Gunawan: Age Is Not an Obstacle for Studying

Allah explains the recommendation for seeking knowledge in the Qur’an Q.S. Al-Mujlah verse 11:

“O you who have believed, when you are told, “Space yourselves” in assemblies, then make space; Allah will make space for you. And when you are told, “Arise,” then arise; Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do.”

Realizing that as Muslims, seeking knowledge is an obligation for all of His people, both men and women. Gunawan decided to carry out his obligations. Not only learning new things, the man who claimed to have never been in this kind of activity also explored far from the things he used to do.

Gunawan, Survival Training Participant

Not all of the Survival and Vertical Rescue Training participants are volunteers with long serving times in the field, one of which is Gunawan, a middle-aged man who came all the way from Karawang, West Java to study disaster for the first time.

From not knowing about rescue and evacuation at all, his insight and horizons began to open about this science. Starting from an invitation from a colleague, Gunawan finally came to represent the Friends of Humanity Foundation to make this training a new field of knowledge for him.

It was his first time participating in the training, Gunawan was enthusiastic about learning the things he had just met. Trying to capacity himself to continue to be a hero for himself, his family, and the surrounding environment.

“After participating in the training, (I) came to know how to read maps, how to navigate land, handling injured people, techniques for lifting disaster victims. Everything is new to me,” said Gunawan.

In addition to theoretical and practical knowledge, the man who works as a volunteer in seeking donors also feels that his mentality and attitude in dealing with various conditions also receive training here. The cohesiveness between the participants was also well developed.

This activity has become a place for self-exploration and sharing experiences with many new people from various backgrounds. It was seen from the participants coming from various age groups, ethnicity, education, and gender. Gunawan himself is not afraid to learn and share experiences with many participants who are much younger than him.

Keep the spirit of learning, #AllHeroes because the challenges ahead are getting bigger. Interested in participating in the next activity. Let’s visit the HIVE website and be part of volunteers of goodness.