dan bebas.

Para pelajar di sekolah hendaklah dilatih supaya merendah diri dan memuliakan orang yang mereka bergaul dengan mereka. Mereka hendaklah digalakkan lebih suka memberi dari menerima. Dalam sanubari mereka patut dicambahkan keinsafan bahawa tangan yang memberi lebih utama dari tangan yang menerima. Disuburkan pula perasaan zuhud dalam hatinya dan di asuh agar tidak menjadi mata duitan.

Mereka harus juga diasuh supaya tidak meludah dalam majlis atau berkahak, tidak menguap besar di hadapan orang, tidak meletakkan kaki di atas sebelah kaki yang lain serta tidak membanyakkan cakap. Anak-anak harus digalakkan tidak banyak bercakap kecuali sekadar menjawab. Mereka harus dilatih pandai mendengar tuturan orang, lebih-lebih lagi jika orang yang bercakap itu lebih tua daripadanya.

Mereka mesti ditegah mengucapkan kata-kata kesat, atau bergaul dengan orang-orang yang celupar. Justeru antara kaedah mendidik anak-anak ialah melindungi mereka dari rakan-rakan yang jahat. Selain dari itu elok juga selepas belajar mereka dibenarkan bermain-main untuk menyegarkan tubuh mereka setelah penat belajar. Mereka hendaklah diasuh supaya patuh kepada ibu bapa, guru dan menghurmati mereka.

Selain dari latihan serta disiplin seperti di atas, pelajar harus juga dilatih menghargai tugas dan tanggung jawab dengan cara yang bijak, lemah-lembut tanpa terburu-buru melaksanakan kekerasan atau pemaksaan melalui penderaan. Kepatuhan yang lahir dari keinsafan dan kesedaran batin biasanya lebih berkesan dan mantap. Bagi seorang pendidik menggunakan tindakan menghukum biarlah terhadap perkara yang paling akhir dalam fikirannya; samada mereka golongan guru atau bapa. Bahkan apabila hukum hendak dikenakan kepada murid biarlah sekadar yang perlu sahaja.

Bimbingan dan nasihat yang lemah lembut tetapi tegas kadang-kadang lebih meninggalkan kesan di dalam hati serta dipatuhi. Hukuman atau penderaan bukanlah langkah utama yang merupakan satu-satunya penyelesaian. Penderaan adalah langkah terakhir apabila contoh yang baik, nasihat dan hubungan kasih sayang antara anak dan bapa atau guru tidak mampu lagi untuk digunakan.

Rasulullah bersabda yang bermaksud :
"Suruhlah anak-anak kamu menunaikan solat ketika mereka berumur tujuh tahun dan pukullah mereka ( kerana enggan sembahyang ) apabila umur mereka sepuluh tahun". (Hadith diriwayatkan oleh Abu Daud).

Demikianlah dalam Islam pembelajaran tidak dimulai dengan rotan atau hukuman. Malah di dahului oleh berbagai cara dan pendekatan untuk memupuk kebiasaan dan akhlak yang terpuji seperti melatih bersembahyang dengan menggunakan kecenderungan meniru yang menjadi pembawaan kanak-kanak dan dengan rasa yang penuh kasih sayang dari orang dewasa. Misalnya dengan memaparkan contoh, nasihat, perkataan yang baik, teguran yang lemah lembut tetapi tegas dan sebagainya. Sekiranya cara-cara tersebut gagal barulah dikenakan sedikit kekerasan yang bertujuan mendidik bukan yang menimbulkan kecacatan fizikal dan sebagainya.

Firman Allah :

فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِنْ اللَّهِ لِنْتَ لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنْتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لَانْفَضُّوا مِنْ حَوْلِكَ
"Dengan rahmat ALlah kepadamu itu maka engkau berlemah lembut menghadapi mereka. Seandainya hatimu keras dan (sikapmu) kasar nescaya mereka bubar dari sekelilingmu.
(Surah Ali Imran : ayat 159)

Satu hakikat pembelajaran yang lumrah di sekolah ialah murid kerap dipengaruhi oleh sifat, kebiasaan dan akhlak guru. Sekiranya guru mempunyai akhlak yang baik murid ikut terpengaruh dengan akhlak ini. Demikianlah sebaliknya. Pandangan negatif murid bukan setakat terhad kepada guru tetapi juga mungkin menjangkau kepada pelajaran, kepada sekolah dan seterusnya kepada sistem persekolahan keseluruhannya.

