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. 

Ali Ghufron Mukti: The Way You Look At Your Life, Shapes Your Life

In my rebellious years, I always perceived wealth as something superfluous.  I  hated working for money, leading me to against major paradigm of success in my family. My family, who raise us in a culture which emphasizes the importance of wealth and prosperity, did not get me. They thought I was just a little "lost".

As I grew older, I realized that people need money. I cannot simply live like I do not have bills to pay or relatives to help. Money is the currency of everyday life, including your nephew's love or your neighbors' respect. Time is money, love is money even someday hopefully people shit money. No wonder people will pay a lot just for a motivational seminar, like : "HOW TO GET RICH, LIKE FILTHY RICH".

"That's how you get rich baby, want it! Like you want honey in Valentine's day!"
The amazing "Ken Jeong" in Pain & Gain (2012) as Jonny Wu, a motivational speaker.

I am not blabbing about how to get filthy rich in 5 ways. Nope. That's non sense. For me. But let me share an inspiring conversation with Mr. Ali Ghufron Mukti last night. It's always a great rare opportunity to meet an Indonesian leader in their house, they are more welcoming and you can meet other family members.

Okay, let's move on.

Mr. Ali Ghufron Mukti is one of Indonesian visionary in health financing policy sector. He was the first youngest dean in the history faculty of medicine, Universitas Gadjah Mada. His vision of providing accessible, good quality health care with affordable price for vulnerable groups in Indonesia have emerged various national health insurance programs, such as: Jamkesda (Provincial Health Insurance), Jamkesmas (National Health Insurance for The Poor and Near Poor), and now Indonesia just launched its universal health coverage model of a national health insurance, the BPJS. Aside from his political career,  Mr. Ghufron Mukti is always a professor in heart.  Like the other day, he gave a talk about looking at life in a different way. As for me, it's like "looking life, in a hundred ways better than I know".

"The way you look at your life, shapes your life," he made a hand gesture to emphasize his words. He explained how successful people often come from ordinary family background. Even some start from zero. But the thing that makes them different is they way see their life. This mentality creates distinguished impacts in the way they work, collecting properties and wealth. "That's why you see many rich, successful business people came from ordinary family. In fact, many did not attend higher education... they use their instincts and they have guts to take the risk. Unlike some people who might have number of titles, but may make 0 in real life."

Thus, after observing many communities in Indonesia, he found that culture also plays important role in shaping people's perspective towards wealth . Some see it as sin, some see it as pride. Some see it  given, some see it earned. The more someone sees wealth/ success as something given, the less he will eager to take risk. "In the context of running a business, it is very important to think like a true business person: eager to take risk and use your instinct."

That talk was a slap for me. I am a kind of person who believes every leap equals the risk. However when it comes to managing finance and seeing wealth as a purpose of life, I suck. I am 25 now, still have no idea how I will manage to have my future house. Especially if I become a lecturer, just like my long life aspiration. The worst thing is I always  distract my mind with the fear of failure and rejection.

I am always jealous at my mom who is able to manage a great business. Despite she did not go to a management school, she earns more than most managers from companies do. And she's 48.  Meanwhile, I feel like I am a big loser for not being her successor. I wonder if someday I could be like her, with my degrees and academic experience. I guess, it means I must work harder, change my paradigm toward wealth/ success and stop over thinking about EVERYTHING.

He smiled at us, a smile that brightened the room. I restrained myself for over thinking. I smiled at Mr. Ghufron.  He ended the evening with a classical joke, "Okay, now that's the end of our lecture today", and we all smiled. Filled with new upgraded optimism, we know now the secret of success and rich, is in our mind. The way we see our life, and project it to our work.

Who doesn't like peanuts, are you kiddin' me?

Can you spot me here?