Foto Kenaikan Dan: Saya Berhenti di Dan-II, Bang Agus Malah Terus Naik Pangkat!
Kalau melihat foto ini, orang mungkin mengira kami sedang merayakan sesuatu yang sangat besar.
Memang benar.
Ini adalah salah satu momen yang sangat berkesan dalam perjalanan karate saya: prosesi kenaikan Dan-II Internasional untuk saya dan kenaikan Dan-III Internasional untuk Kolonel Agus Sutomo.
Namun ada cerita lucu di balik foto ini.
Saat itu saya mendapat amanah dari Guru Besar kami dari Jepang, Prof. Horyu Matsuzaki, untuk menyandang Dan-II Internasional.
Rasanya tentu bangga.
Tetapi ternyata ada satu masalah besar:
Karier karate saya berhenti sampai di Dan-II. 😂🥋
Bukan karena tidak ingin naik Dan-III.
Bukan karena tidak mampu latihan.
Tetapi kehidupan ternyata punya rencana lain.
Saya lebih banyak menghabiskan waktu untuk menjalankan pekerjaan sebagai General Manager hotel dan mengajar manajemen di berbagai kampus.
Jadi ketika orang lain bertanya:
“Sensei, kapan naik Dan-III?”
Saya mungkin harus menjawab:
“Tunggu dulu… saya sedang naik jabatan di hotel dan kampus!” 😂
Saya Berhenti di Dan-II, Bang Agus Justru Terus Melaju
Yang menarik, pada saat yang hampir bersamaan, Bang Agus Sutomo mendapatkan kenaikan Dan-III Internasional.
Kami sama-sama karateka.
Kami sama-sama menjalani proses kenaikan Dan.
Tetapi ternyata setelah foto ini, jalan hidup kami benar-benar berbeda.
Saya:
Dan-II → General Manager Hotel → mengajar manajemen → sibuk dengan dunia hospitality.
Bang Agus:
Dan-III → Brigjen → Mayjen → Letjen → Jenderal bintang empat! 😂
Kalau dibuat grafik karier, grafik saya mungkin datar.
Sedangkan grafik Bang Agus…
naiknya seperti teknik tendangan mawashi geri! 🚀😂
Saya masih sibuk memikirkan:
“Bagaimana meningkatkan occupancy hotel?”
Bang Agus mungkin sudah memikirkan:
“Bagaimana memimpin pasukan?”
Saya memikirkan GOP, revenue, cost control, guest satisfaction.
Beliau memikirkan strategi, kepemimpinan, pertahanan, dan operasi.
Sama-sama punya KPI.
Bedanya…
KPI saya ada di hotel. KPI beliau ada di dunia militer. 😂
Karate Kami Sama, Jalur Karier Berbeda
Yang membuat saya kagum adalah perjalanan Bang Agus setelah masa-masa karate tersebut.
Karier militernya terus berkembang hingga mencapai posisi-posisi strategis, termasuk pernah menjadi Danpaspampres dan Danjen Kopassus, hingga akhirnya mencapai pangkat Jenderal bintang empat.
Sementara saya tetap setia dengan Dan-II.
Kalau ada penghargaan untuk “karateka paling konsisten tidak naik Dan”, mungkin saya punya peluang besar.
Tetapi sebenarnya saya tidak pernah menganggapnya sebagai masalah.
Karena bagi saya, Dan bukan sekadar angka di sabuk.
Yang jauh lebih penting adalah bagaimana ilmu karate tetap hidup dalam diri kita: disiplin, tanggung jawab, ketekunan, pengendalian diri, dan kemauan untuk terus belajar.
Saya mungkin tidak melanjutkan perjalanan ke Dan-III.
Tetapi saya melanjutkan perjalanan di jalur lain:
hospitality, pendidikan, manajemen, dan pengembangan sumber daya manusia.
Pertemuan Terakhir yang Tidak Disangka
Yang paling menarik adalah perjalanan kami akhirnya kembali mempertemukan kami di sebuah tempat yang sama sekali berbeda dari dojo.
Saya kembali bertemu Bang Agus di ruang kerjanya ketika beliau menjabat sebagai Direktur Utama Agrinas.
Saya masuk ke ruang kerja beliau dan melihat perjalanan hidup yang luar biasa itu.
Dalam hati saya mungkin berkata:
“Wah, dulu kita sama-sama berdiri di dojo untuk kenaikan Dan. Sekarang saya datang ke kantor Bapak sebagai General Manager dan dosen, sementara Bapak sudah menjadi Direktur Utama!” 😂
Dari Dan-III Internasional, perjalanan beliau terus melesat.
Sementara saya…
masih Dan-II Internasional dengan penuh kesetiaan. 😂
Kalau sabuk bisa berbicara, mungkin sabuk saya akan berkata:
“Tenang saja, kita sudah nyaman di sini.” 🤣
Satu Foto, Dua Perjalanan
Kini ketika melihat kembali foto ini, saya justru merasa bersyukur.
Karena foto ini bukan hanya dokumentasi kenaikan tingkat.
Foto ini menjadi semacam “titik awal” dari dua perjalanan kehidupan yang berbeda.
Kami memulai dari dunia karate yang sama.
Kami belajar disiplin dari guru yang sama.
Kami mengenal nilai-nilai yang sama.
Tetapi kemudian kehidupan membawa kami ke jalan masing-masing.
Bang Agus menempuh perjalanan panjang dalam karier militer hingga mencapai Jenderal bintang empat dan berbagai posisi strategis.
Saya menempuh perjalanan panjang di dunia hotel, hospitality, pendidikan, dan manajemen.
