How It Feels To Be A Moralist In A Religious Country

"Imagination is the eye of the soul -Joseph Joubert"
Source: "JOSEPH JOUBER – FRENCH MORALIST UND ESSAYIST" by Natalie Hush < http://nataliehush.wordpress.com> Retrieved : 11/06/204

It feels terrible. Not many people can get you. 

Indonesia is one of the populous countries in which most of the people embrace one of the official religions available*. For us, acknowledging one of the religions is important. Your religion is your identity. It tells who you are, where you come from and what kind of conversation people can share with you. You will not find any forms that do not request the access to know what your spiritual belief. Your religion information is on your official ID/ documents (except your passport**). Anyway, have i sounded racial yet?

However, now, more and more young people*** are trying to separate themselves from the religious identities. Many reasons drive this social change. However, I do not want to talk about the social change at a macro scale here but I am one of them. I would like to call myself a moralist. Aside from the good notion that you might get, still many people can't get me. 

What is a moralist?

Principally, the term moralists are associated with the French Moralists. Again, what is this "French Moralists"? Are they French and they have such good moral situations? Well, actually they are. So they are a kind of nerds who really love the ideas of  Michel de Montaigne. They have like Blaise Pasca, Jean de La Bruyère, Nicolas Chamfort, Joseph Joubert, François de La Rochefoucauld, Luc de Clapiers, Marquis de Vauvenargues (cool names, huh?). 

Mons. Montaigne mostly wrote about how to live life at the best, through his own perspective. In fact, the way he wrote his works in such bubbly anecdotes makes him one of the most relateable thinkers from his era. Not to mention it's in French. 

The more I read about the French Moralists, the more I get fascinated by them. Why wouldn't I? They're kind of people who investigate - ask - people as moral beings. As La Rochefoucauld (Henri Chamard, 1930) explains moralists study human beings in such a broad sense. Not only a moralist observes the way someone thinks, feels, wills or act as a moral being, but also other things that constitutes his real life. However, the idea of a moralist as an observer of humans as a moral being and things that constitutes them are not constant. A moralist has a great favor to frame moral ideas and put guidance how to live it up. Somehow, they both can work in two ways and support each other. 

Hey, and these are other moralists' work ... in visuals. 

"Nicholas Chamfort"

"Jean de la Buyere"

Who Else?

This guy!

 "Louis C.K" 

* I don't know the best way explain it in academic sense

**That's a good thing

*** They don't have statistics for this. I could just make it up, but if you're interested in funding that kind of research, I am available. 

NERD RAGE!!

A shallow person just came to me and said,

"What are these people doing in the library so late? Are they even studying? Or they're just pretending? Nerds!!"

Really?? That's all what you got?? You really want to see nerds!! This is NERD!!

I restrained myself from listing names of "nerds" who have made great impacts to the society. Instead, I asked him, "What is your REAL contribution, scum?" 

Everything I Need to Know About Real Life, I Know From Amy Poehler

"The Beautiful Amy Poehler"

Yes, bitches! Amy Poehler survived a nuclear blast... and everything. You name it.

I want  to write about y Poehler, my heroine. She is a mother of two, a woman right activist, a feminist and a golden globe winner. Phuihhh...there are a few more but I'm typing on my phone. So let's move on.

Aside from her outstanding acting career, Poehler is a truly inspiring public speaker. In 2011, she delivered a commencement speech to hundreds of Harvard students. As usual, she was witty, smart and her words touched her audience...in the heart, not in the... After watching the video for like... a hundred times, there were some good advice, which are actually very applicable to our daily life. Here they are:

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 1) Look people in the face, because the face can tell you a lot of things
This advice is simply valid. Nowadays, modern people are attached to their phones. In fact, our relationship with the phones is so intimate that we check that thing more regularly than our spouse. Sure, the technology brings people together, I could not agree more. It's just sometimes it's very (polite) and nice when people really care about what you're "saying" rather than your tweets.

2)'Hold someone’s hand while you do it. You will feel less scared. You can’t do this alone. Besides it is much more fun to succeed and fail with other people.'
I come from Indonesia, where I was raised under the influence of Asian culture. The Asian upbringing is known for its 'strict' definition of success. Many of us were taught to be very competitive, to (always) be on the top of  our class, and eventually make big money. Then, without even realizing it, we grow up as a pessimist and later, we also will tell our kids to do so.  If I may, I will call it a vicious cycle. However, I will not generalize my statement, for I believe many Asians also do not raise their children that way. I have some friends who really live their dreams. Their parents are very supportive and my friends enjoy their work and life.

In addition, I notice that some people can't handle failure, some just always want to be the best. It has become a tradition that we want to make it to the top alone. I did that too.  I felt that I did not need anyone else, which is totally wrong. For later I understood that I had never made it alone. It is true, that It feels amazing to reach the top alone. We feel satisfied, proud and being hated at the same time. However, when I look back to my past, I just want to tell the past-me; "I bet it was a long journey, wasn't it? I am very proud of you... Just a little thing, I wish you had had spent some time with one or two. So that you can have someone to talk to when you feel lonely."

3) Take your risks now. As you grow older, you become more fearful and less flexible.
 I quit my job a few months ago. I remember the fear in my first three days after I walked out of my office. It was my first job, and I was 24. In Indonesia, unless you have a Master's, or a Doctoral degree, basically you're just a garbage man in your office. Before I told my supervisors that I would quit my job, I kept reading this advice; taking the risks now or never.

It is true, that is easier said than done. After quitting my job, I worked very hard to live my dreams: being a comedy  writer. That dream has not happened until now, because not too long after that,  I got a news that my scholarship application was successful and I  would go to Australia. However, those days were very difficult, I had to move to Jakarta, finding side jobs that would help me pay for my bills. In the "living the dream" period, everything was difficult. First, a friend who offered me a job cancelled the project; Second, even though my previous office promised to use my service as an associate, there was one time when I was not invited in a meeting; Third, turned out I failed in two job recruitment. Not just one but two!!! Just in two months I felt like I was going to the direction. Did I just make a wrong decision? Should I have never listen to Amy Poehler? But what about people who live their dreams??? Those questions loomed around me.

After those difficult times, I looked back and evaluated my life. Turned out, Amy was right. We need to take risks while we are younger. Why? Because taking risks is not an easy thing, as we get older we will become less fearless and more to sacrifice. Meanwhile, taking the big leap now means that we will sacrifice less, more fearless and more open to ANY possibilities.

Just be brave, because if we never take the risks earlier, we can never tell others to take them too even if they need one. And if you decide to be a parent, someday,  you will want to see your kids grow to be an open-minded and brave generation. And it starts from you now.

Oh, before i leave, here's another kick-ass quote that I think you'd like

Source: http://iamchiq.fooyoh.com/iamchiq_living_lifestyle/8629455