Displin sekolah hendaklah dilaksanakan dengan semangat kerjasama. Guru besar, nazir, guru, murid malah ibubapa hendaklah sama-sama berperanan. Ini bermakna harus ada penerimaan dan permuafakatan tentang polisi dan cara-cara merealisasikannya seboleh-bolehnya dari semua pihak agar masing-masing melindungi dan mempertahankannya.

Usaha mengatasi masalah di sekolah hendaklah dengan menghapuskan sebab-sebab pokok atau punca dari mana datangnya permasalahan itu. Ini termasuk menghapuskan suasana yang membantu atau menyokong salah laku dari murid . Di samping itu juga penyelesaian boleh di usahakan dengan mengambil langkah pencegahan dan mengujudkan suasana yang lebih positif. Ini di dasarkan kepada prinsip "mencegah lebih baik dari merawat".

Antara langkah-langkah yang boleh dilakukan oleh sekolah dalam membangun akhlak ialah dengan mengadakan kempen menyedarkan murid tentang keperluan menghormati disiplin sekolah, menerangkan tentang mengapa suatu disiplin itu dibuat dan memperbanyakkan aktiviti sekolah dengan mempelbagaikannya, menggunakan atau memenuhi masa lapang murid, menghubung-kaitkan sukatan pelajaran dengan keperluan diri dan masyarakat mereka dan langkah-langkah yang lain.


h - Peranan rakan sebaya

Antara agen sosial yang berpengaruh di dalam membentuk sikap dan akhlak individu ialah rakan sebaya. Rakan sebaya merupakan kelompok rujukan bagi remaja di dalam tingkah laku mereka. Perasaan "sense of belonging" kepada kumpulan adalah suatu yang lumrah. Remaja akan mengubahsuai dan mengadaptasikan nilai-nilai rakan sebayanya untuk mendapat penerimaan dan pengakuran mereka. Remaja memang menyedari adanya jurang generasi antara mereka dengan kumpulan dewasa dan mereka sering berhadapan masalah dalam mewujudkan hubungan dengan generasi yang lebih tua. Kajian yang dilakukan oleh Lambert dan rakan-rakannya ( 1972 ) menunjukkan remaja menghadapi berbagai konflik apabila mereka berusaha merentasi jurang generasi( generation gap ) tersebut antara pemikiran mereka dan pemikiran ibubapa mereka.

Kajian menunjukkan bahawa masalah remaja lelaki dan perempuan adalah :

1. kesukaran untuk membincangkan permasalahan mereka dengan para ibubapa mereka dan para penjaga mereka
2. kesukaran untuk memberitahu ibubapa dan penjaga mereka mengenai apa yang mereka lakukan
3. wujudnya jarak yang agak lebar antara jalan fikiran mereka dengan jalan pemikiran ibubapa dan penjaga mereka.

Oleh kerana itu golongan remaja umpamanya sering merujuk rakan sebaya dan kelompok sosial tertentu untuk mendapat bimbingan ke arah menyelesaikan masalah mereka. Kesilapan di dalam memilih kelompok rakan setara samada bersahabat dengan penagih dadah, kutu lepak, gangster atau kumpulan samseng, bohsia dan sebagainya pasti akan mengakibatkan kemusnahan akhlak golongan remaja dan dewasa .
i - Peranan rumah ibadah

Bagi umat Islam, rumah ibadat yang paling penting ialah masjid. Di sinilah umat Islam sering berkumpul untuk menyembah Allah secara berjamaah. Sebab itulah di mana sahaja dalam negara umat Islam; bahkan di kota-kota besar dunia kedapatan bangunan masjid yang berbagai bentuk dan rupa. Ada yang kecil dan ada pula yang besar. Masjid sentiasa menjadi lambang kemegahan umat dan pemerintah Islam. Sebagai tempat ibadah masjid mempunyai peranan dan pengaruh yang besar dalam meneruskan penghayatan nilai-nilai akhlak dalam masyarakat Islam. Kelangsungan budaya, cara hidup dan syiar Islam lumrahnya diperkukuhkan oleh institusi ini. Sebab itu perkara pertama yang dilakukan oleh Rasulullah S.A.W ketika baginda berhijrah ke Madinah al Munauwarah ialah membina Masjid Quba' dan Masjid Nabawi.

