We’re Always Part of A Bigger Story — A Bigger Story is Always A Part of Us.
It is somehow common knowledge that as human beings, we are a social creature — meaning that we cannot live alone in this world. A famous quote that I remember is that “no matter how you believe you can live alone forever, you will always need people, to at least take care of your dead body”.
With the genocide happening in Gaza, the upcoming Indonesia presidential election, and being part of IIIEE B30, I realized that being a social creature has meaning beyond just social interaction. We will always be part of someone’s life, and some people will always be part of our life. Ultimately, we are always part of a bigger story, and conversely, a bigger story is always a part of us.
The genocide in Gaza may happen miles away from us. However, our decision to educate ourselves, decide our side to stand with (obviously not with the delulu oppressor side), and share what we learn with others to even spread more awareness is how we are part of a bigger story. Our stories shared on Instagram may eventually give some people new information and they start to become aware that “oh, this actually did not start on October 7th like what the narration that the delulu state keeps on spreading”. Our decision may be small when compared to what the whole wide world contains. However, it does not mean it means nothing. What we do, what we think, and what we decide, will always have an impact on people around us.
And that also applies to the upcoming presidential election in Indonesia. Since November, we have been receiving information both facts and hoaxes that are related to the three presidential tickets. Beyond that, we also see the efforts that the supporters of each presidential ticket make to promote their chosen candidate. We may say that this information does not have any effect on our lives at all, but the information is there. You decide whether you will neglect it or look into it further. We may say that whoever wins the election will have small to no effect on our lives whatsoever. But we often forget that as a social creature, we need others to provide what we need. From tukang parkir to those who sit on the legislative, they all will be impacted by the chosen president. Their activities and decisions will surely have an impact on our lives directly or indirectly. All in all, we are an integral part of this election, and our voice matters.
Beyond being part of something big, when we look into relatively smaller things, we are also always part of someone’s life. Upon departing or saying goodbye to people from events, coffee talks, and perhaps quitting a job, I always say “May our path crosses again”. We are living our life path, yes, correct. However, often if not always, our life paths will cross with someone else’s and we become part of their story, and they become part of our story. In someone’s life, this may be something that is big, such as Ridwan’s existence in my life. That’s beyond something I could say as an important part of my life path.
In my current path of life, I am witnessing a genocide in Gaza that I deeply wish to end soon. I am witnessing the occupation of Palestine by some state that greedily claims everything is theirs. At the same time, despite being miles away, a new president of my country is about to be elected. The person who is chosen will have an impact on my next days. Today, I am part of IIIEE B30 where I cross paths with 31 other people, sharing knowledge and thoughts. Soon, our paths will go in different directions, and we might or might not have a crossing path again. Realizing this has somewhat given me some excitement to see what’s next.
I’m curious as to what 2024 has for me, and that is even more exciting to guess how these big things will affect my life. I’m very eager to see what’s next after the president is chosen, how my life will be after I finish the course that feels like ‘the fundamentals of technical system part 2', and the people whose paths will cross with mine this year. All in all, as a social creature, we’re not alone. So if you ever feel like losing a sense of purpose, hope you will realize that your actions, your thoughts, and your decisions will always have impacts on the people surrounding you. You, after all, part of something big. Something big, after all, will always be part of us.
