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It's 2026. I can't believe that I am in my mid-30s, closer now to the age of 40 than to 30! Despite this physiological facade, I am still a child at heart. (Aren't we all?) I am still that Chindo male who is enamored of the fascination brought by the dinosaurs, who is mesmerized by the celestial nature of Jay Chou's musical creations, and who is engrossed by the beauteousness of the English language. This is related to what I'm going to discuss in this article.
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| Photo by Jack Skinner on Unsplash |
In a world that presents countless ideas, ideals, ideologies, etc., we can be overwhelmed by the sheer number of those surrounding and pelting us. The advent of the internet has enabled unprecedented global interconnectedness, which inevitably gave rise to potentially unstoppable data consumption for humans. Travel has become unbelievably easy, allowing one to hop from one continent to another in a matter of hours, providing an endless platform for cultural exchanges. While there is undoubtedly positivity coming out of this, if we are not wise enough, it can lead to some sort of existential giddiness – you don't know how to stand, you don't know what to do, and ultimately, you don't know who you are.
Thus, in my view, life is about setting priorities and sticking to them. With the ridiculously strong maelstrom of choices, options, or alternatives, we have to decide which one(s) are worth devoting our energy, time, and effort to. Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something. That something is what we need to focus on and what should direct and guide us in our lives. Pick something, be content with it, and follow it will all your heart. Everybody has their own role and this separation is something we should greatly and gleefully celebrate as humankind.
If you are a frequent visitor to my blog or have been following me on social media for a while, you may be aware that I've been crazy about the indescribable mystic Osho relatively lately – I've read two books by him (The Book of Understanding and Life Is a Soap Bubble) and am currently reading another two. Here is an enlightening quote from one of them, entitled Earthen Lamps: "A person can only be himself. It is impossible to become like someone else." Aren't these true words? You will never become somebody else, no matter how hard you try. If you do, you'll get exhausted and eventually run out of your life energy. The greatest delight can be attained only if you follow your own path. Preserve your quiddity, indulge in it, and become your true self.
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"Your quiddity is inimitable and irreplaceable, a fact that you should celebrate and bask in." - Klinsman HinjayaContinue reading
"There are two kinds of people in this world: those who die doing what they love and those who don't." - Klinsman HinjayaContinue reading
My dad has just passed away. At the age of 67, after battling liver cirrhosis for many years, he finally succumbed to the medical condition. My relationship with him would not have been described as best; we had a multiple-year-old feud until recently, when we naturally made it up. One thing I will never forget is the fact that he took me on his motorcycle to Jay Chou's first concert in Jakarta back in 2013, for which I am infinitely grateful. (Thank you, Dad! 🙏🏻💙✨)
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| My late father, Hendry Budiman, resting in his casket in Husada Funeral Home, Mangga Besar, Jakarta (photo taken on May 1, 2025) |
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| A portrait of my late father, Hendry Budiman (photo taken probably on May 3, 2013) |
Despite our not-so-close relationship, I couldn't prevent myself from shedding tears. I think it's perfectly natural for us humans to cry for a deceased person who has been with us for a long time; their departure from life is a natural tearjerker. This was certainly a sad moment for me and my family, and I would like to thank everyone who expressed their love and support during the bereavement period. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
The death of my direct male progenitor has consequently shoved me into a state of reflection. That day would and has come. My father has ceased living in this world, completely losing consciousness and transforming into nonliving matter. This serves as a poignant reminder of the ephemerality of our lives. Our time on this planet is incredibly short, and the clock is continuously ticking, unable to be stopped. Conscious of this fact, we need to get our act together, before it is too late. Sing, dance, travel, smile, play, love, explore, ... the list is endless. Do what you want while time is still available, and relish the present to the fullest because now is the most important moment of all. This is the essence of the Stoic practice of memento mori; the great philosopher Epictetus instructs us to "let death put everything in perspective".
Death can seem odious and petrifying. The thought of having your mind shut down and your existence zapped can certainly drive you nuts! However, if we take a helicopter view of life, we can see it through a completely different lens and stop being neurotic. Dr. Kenneth Lacovara points out in his interview with FRANCE 24 English: "Everybody dies. That's what people do. That's what organisms do." It is just part of the workings of nature. Rather than lamenting this biological phenomenon, I think it is prudent to "celebrate" it as a fact of life. Dwelling in romanticization will bring about more bad than good. Reality will not change through wishful thinking: facing up to it is the only way.
