Preserving national heritage

The Jakarta Post

As individuals, our conception of ourselves is largely rooted in the past. Memories of bygone eras help us preserve the past and connect us to places and people.

These memories are preserved in many forms. They vary from simple autographs and albums to traditions and objects with greater cultural significance such as music, dance or buildings and monuments.

These traditions and objects are referred to as cultural heritage.

Why should we preserve our tradition and culture? The answer lies in the question. If we don't preserve our own tradition and culture, we are disrespecting our own identity.

Secondary students of Singapore School, Pantai Indah Kapuk, North Jakarta, recently visited the National Museum, Central Jakarta, in an effort to dig deeper into the diverse areas of Indonesian history and culture.

In these passages they assert their sense of responsibility to preserve the past or what is handed down to us by our ancestors.

They also believe that nations and cultures must make similar decisions to preserve the traditions and monuments that are our heritage.

A culture may have diverse aspects to it, thus making the job of preservation rather difficult. Nevertheless, one should not forget that man has been living in diverse forms since time immemorial.

Let us learn from our students whose unsophisticated minds see nothing wrong in preserving cultural heritage.

Pramod K.

Secondary English Teacher