Ilmu yang dipelajari di masjid pada masa dahulu bersepadu dengan nilai tauhid, ruh Islam dan akhlak . Ia mengimbaukan ketakwaan dan mengukuhkan ubudiah manusia kepada Allah . Ilmu yang dipelajar membawa berkat dan meningkatkan ciri khasyatullah atau takut kepada Allah. Sebab itu lahir para ulama dan ilmuan yang jujur, soleh dan dedikasi. Apabila semangat dan imbauan seperti ini sudah tiada lagi ilmu disalut dengan semangat kebendaan dan keserakahan manusia. Sebab itu muncullah ilmuan-ilmuan sekular yang amat benci kepada Islam dan ajaran Allah itu sendiri .

Ada berbagai bentuk kegiatan keilmuan, kebudayaan dan kemasyarakatan yang boleh dijalankan di dalam atau di pekarangan masjid untuk tujuan mengukuhkan akhlak dan sahsiah umat . Antaranya ialah:

1. Kelas Fardu Ain
2. Kelas Tajuid & Qiraat.
3. Kelas Bimbingan Remaja.
4. Kelas Bahasa Arab.
5. Ceramah Berkala.
6. Seminar Motivasi dan Pembentukan Syakhsiah.
7. Kursus Rumahtangga Bahagia.
8. Kursus Pengurusan Jenazah.
9. Madrasah atau Sistem Pengajian Formal.
10. Kursus Dakwah dan Imamah.
11. Acara Tadarus al-Quran.
12. Khemah Ibadan & Qiamullail.
13. Kursus Pengurusan Masjid.
14. Kegiatan Amar Ma'ruf & Nahi Munkar.
15. Seminar Pengurusan Sumber Masjid.
16. Kempin Memakmurkan Masjid.
17. Membentuk organisasi Belia Masjid ( Rakan Masjid )

Seluruh agensi sosial, Jentera Kerajaan, Kementerian dan Badan-badan Berkanun, NGO dan Badan-badan Korporat, swasta dan awam hendaklah digembling untuk bersama-sama berperanan meningkatkan kualiti akhlak umat samada dengan mengadakan kempen hidup beretika dan berakhlak atau melancarkan buku-buku rujukan yang menjelaskan nilai-nilai akhlak tersebut dan sebagainya.

Rumusan

Gagasan dan tugas untuk membangun, memupuk dan meningkatkan mutu akhlak umat khasnya di kalangan remaja adalah suatu tanggungjawab besar. Ia tidak dapat dilakukan dengan jayanya kecuali oleh manusia yang berjiwa besar dan mempunyai kualiti kemanusian yang tinggi. Ia harus bermula dengan melahirkan para pemimpin umat yang berakhlak, beriman dan bertakwa. Pemimpin yang mempunyai iltizam yang tidak berbelah bagi kepada set-set nilai akhlak Islam, mempunyai kerohanian yang amat tinggi, mewarisi ciri perjuangan Rasulullah yang diutus untuk membangun akhlak dan keluhuran akan beroleh kedudukan dalam pemerintahan lantas memastikan semua umat menunaikan solat, mengeluarkan zakat, menyuruh yang makruf, mencegah yang mungkar, menghalalkan apa yang dihalalkan oleh Allah, mengharamkan apa yang diharamkan oleh Allah. Mereka menguatkuasakan sistem hidup Islam yang memang membela akhlak. Mereka melaksanakan undang-undang Allah yang sebenarnya memang melindungi nilai dan norma akhlak dalam masyarakat.

