Quote #123

"In a sea of the insane, the sensical are deemed to be the insane and vice versa." - Klinsman Hinjaya

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Quote #122

"Silent moderates are (at least partially) responsible for the action of violent extremists." - Klinsman Hinjaya

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Quote #99

"Let anyone revel in their fiction as long as it is not harmful, much less positive." - Klinsman Hinjaya

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Quote #96

"Winners use intelligence, losers use violence." - Klinsman Hinjaya

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Quote #95

"Never let anyone dictate your happiness. Define what genuinely makes you happy and rejoice in it." - Klinsman Hinjaya

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The Lurking Dangers of Social Media

We live in a vastly different world than we did only a couple of decades ago. I remember how challenging it was to communicate with distantly located fellow humans when I was a child. Landlines and pay phones were the norm, and sights of smartphones were almost non-existent. The advent of the internet in the 1980s was the start of a new era of communication, and the rest is history. The interconnectedness resulting from the existence of this magnificent invention is absolutely staggering and it still succeeds in making me shake my head untold times. One mind-bending product born of the internet is what I would like to discuss in this article: social media.

Who doesn't have social media accounts these days? I believe virtually everyone having access to the internet has created at least one in order to communicate with people in their circle, such as family or friends. I myself am a social media user, and you can find the links to some of my social media profiles on this very webpage. The reason why most of us utilize social media is a no-brainer. Communicating with others has never been so fast, easy, and fun. In my case, for example, I can interact with figures who would otherwise be unreachable, such as American novelist Rick Chesler, whose writing flair I greatly admire, and British paleozoologist Darren Naish, who was so kind as to acknowledge my linguistic contribution to his book Dinosaurs: How They Lived and Evolved. (Nobody can fathom how ecstatic I was when Steve Brusatte followed me on Twitter!!!)

Despite the many positive things social media can bring about, there are potential dangers that could literally ruin someone's life. One of them is what I would term "the social media illusion of perfect lives". Open your Instagram app and see endless pictures and videos of people enjoying the best moments of their lives. It is as if every shot is enough of a representation of their whole lives. This could definitely lead us to envy those people, desire their "immaculate" ways of living, and pity our own lives. Which is a pity. Of course, no one's life is perfect. Social media users naturally post what is good for their audience to consume; nobody would want to expose their shenanigans or such to the people close to them, let alone the public. Hence, we need to realize and keep reminding ourselves that what we see on social media is just the "tip of the iceberg" – there is an invisible, hidden swath which we may never know.

Social media also poses an unseen threat to the users' lives through what is called "echo chambers". "What are these seemingly harmless things?" you may be asking. According to Macmillan Dictionary, an echo chamber is "a situation in which people only listen to or read others with the same views, and so are not receptive to or aware of different views". Can you now conceive the tremendous harm this could cause? Living in an echo chamber, or a social media bubble, means your mind being constricted as you are fed on the same type of information over and over again. Remember that having an open mind is absolutely critical in life, and what echo chambers do is prevent the necessary input from entering your mind, hampering your development as an individual. So, what can we do to deal with this potential problem? We should not blame algorithms; instead, I would suggest interacting regularly with other people who have different views from ours. We need to digest their perspectives, consider them carefully, and do our best to come to a clear, unbiased judgment.

Social media is a double-edged sword. They can improve our quality of life by leaps and bounds, yet their lurking dangers can nudge us into a harrowing abyss. Let's use them smartly.

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Financial Management

This post isn't about the whole business of financial management; it's rather about my way of managing my own finances. Whatever you do in this world, almost certainly you have to deal with money, simply because the monetary system is firmly built in most societies. You can be an artist or a paleontologist, creating astoundingly beautiful works of art or making groundbreaking dinosaurian discoveries, but you'll still need money to survive on this minuscule cosmological speck of dust. Failing to make money AND sustain its existence would result in the eventual demise of the person in question, hence the super importance of financial management.

It is actually a colleague of mine who inspired me to create this piece of writing. A few days ago she unexpectedly asked me how I manage my finances. I did my best to explain it and she seemed to find my tips helpful. So, I thought to myself, "Why don't I share it with my blog readers?" And the rest is history.

Someone said that however much you earn, you are sure to have financial problems if you can't manage it. And I couldn't agree more with that. Having one million dollars is useless if you live a lavish, spendthrift lifestyle, whereas (depending on where you live) 400 USD may be enough to fulfill all your needs for one month. So, the first and most fundamental 'rule' is to change your mindset. Do you really need what you want to buy? Or is it just a mere whim, which would result in lamentable wastefulness? Having the 'right' attitude towards money is absolutely crucial.

