Another Awakened Post

The 100th anniversary of National Awakening parade last night was an awakening indeed. The colossal event, which took place in Gelora Bung Karno, showcased the rich cultural diversity of Indonesia: its people, songs, clothes, dances, and what have you. There was a medley of traditional songs and dances, along with other spectacular attractions. It showed that we are united as one nation, Indonesia, regardless of race, ethnicities, and religion. The event also marks that we do have what it takes to improve our wonderful, beloved country.

Simply put, Indonesia is a colorful mosaic of all colors imaginable; thus, the independence movement generation must be one hell of a mosaicmaker. They glued together the people of this ginormous country under the noble dream of nationalism and under our common values in Pancasila. Without them or the national awakening, the idea of Indonesia is obviously impossible. Instead, Indonesia as we know it now might have been divided into hundreds of small pitiable countries. You might have been born in the Republic of Java, while your friend in the Aceh Sultanate; your dad might have hailed from Kingdom of Bali, your mom Pasundan Republic.

Unfortunately, that "super glue" of Pancasila and nationalism is sometimes taken for granted by the next generation, including me. Rather than maintaining and strengthening the bonds that tied our islands together, we have let it erode away time after time. Even worse, some of us have also put our Pancasila nationalism aside in favor of religious "dictatorship" and race dominance. How many times have we looked down on someone just because he/she adheres to a different religion? How many times have we disrespected someone because he/she looks different?

Well, we need another awakening, another revival of our nationalism as Indonesians. One country undivided and prosperous under Pancasila. Our diversity is not a pain in the ass, instead, it's a valuable asset. (Get the lame pun?)