Musings - Part 1

"If you sat long enough at your empty kitchen table, the whole world eventually would come to you," the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, I believe, once said.

One late evening last week I sat at my desk in front of my computer, not long enough though to bring the whole world, but quite sufficient be engrossed in thoughts of but one country.

Indonesia, in a nutshell, is an archipelagic country of more than 13 thousands islands lying in a strategic location between the Pacific and Indian oceans. Some 220 million people live there speaking one national language and or any other one of over 400 vernaculars and dialects; the fact makes it the world's 4th most populous and linguistically varied in the world. It is also the largest Muslim nation, since about 80% of the population profess Islam. Its independence goes back to 1945, when it won it from the centuries of occupation by different nations. A bit of its historical insight I posted in my old blog.

The country practically posseses everything necessary to develop into a successful nation: copper, tin, gold, forests, minerals, and oil--the black gold. Its wealth, as well as the strategic location, is supposed to be a blessing for Indonesians. However, after 60 years spanning 6 presidents, the state of abundance has been more of a curse. Indonesia remains a land of unfulfilled promises and misplaced compromises, trapped into a fierce race to the bottom.

In the face of the growing complexities and persplexities, Indonesia's condition is such that if one sits long enough and reflect on it and its people, one will be inundated by the questions as follows:

What does it mean to be Indonesian? What does nationalism mean to Indonesians nowadays? Most importantly, what are the driving forces that unite them together and to what extent can they last?

Should these existential issues be left to scholars alone? By no means. They can be left neither to the powers that be nor Kant--only to Indonesians.

As an Indonesian, "damned' am I.

***

At first, I thought I'd better leave this subject to others far more competent. Why, because I am NOT a scholar, journalist, politician, government employe, nor businessperson. I am but a layperson; an employee; a husband; and a father--period. After consulting my conscience, I finally decided to pursue the matters, thinking that I, even if incapable of putting aside personal biases, might be able to contribute as a non-partisan, non-institutional observer without any political or personal interest whatsoever.

So I am "damned," irrespective of whether or not I'll dedicate time to address the problem and hit blogging to record the results. Thus a personal journey to the heart of the matter begins. Along the way, I envisage to meet and exchange thoughts with local heroes or those from faraway lands.