Then comes my strategy for better organizing my money. For me, payday is not payday. (What the hail did you say, Q-Man? You ask.) The day when I receive my salary is just like any other days of that month, which means I won't spend it like crazy. I think of myself as earning an equal amount of money every day (or being paid daily) and that entails dividing my salary into roughly 30. This 'smaller salary' is then reduced by my daily fixed expenses (things like rent and my mom's share). And ta-da! That's how much I have for a particular day. Every day I try my best not to spend more than my 'right' – the less I spend, the better. Of course, there can be occasional bursts of spending but they should be limited and justifications must be provided if they occur.

To minimalize spending, I pay close attention to two key components: transportation and sustenance. In my experience, these types of expenses can bloat spending in an invisibly insidious way, so to speak. My normal transportation expense for a single working day is 7,000 IDR (round-trip bus commute), which means, assuming there are 20 working days in a month, I spend 150,000 IDR monthly. If I were lazy and opted for online motorcycle taxi transportation, I would spend roughly 40,000 IDR per day, which amounts to around 800,000 IDR per month! The difference is insanely huge! (Actually, I did use the more expensive travel option when the pandemic was much worse, because, well, it was the best choice available – health matters.) And this is not to mention food and drinks we consume. I hope this can give you a good sense of how our income can be 'stealthily' gnawed on by things sought by our pleasure-obsessed selves.

Does that mean I don't spend money on things like hobbies and interests at all? Of course not. I also allocate a monthly spending money budget – mostly for books. However, it is important to set a healthy and reasonable limit to ensure our continued existence on this planet.

Sticking to this scheme, I would manage to save a sizable percentage of my salary, which largely goes into my emergency fund – this should NOT be forgotten because who knows what is in store? There are innumerable things outside our control (pandemics are a good example), so it is certainly prudent to anticipate any trials or tribulations.

That's all for now! What do you think of my money management? Is it similar to yours? If not, would you like to implement it? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

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Quote #80

"Denigrating others will not make you look better in any way, shape, or form." - Klinsman Hinjaya

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Quote #79

"Never will world peace be achieved unless and until all of us live under the flag of humanity." - Klinsman Hinjaya

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Quote #76

"Counter an argument with an argument. The moment you resort to violence, you simply lose." - Klinsman Hinjaya

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Dinosaur Therapy – Book Review

Image source: https://www.amazon.com/Dinosaur-Therapy-SUNDAY-TIMES-BESTSELLER-ebook/dp/B0962WLRR3/?asin=B0962WLRR3&revisionId=&format=2&depth=1

Dinosaur Therapy

by James Stewart and K Roméy

I am in seventh heaven! Yes, I just purchased a Kindle! 🥳🥳🥳 The e-reader, which I named Klindle (short for "Klinsman's Kindle"), is the culmination of my accumulating thoughts swirling around my reading life. Both my bookracks are almost full, which means I'm running out of storage for books. Needless to say, print books have something indescribable to it, but e-books offer a number of advantages, including the lack of need for space required by their paper kin. So, voilà! Now I'm an e-book reader! 📱📚📖😄 And, as you might expect, the very first book I bought and read is Dinosaur Therapy 🦕🦖🧠📖 by James Stewart and K Roméy.

Let's cut to the chase: I thoroughly recommend this dinosaur comic book. Why? Dinosaur Therapy highlights a very important societal issue that seems to be largely taboo and blithely ignored: mental health. This topic is nicely presented in the form of short comic strips (mostly consisting of 4 panels) showing a wide range of situations which are grouped into 7 chapters, for example "Growing Up", "Depression", and "Relationships". This book reveals things that might fly under the radar as we go about our business on a daily basis, but they are crucial to acknowledge and discuss for it is people who make up society and our mental states are a determining factor in the future of our species.

Reading Dinosaur Therapy will open up a lot of possibilities for a mental-health–literate society, which is just what we need in a seemingly crumbling world, psychologically speaking. I can imagine the book becoming alive and saying, "We need to normalize talking about mental health issues and rather than behaving as if they did not exist, we have to work together to find the best solutions to these 'invisible' problems." Keep in mind that it is not always negativity that you will find here; the book also portrays positive realities regarding mental health. Another thing that I like about Dinosaur Therapy is that the drawings are cute and do not look intimidating, which would help readers relate to the subject. Oh, one more thing: if you are a dinosaur freak like me, this comic will be a unique addition to your collection.