Dengan adanya pemimpin yang soleh dan bertakwa seluruh agen sosialisasi dan jentera kerajaan akan menghala ke arah yang sama. Rakyat akan terbentuk oleh media yang beretika dan berakhlak. Pengaruh luar yang buruk akan disekat samada dalam rancangan tv, filem, internet maupun apa jua pengaruh lain yang mengancam jatidiri dan maruah umat. Dasar-dasar kementerian dan agensi pembangunan masyarakat akan selaras dengan tuntutan nilai dan tatanan akhlak. Tidak berlaku proses pertentangan antara kerja membangun dan merosak akhlak serentak dalam jentera-jentera berkenaan.

Agenda-agenda khusus menangani gejala keruntuhan dan kemorosatan akhlak akan disusun dengan lebih berkesan dan menyeluruh. Segala-galanya akan dimanfaatkan dalam menjana kekuatan untuk meningkatkan mertabat umat dalam segala bidang.Kebenaran keadilan dan ihsan akan didaulatkan . Manusia diasuh kembali menjadi hamba Allah yang ta'at dan bukan hamba benda, wang, pembangunan, bangsa atau negara. Semoga semua langkah-langkah yang dicadangkan di atas dapat membantu mengatasi masalah keruntuhan akhlak yang semakin berleluasa, khasnya di kalangan remaja kita dewasa ini.. Selengkapnya...

Here are some phenomenon in what way do teenagers choose their way (to express them self)
may be there a lot of more outside there but I only list few example of TREND or some say IDEOLOGY:
-Punk
-Emo
-Goths
-Funk
Let's see the history of them...!

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock. They created fast, hard-edged music, typically with short songs, stripped-down instrumentation, and often political, anti-establishment lyrics. Punk embraces a DIY (do it yourself) ethic, with many bands self-producing their recordings and distributing them through informal channels.
By late 1976, bands such as the Ramones, in New York City, and the Sex Pistols and The Clash, in London, were recognized as the vanguard of a new musical movement. The following year saw punk rock spreading around the world. Punk quickly, though briefly, became a major cultural phenomenon in the United Kingdom. For the most part, punk took root in local scenes that tended to reject association with the mainstream. An associated punk subculture emerged, expressing youthful rebellion and characterized by distinctive styles of clothing and adornment and a variety of anti-authoritarian ideologies.
By the beginning of the 1980s, faster, more aggressive styles such as hardcore and Oi! had become the predominant mode of punk rock. Musicians identifying with or inspired by punk also pursued a broad range of other variations, giving rise to post-punk and the alternative rock movement. By the turn of the century, pop punk had been adopted by the mainstream, with bands such as Green Day and The Offspring bringing the genre widespread popularity.