I would like to conclude this article with words from the preeminent guru Osho Rajneesh:
"I do not want life to be taken seriously. Seriousness is a kind of psychological disease. Life has to be a fun. Life has to be a rejoicing, a dance, a song, a love affair. In such a small life, being serious is simply wasting the opportunity. That's what I mean when I said it is a circus; it should be everywhere a circus, and we should turn everything in playfulness. But people are so heavy and long-faces, and so burdened and carrying loads on them. And life is so short, soon you will be reaching to your grave. Before reaching to the grave, have a little dance, a little drink."Continue reading
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| Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash |
"The universe is an exhaustible source of mind-stimulating materials, ever-ready to be probed and, hopefully, grokked by the willing." - Klinsman HinjayaContinue reading
The title of this article is a cool-sounding English idiom that is used to assure someone that a "problem is not as bad as they think" (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Online). This expression is efficacious at executing its task because it 'intelligently' compares one's predicament with the worst possible of all: Doomsday. The fact that this can be found in major dictionaries is a testament to its effectiveness as a lexical item. Nonetheless, something in it has tickled my philosophical mind.
We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Arabia. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here. We privileged few, who won the lottery of birth against all odds, how dare we whine at our inevitable return to that prior state from which the vast majority have never stirred?
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| Hardback version of Level Up by Rob Dial Photo taken at Periplus Mall Kelapa Gading, Jakarta |
"Anything inimical to your mental health is to be blasted instantaneously." - Klinsman HinjayaContinue reading
"Oftentimes being insouciant is merely a matter of decision." - Klinsman HinjayaContinue reading
"Acceptance of imperfection is a prerequisite to perfection." - Klinsman HinjayaContinue reading
"It is perfectly fine to be content with being ordinary." - Klinsman HinjayaContinue reading
I'm writing this article at Quiznos Menteng, Jakarta, a superbly cozy eatery which I would recommend to anyone seeking a perfect place for delectable food and great relaxation. Sated after gulping down an eight-piece pizza, I am sitting by myself in the spacious restaurant, contemplating my life at present and in the past.
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| Pardon my narcissism. 😋 |
When people hear the word "Chindo", they probably picture a well-off person whose parents own a successful business. They don't need to think about how to keep their head above water, being immune from financial suffering or agony. I believe there are a great many people of my ilk who match the above description, hence the stereostype; however, I'm not one of them. Although my childhood wasn't completely abominable, I wasn't born with a silver (or bronze) spoon in my mouth. There were times of adversity, which any sane human being would not want to be in.
Nomadicity was a pesky thing in my childhood – my family had to move from one abode to another several times. There was a time when five of us (I have two older brothers) had to live in a relatively tiny room in a boarding house. As a result, there were probably two disastrous events where diseases spread in the family, affecting at least some of us and knocking the humans into gross health inconveniences. I'd say it was probably almost a borderline inhuman way of living.
My dad didn't have a permanent job and my mom was a housewife, so my family wasn't financially stable. I can't help but lament the fact that my mom had to work really hard, making and selling soy milk in order to bring home the bacon. Eating pizza was a luxury for us, simply because money was a rarity for us. My mom's blood, sweat, and tears is something I cannot possibly forget and will always be deeply thankful for.
Now things have changed quite a lot. Of course I'm not as wealthy as my music idol, the Taiwanese maestro Jay Chou, but at least, thanks to my lovely livelihood, I can devour a Subway sandwich without thinking much about the price. Now I have my own library comprised of multiple books which are right up my alley (take a look at my bibliotheca here) – thank heaven I have reached one of my dreams! My younger self wasn't as "lucky" as my present self (even my college education had to be financially supported by my aunts), but it was no problem, really. We can't choose what family we are born into etc. (it's a Stoic revelation), but we can choose to change the course of our lives. What will my future be like? No one knows. Until then I will do my best to pave the way for my life aspirations. 😉
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Having finished reading the brilliantly written short story The Most Dangerous Reality by Rick Chesler, I hopped back to Bill Nye's Undeniable, a book discussing the main topic of this article: evolution. No, I'm not done with the book yet; it is just I caught this spark of inspiration to make an article out of, as Richard Dawkins calls it, "the greatest show on Earth".