As you go on the journey with the blue T. rex, you will find yourself weeping, laughing, and reflecting over and over again. Treat your mind through perusing Dinosaur Therapy.

Have you read Dinosaur Therapy? What is your view on this book? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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Quote #75

"Segregation is a horrid plague to humanity. What causes us to splinter is simply to be extirpated." - Klinsman Hinjaya

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Quote #74

"Normalize talking about sex. Normalize talking about death. Normalize talking about religion. Normalize talking about anything." - Klinsman Hinjaya

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Quote #69

"The world's current social issues would be drastically reduced if people stopped meddling in others' personal business." - Klinsman Hinjaya

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Child-Free

I'm not sure what the social conditions in the area where you live are, but it seems there is a growing trend of people choosing to be child-free, at least where I go about my business (recently famous Indonesian YouTuber Gita Savitri Devi was in the spotlight for her decision to be child-free). Before I discuss this subject in more detail, let's grok the meaning of "child-free". It's self-explanatory, isn't it? One would easily work out that this term refers to the state of being free of children – that is, not having children, hence not being attached to or responsible for them. Macmillan Dictionary, which is the best online English dictionary to me, simply and effectively defines "child-free" as a word "used to describe someone who has decided not to have children". So why does this social phenomenon appear to be gaining more and more traction nowadays?

By carrying out some individual brain work, it is possible to identify a number of reasons why being child-free is preferred to having offspring. One is for the sake of the sustainability of the earth. According to Worldometer, the global population of humans is staggeringly large (7.9 billion as of September 2021) and has been constantly rising. How would the world end up if human overpopulation reached the breaking point? The doom of humanity would inevitably dawn and the environment would be in a state of collapse. One could justifiably call this a noble motivation for opting to be child-free.

Another reason pertains to morality. Having a child means bearing the responsibility for them, having to nurture them and make sure they can grow up and live their life properly. This of course requires the parents to devote a substantial amount of time, effort, etc. to their child. Will my child be able to get a good education? Can I give them enough attention, care, and love so that not only their physical needs but also their psychological ones are fulfilled? Am I capable of teaching them to behave properly in society so that they can fit into the world we live in? Such questions must be pondered about by morally conscious couples. Bringing up a child takes a lot of resources and not everyone is qualified for this mammoth "task".

A third reason worth mentioning relates to one's personal life goals. A human is (or should be) free to determine their ultimate aims in life and having children can impede the achievement for the reasons mentioned in the previous paragraph. A person who aspires to eradicate famine in the world would not be as focused on and effective in their mission if they had to take care of their own children as otherwise. And I do believe you can come up with many a similar illustration. (There are more reasons for being child-free, such as that stated by adherents of antinatalism, but I will just stop here.) 

It is certainly natural for us to want to have children – just like other organisms on the planet, humans are "designed" to pass on their genes to the next generation. This is presumably what has prompted many people to think that having children is more an obligation and less a choice – at least, that's what I have perceived in my whereabouts. You might also learn that certain religions teach that being child-free is not recommended or even a sin, which makes sense since having children means there are more avenues for these memes to spread. I myself am more inclined to be child-free for a combination of reasons and my girlfriend doesn't mind either option. What about you? 😉 

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My Thoughts on Religious Terrorist Bombings

I have been wanting to write an article on this subject but it is only now that it can be accomplished – the draft has unfortunately languished in its depository for one reason or another. This issue is real in the face of humanity, hence deserving to be discussed and pondered about.

At first blush, religious terrorist bombings seem mind-bendingly counter-intuitive. How could a human take out another human being (and even themselves) and feel that it is the right thing to do? October 11, 2002 is an impossible day to forget for some people. It was the day when the first Bali bombings unfolded, tragically claiming not only 1, but 202 lives on the beautiful Indonesian island. The planner, Imam Samudra, confessed to being religiously motivated in that appalling attack, and the execution of him and two other perpetrators caused their supporters to rise up, many of them lauding the convicts as martyrs and heroes. Yes, you read it correctly: this horrendous act was shockingly justified from the point of view of a certain group of fellow humans.

So what is it that can explain the justification of and even reverence for an action committed by a human (or a group of humans) that is aimed at vanquishing others of their kind? Here is my analysis which attempts to answer this seemingly puzzling question.

My opinion is that this comes down to our selfish genes. Naturally, we try our best to survive on this planet for as long as we can; that's why we consume food and drinks, take a rest when necessary, cross streets with caution, and so on and so forth. We would like to preserve our genetic materials and pass them on to our offspring (the fact that the population of our species is continuously growing speaks volumes for this). Death, by nature, is of course an unpleasant experience, marking the end of a human's existence. We are making as much effort as we can to keep this macabre line at bay, hoping not to step over the life-death threshold anytime soon.