Emo emerged from the hardcore punk scene of early-1980s Washington, D.C., both as a reaction to the increased violence within the scene and as an extension of the personal politics espoused by Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat, who had turned the focus of the music from the community back towards the individual. Minor Threat fan Guy Picciotto formed Rites of Spring in 1984, breaking free of hardcore's self-imposed boundaries in favor of melodic guitars, varied rhythms, and deeply personal, impassioned lyrics. Many of the band's themes would become familiar tropes in later generations of emo music, including nostalgia, romantic bitterness, and poetic desperation. Their performances became public emotional purges where audience members would sometimes weep. MacKaye became a huge Rites of Spring fan, recording their only album and serving as their roadie on tour, and soon formed a new band of his own called Embrace which explored similar themes of self-searching and emotional release. Similar bands soon followed in connection with the "Revolution Summer" of 1985, a deliberate attempt by members of the Washington, D.C. scene to break from the rigid constraints of hardcore in favor of a renewed spirit of creativity. Bands such as Gray Matter, Beefeater, Fire Party, Dag Nasty, Lunchmeat, and Kingface were connected to this movement.
The exact origins of the term "emo" are uncertain, but date back to at least 1985. According to Andy Greenwald, author of Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo, "The origins of the term 'emo' are shrouded in mystery [...] but it first came into common practice in 1985. If Minor Threat was hardcore, then Rites of Spring, with its altered focus, was emotional hardcore or emocore." Michael Azerrad, author of Our Band Could Be Your Life, also traces the word's origins to this time: "The style was soon dubbed 'emo-core,' a term everyone involved bitterly detested, although the term and the approach thrived for at least another fifteen years, spawning countless bands." MacKaye also traces it to 1985, attributing it to an article in Thrasher magazine referring to Embrace and other Washington, D.C. bands as "emo-core", which he called "the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life." Other accounts attribute the term to an audience member at an Embrace show, who yelled that the band was "emocore" as an insult. Others contend that MacKaye coined the term when he used it self-mockingly in a magazine, or that it originated with Rites of Spring. The Oxford English Dictionary, however, dates the earliest usage of "emo-core" to 1992 and "emo" to 1993, with "emo" first appearing in print media in New Musical Express in 1995.
The "emocore" label quickly spread around the Washington, D.C. punk scene and became attached to many of the bands associated with MacKaye's Dischord Records label Although many of these bands simultaneously rejected the term, it stuck nonetheless. Scene veteran Jenny Toomey has recalled that "The only people who used it at first were the ones that were jealous over how big and fanatical a scene it was. [Rites of Spring] existed well before the term did and they hated it. But there was this weird moment, like when people started calling music 'grunge,' where you were using the term even though you hated it."
The Washington, D.C. emo scene lasted only a few years. By 1986 most of the major bands of the movement—including Rites of Spring, Embrace, Gray Matter, and Beefeater—had broken up.Even so, the ideas and aesthetics originating from the scene spread quickly across the country via a network of homemade zines, vinyl records, and hearsay. According to Greenwald, the Washington, D.C. scene laid the groundwork for all subsequent incarnations of emo:
What had happened in D.C. in the mid-eighties—the shift from anger to action, from extroverted rage to internal turmoil, from an individualized mass to a mass of individuals—was in many ways a test case for the transformation of the national punk scene over the next two decades. The imagery, the power of the music, the way people responded to it, and the way the bands burned out instead of fading away—all have their origins in those first few performances by Rites of Spring. The roots of emo were laid, however unintentionally, by fifty or so people in the nation's capital. And in some ways, it was never as good and surely never as pure again. Certainly, the Washington scene was the only time "emocore" had any consensus definition as a genre
MacKaye and Piccioto, along with Rites of Spring drummer Brendan Canty, went on to form the highly influential Fugazi who, despite sometimes being connected with the term "emo", are not commonly recognized as an emo band.


Goths (Gothic:Gutans) were a heterogeneous East Germanic tribe. The historian Jordanes claimed that the Goths arrived from semi-legendary Scandza, believed to be somewhere in modern Götaland (Sweden), and that a Gothic population had crossed the Baltic Sea before the 2nd century, lending their name to the region of Gothiscandza, believed to be the lower Vistula region in modern Pomerelia (Poland). The archaeological Wielbark (Willenberg) culture is associated with the arrival of the Goths and their subsequent agglomeration with the indigenous population. But the reliability of Jordanes, who wrote in the 6th century, is disputed, and there is also no archaeological evidence for a substantial emigration from Scandinavia.
From the mid-second century onward, groups of Goths started migrating to the southeast along the River Vistula,[citation needed] reaching Scythia at the coast of the Black Sea in modern Ukraine where they left their archaeological traces in the Chernyakhov culture.
Throughout the 3rd and 4th centuries, the Scythian Goths were divided into at least two distinct entities, the Thervingi and the Greuthungi, divided by the Dniester River. They repeatedly harried the Roman Empire during the Gothic Wars and later adopted Arianism. In the late 4th century, the Huns invaded the Gothic region from the east. While many Goths were subdued and integrated into the Hunnic Empire, others were pushed towards the Roman Empire.
The Goths were converted to Christianity by the Arian (half-) Gothic missionary, Wulfila, who then found it necessary to leave Gothic country for Moesia, (modern Serbia, Bulgaria) with his congregation, where he translated the Bible into Gothic, devising a script for this purpose.
In the 5th and 6th centuries, they became divided as the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, who established powerful successor-states of the Western Roman Empire in the Iberian peninsula and Italy. In Italy, the Ostrogothic Kingdom established by Theodoric the Great was defeated by the forces of the Eastern Roman Empire after the Gothic Wars. In Hispania, the Visigoths, converted to Catholicism by late sixth century, would survive until the early eighth century, when it fell to Islam after the Muslim conquest.
The Gothic language and culture disappeared except for fragments in other cultures. In the 16th century a small remnant of a Gothic dialect was described as surviving in the Crimea.