Dan lucunya…
sabuk saya berhenti di Dan-II, tetapi pekerjaan saya tidak pernah berhenti menambah tugas! 😂
Pelajaran dari Sebuah Sabuk Hitam
Pada akhirnya saya memahami bahwa kenaikan Dan bukanlah perlombaan siapa yang paling tinggi.
Dan adalah bagian dari perjalanan.
Ada yang melanjutkan ke Dan berikutnya.
Ada yang berhenti pada tingkat tertentu.
Tetapi yang paling penting adalah apa yang kita lakukan setelah mendapatkan Dan tersebut.
Karate mengajarkan saya disiplin.
Hospitality mengajarkan saya melayani.
Pendidikan mengajarkan saya berbagi.
Manajemen mengajarkan saya memimpin.
Dan kehidupan mengajarkan saya bahwa setiap orang mempunyai jalur suksesnya sendiri.
Satu foto, dua karateka, dua jalan kehidupan—dan satu persahabatan yang tetap terjaga meskipun sabuk, jabatan, dan ruang kerja kami akhirnya berada di tempat yang berbeda.
=======-
Dan Promotion Photo: I Stopped at Dan-II, While Bang Agus Kept Getting Promoted!
Looking at this photo, people might think we were celebrating something very important.
And they would be absolutely right.
This was one of the most memorable moments in my karate journey: the International Dan-II promotion ceremony for me and the International Dan-III promotion for Colonel Agus Sutomo.
But there is a funny story behind this photograph.
At that time, I was entrusted by our Grand Master from Japan, Prof. Horyu Matsuzaki, to receive and hold the rank of International Dan-II.
Of course, I was very proud.
But there was one small problem:
My karate career stopped at Dan-II.
Not because I did not want to advance to Dan-III.
Not because I was unable to train.
But life apparently had other plans.
I spent more of my time working as a hotel General Manager and teaching management at various universities.
So whenever someone asked:
“Sensei, when are you going for Dan-III?”
I probably had to answer:
“Wait a minute… I’m busy getting promoted in the hotel and at the university!”
I Stopped at Dan-II, While Bang Agus Kept Moving Up
Interestingly, around the same time, Bang Agus Sutomo was promoted to International Dan-III.
We were both karateka.
We went through the Dan promotion process together.
But after this photograph was taken, our life journeys turned out to be completely different.
My path:
Dan-II → Hotel General Manager → Teaching Management → Busy with the Hospitality Industry
Bang Agus’s path:
Dan-III → Brigadier General → Major General → Lieutenant General → Four-Star General
If our career paths were drawn as graphs, mine would probably look fairly flat.
Bang Agus’s graph, however, would look like a powerful mawashi-geri kick.
I was still busy thinking:
“How can I increase hotel occupancy?”
While Bang Agus might have been thinking:
“How do I lead the troops?”
I was thinking about GOP, revenue, cost control, and guest satisfaction.
He was thinking about strategy, leadership, defense, and military operations.
We both had KPIs.
The difference was:
My KPIs were in the hotel. His KPIs were in the military.
Same Karate, Different Career Paths
What impressed me most was Bang Agus’s journey after those karate days.
His military career continued to rise, reaching several strategic positions. He served as Commander of Paspampres and Commander of Kopassus, and eventually achieved the rank of four-star General.
Meanwhile, I remained faithfully at Dan-II.
If there were an award for “The Most Consistent Karateka Who Never Got Promoted to the Next Dan,” I might have had a very good chance of winning it.
But honestly, I have never considered it a problem.
For me, Dan is not simply a number on a belt.
What matters much more is how the values of karate continue to live within us: discipline, responsibility, perseverance, self-control, and the willingness to keep learning.
I may not have continued my journey to Dan-III.
But I continued my journey along a different path:
hospitality, education, management, and human resource development.
Our Unexpected Reunion
The most interesting part is that our journeys eventually brought us together again, this time in a place completely different from the dojo.
I met Bang Agus again in his office when he was serving as President Director of Agrinas.
I walked into his office and saw how extraordinary his journey had become.
Deep down, I probably thought:
“Wow! We once stood together in the dojo for our Dan promotions. Now I’m visiting your office as a General Manager and lecturer, while you are already a President Director!”
From International Dan-III, his journey continued to soar.
Meanwhile, me…
Still faithfully holding on to International Dan-II.
If my belt could speak, perhaps it would say:
“Relax. We’re comfortable here.”
One Photo, Two Journeys
Today, when I look back at this photograph, I feel grateful.
Because this is not merely a photograph documenting a Dan promotion.
It represents a kind of starting point for two very different life journeys.
We started from the same world of karate.
We learned discipline from the same teacher.
We embraced many of the same values.
But eventually, life took us along different paths.
Bang Agus pursued a remarkable military career, eventually becoming a four-star General and holding various strategic positions.
I pursued a long career in hotels, hospitality, education, and management.
And the funny part is:
My karate belt stopped at Dan-II, but my workload never stopped getting promoted.
Lessons from a Black Belt
Eventually, I came to understand that Dan promotion is not a competition to see who can reach the highest rank.
Dan is simply part of the journey.
Some continue to the next level.
Some stop at a certain rank.
But what truly matters is what we do after receiving that rank.
Karate taught me discipline.
Hospitality taught me service.
Education taught me to share knowledge.
Management taught me leadership.
And life taught me that everyone has their own path to success.
One photograph, two karateka, two different life journeys, and one friendship that has remained strong, even though our belts, positions, and workplaces eventually took us in very different directions.