The bad news is death is certain to happen. But what if I told you that you can still live happily after you die? What if I told you that your genes can still rejoice after your bodily form has even completely decomposed? Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing?

This is what I think deeply clings inside the mind of religiously impelled terrorists. In one way or another, they believe that a perfect gene-preserving/"propagating" place or such is reserved for those who exterminate others matching particular criteria. Their selfishness kicks in and these horrible events happen. In other words, in my scenario, the same kind of survival motivation is what underlies the condemnable deeds of these people.

So, what measures do we need to take to prevent such deplorable acts from happening again? I think the first step is to recognize that this social phenomenon is real and not to dismiss it. Next, we need to pin down the real cause of such dreadful acts and preempt any potential actions by any effective means. It is important that there be no wall of resistance that precludes thoughtful discussion on this issue simply because it is religion-related. Lastly, scientific and critical thinking has to be fostered, promoted, and instilled in anyone since it provides us with trustworthy paths to walk into a bright future.

References:

• 2002 Bali Bombings (Encyclopedia Britannica)
• Top Causes of Terrorism (ThoughtCo)

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Quote #43

"Yesterday's appalling attacks on Surabayan churches clearly show the unspeakable power of deeply rooted belief. It is probably hard to imagine people willingly exploding themselves for the holy grail, which presumably is the ultimate reward of living in so-called Heaven forevermore; yet it is plain real and should sort of act as a good reminder of the potential danger of such a conviction." - Klinsman Hinjaya, on the bombings of three churches in Surabaya, Indonesia on May 13, 2018

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A Morning with Grab

Let me recount a short story of today's happenings in my life.

A job meeting was due this morning in the headquarters of one of the most famous English institutions in Indonesia, which lies in a mostly still unoccupied area in Serpong, Tangerang Province. I got up at around 7:15, dragged myself into the bathroom, and wiped away the dust, germs, and that kind of things that clung to my body with a dose of cool/cold H₂O and my set of toiletries. After everything was settled, I dashed to a warteg (food stall that provides dishes from Tegal – although I'm not sure if what it sells is only that) to fill my stomach with what would turn into streams of energy for the day. Having chowed down on my breakfast and paid, it was time to get to Mangga Besar Station ("mangga besar" means "big mango(es)", if you are curious) – with Grab.

It was around 8 o'clock. I placed an order and got a driver right away. After a while, he asked me to cancel the order because, he said, the system was erroneous – the fare was lower than supposed to be or that sort of thing. He also added, in a begging and/or angry tone, that he had a wife and/or child(ren) to feed! (Grab drivers have to face a penalty or a sort if they cancel an order) I refused to do it and gave him the reason that it is harder for me to get bookings if I make many cancelations – which is true, or at least it is what is stated by the company itself. I insisted that it was him who had to cancel the order. Additionally, I told him off for doing such a disgraceful act, which was digging his heels in and forcing me to squander my precious, will-never-be-back few minutes of my life. I have to attend a job interview, what if I am late? Don't be egotistical. That's more or less what I uttered in order to school this one individual of the smartest ape species.

It turns out his obstinacy ruled and, quite surprisingly, he came up to me in a threatening manner and protested about my reasonable steam-blowing. He also insisted that there would be no problem if I made a cancelation. With incredulity, I decided to follow what he had said, and then, during the process, a window popped up, displaying an English sentence which meant it takes more time to get bookings for customers who make cancelations – as I had told him before. I tried to translate it into Indonesian (because I believe he doesn't know English), but he seemed not to care about it. And then basically, after a complex string of chemical reactions in my brain, I took the decision to cancel it. Oh! He also said that he was a person living/from there, as if alluding to his power with which to do whatever he wanted to do to me.

Yeah, I could have been involved in a fight with him but it would have been an unwise decision. I knew that my life could be devoted to a much more noble matter and physical pain that could have been inflicted on me would have been much of a hurdle in achieving countless valuable things ahead. (Again) the truth had to lose. There is this probably Indonesian phrase: "surrender to win", and I think it aptly describes my decision. Stupidities are everywhere and that we are surrounded by them is a reality. It is a "sad" truth in life; we would really love it to be otherwise but it's not. Let's just take the bull by the horns, but intelligently and elegantly, by accentuating our life goals in our minds. I hope this experience can also be, in a sense, a good example of human adaptation in the world as well.