Funk is an American music genre that originated in the late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground. Funk songs are often based on an extended vamp on a single chord, distinguishing it from R&B and soul songs centered around chord progressions.
Like much African-inspired music, funk typically consists of a complex groove with rhythm instruments such as electric guitar, electric bass, Hammond organ, and drums playing interlocking rhythms. Funk bands sometimes have a horn section of several saxophones, trumpets, and in some cases, a trombone, which plays rhythmic "hits".
Etymology: The word funk basically refers to a strong, generally offensive odor. It is alleged to have its semantic roots in the smell of tobacco smoke and was commonly regarded as coarse or indecent. African-American musicians originally applied the term to music with a slow, mellow groove, then later with a hard-driving, insistent rhythm, as it implies a bodily or gritty quality. This early form of the music set the pattern for later musicians.
The music was slow, sexy, loose, riff-oriented and danceable. Funky typically described these qualities rather than a distinct genre. In jam sessions, musicians would encourage one another to "get down" by telling one another, "Now, put some stank ("stink"/funk) on it!" At least as early as 1907, jazz songs carried titles such as Buddy Bolden's "Funky Butt." As late as the 1950s and early 1960s, when "funk" and "funky" were used increasingly in the context of Soul music, the terms still were considered indelicate and inappropriate for use in polite company. According to one source, New Orleans-born drummer Earl Palmer "was the first to use the word "funky" to explain to other musicians that their music should be made more syncopated and danceable."


Wait for further explaination..... Selengkapnya...

Most of us (teenagers) are ignoring about how we behave. We completely pretend to be numb towards people’s reaction around us. Only few of us which try to put our selves in those people position to learn with a question “What did they feel?” .We knew that sometimes we shouldn’t be concerned to outside world to step forwards but we can’t deny that we can’t run from this social interaction either. As young people, we believe that this is the best moment to figure out our destination as teenager. Does whatever we want, create achievements and free our soul. Sometimes we will meet some life nuisances (suitable for teen age), e.g.
-Broken home.
-Bullied (by siblings or friends).
-School matter (academy snag, teachers, and finance).
-Broken heart.
-Loneliness (sometimes turn to be serious)

Later on those matters can drive us to create different personality than others. In fact those can bring us to have ‘DARK BEHAVIOR’. We could see that there are a lot of ways to express our emotion when we are dealing with one of those nuisances above. Becoming someone quiet, high temper and a lot of more and for them who did those things are likely to gain attention from other. If we can find a wise way to convey our emotion, we will able to re-arrange our life (where previously we thought it’s all messy). Some of teenagers unite in a cluster which they believe that this cluster is the most suitable place for them. They usually thought that all members are having the same problem with them, they find the best place to share and they felt save.

We found some teenagers with their anti-social attitude and vandalism finally form. Adults generally think that those clusters must walk off from their society, they can’t make a snap judgment toward those cluster by their outlook (except for them who finished reading about ‘blink’ wrote by Malcolm Gladewel). As one of you (teenagers) I’ve seen some reactions of our society toward clusters around them. Even in school, some teachers still fail to spot this phenomena, they rarely look deeper in their students life when one of them become a member of a cluster in their society. Selengkapnya...

TEENAGERS!!!!! Must listen to what their old people say, especially about well behave.
How we deliver our attitude in front of people. Everyone knows that we must be able to locate ourselves in each of different situations. How to behave toward someone younger, someone older and to them who are in the same age.
In what line should we follow???
1. religion (absolutely)
2. society (stand for morality)
3. experiences (both awesome and awful one! )

take a look in what we got from them??? 'Learn not only in school', it's a good statement but we can't deny that we got the basic since we were in Kindergarten. Some of our teachers must gave us the value of molarity but not all of them show us about the value of Life!
as TEENAGERS we should figure out those value bu keep on LEARNING and CARE about surrounding!

So guys, don't be ignorant.....
be someone who care......
use your heart to live......
never stop to dream.......
dnt forget to make them come true! Selengkapnya...