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The Poignant Tale of a Single Woman

I've had the urge to write an article on this topic for quite long, yet my conversation with a former student yesterday strongly and ultimately galvanized me to really make this happen.

Her name is, say, Rose (her real name is kept clandestine for privacy reasons). We were chatting via a very popular app which sounds like "What's up?" and after a while our discussion topic shifted to that which the chemicals in your brain would make an impression of when you hear Valentine's Day or Twilight.

However, instead of gentle caressing, warm hugs, or affectionate kisses, she told me a sort of appalling reality she had had to face. This is what she said in a gloomy tone (hope it won't make you cringe):

"We live in a world that is really evil to women. I am frustrated with the questions "When are you getting married?", "When will you follow (put a person's name here)?", etc. And when I didn't say anything, they wanted to introduce me to a guy.. It's like wtf?? Really exhausted."

I was joking; if you have a puckered face now, you are forgiven. Rose is actually single in the sense that she has a boyfriend but not married yet, but there are many people (men included) out there who are single in the more commonly referred-to sense – not possessing a partner – and are constantly, at any time, complaining for receiving such irksome treatment. This unfortunate social phenomenon is, I believe, alarmingly ubiquitous. On social media, it is not hard to find posts and comments containing related mockery (comedy Facebook pages Sarcasm and Be Like Bro are perfect exemplars of those making fun of single people in the latter sense).

The matter regarding one's relationship or marital status is truly, and in essence, none of others', even their parents', business. Sadly and depressingly, there is this widely held misconception that it is all right for other people to meddle. I kind of can symphatize with those people who want to cradle a grandchild as soon as possible, yet they must keep in mind that whether or not to have children is fully the decision of the would-be biological mother and father themselves. People hold the very right to choose when they will get married etc., and they should be free of such "terrorizing" words as what Rose got.

Getting married is not a race, as I said to Rose. Would parents want their child to choose the wrong person as their partner for the sake of face-saving or getting second-generation offspring in the shortest time possible? If they think so, I couldn't imagine how egotistical and mean they are, considering that they regard those things (especially the first one, which I think is nonsense) as more important than their child's genuine happiness.

It is to be remembered that there are a number of reasons why people are single. Some would like to get married but just haven't found the right partners yet – they do hope they will find their Mr./Miss Right, though. Others are not sure whether or not marriage is the right thing for them – we can call people of this type "on-the-fencers", suggesting their open stance on the matter. Then, there are those who have decided not to get married due to their own particular reasons. Perhaps, they have been hurt so much in their previous relationship that they find it impossible to move on and have a new one (pistanthrophobia). Or maybe they prefer to concentrate on their careers/business or devote their limited time on Earth to other interests, such as charity – the priests of the Catholic Church practice celibacy for this reason of serving God for His kingdom. Of course, we need to not forget those who have a boyfriend/girlfriend but haven't gotten married yet (like Rose). Probably they haven't tied the knot because of insufficient funds, or they are still finding out about their partners. And to my knowledge, there are people who enjoy being committed in a relationship rather than a marriage (this is especially common among Westerners).

I think the sort of attitude towards the "bullies" that singles need to adopt is the "why should you care?" one. However, ignoring the pesky askers or throwing "mind your own business" at them would be unwise and too rude an act, and it almost certainly will make you a highly dislikable figure in your family or friend circles. I completely realize that being involved in such a nosy & pushy conversation (especially if happens many times) is an example of "sad" things in life, since we couldn't predict (and decide) what kind of family and society we would be born into. However, a reality is a reality and we should handle it as well and smartly as we can. I am convinced that speaking in a soft, respectful tone is the best way to get out of this T. rex jaw situation. Nevertheless, one must make sure that they give a clear, to-the-point explanation. For example, to a "When are you getting married?" question, a single could reply, "To be honest, I don't know when I will get married. I don't have a boyfriend yet as I haven't found the right one for me, and I'm fine with it. I just let my life flow and I hope I will find my Mr. Right/him and get married at the right time." Bear in mind that this has to be stated in a firm and confident way in order to give the best effect possible.

If there is one lesson that can be drawn from this issue, it is that some (or many) people desperately need to become more mature (and less of a busybody) and pay more respect to others with regard to their privacy, to which they are fully entitled.

Thank you for reading this article and please share your thoughts and experiences regarding this matter in the comment section below!

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Quote #35

"Bigotry, in all its forms, is to be condemned and uprooted to its very essence." - Klinsman Hinjaya

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