It's Not As Bad As Termite's Fate (Hopefully)

About 20 years ago, and still now, living or traveling overseas was a "fascinating" experience for our circle. In addition to learning about the local way of life, making new friends, and taking in the stunning scenery, living overseas was cool since it took bravery that not everyone possessed.

In order to fulfill their aspirations, professional obligations, or familial responsibilities, expatriates say goodbye to their homeland and everything they have known since a young age. Simply put, they stepped outside of their comfort zone in pursuit of a major life objective. 

For many Middle Eastern migrants in Europe, such objective is to find shelter for themselves and their families away from conflict, persecution of minorities, or stringent regulations that imposed by their countries on women.

Since 2015, they have coming to the Old Continent as soon as German Chancellor Angela Merkel put in place open border policy, primarily Syrians, Iraqis, and Afghanis. Over time, refugees from other parts of the world, such Africa and Asia, have arrive in other European nations with a slightly different objective: to escape poverty.

In the name of prosperity

Europe is renowned around the world for its generous social welfare measures. Both citizens and foreign nationals are eligible for government benefits, which are essentially free funds provided for them to spend on their daily expenses. Regulations in the European nation where an individual resides determine the amount and duration of their entitlement to such social benefits.

At first, the welfare money strategy was quite successful in giving the status as the world's happiest, safest, richest, and more to several Western European nations. The difficulty arose when all such joyfulness triggered the envy inside the heart of people from poorer nations. They felt sorry for their own country, wondering why "if only my country was like that," "why is my country poor," "when will our country become rich?," and so on.

They are just shown all the wonderful things in Western Europe and become so envious that they are not curious and wonder how those nations manage to have the funds for welfare money. Does it come from bilateral trade or taxes? It might be.

Among the regions that charge their inhabitants substantial taxes are the United States and Europe. However, solid infrastructure, efficient governance, and social security measures that citizens can get from the government balance out the high taxes.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the number of countries to spend more social money than usual. Due to the introduction of numerous imported goods at extremely low prices, international trade has been disrupted, resulting in a sharp decline in Western Europe's trade revenue.

Furthermore, locals have also started to voice their displeasure with migrants' behaviors, which go against the moral standards of Western Europe. Not to mention the rise in crime, particularly harassment and violence against women.

Western Europe has been imposing strict rules on unskilled migrants presence for the time being, however, this hasn't enough to stop the influx of new migrants from all over the world.

Say no to frugal living

It is a fact that there is no such thing as free money in this world. Some European nations provide generous benefits, but these are really borrowed funds that the citizens will eventually repay through a variety of taxes.

This scheme seems ideal at first glance, if the number of citizens is relatively small and not as huge as countries like China, India, Indonesia, or even the United States. It becomes unideal because the influx of immigrants is too fast and beyond control. Among those who manage in securing jobs, only few migrants are able or willing to pay taxes.

With borrowed money from their respective central banks, several European nations are attempting to overcome such budget deficit. Technically, the state issues debt instruments, or government bonds, which are submitted to the Central Bank. Only then the Central Bank will print newly fresh bank notes according to the debt securities' value.

Why is this a risky move? A plentiful supply will result in a decrease in price, and the value of money is no exception. A country's loss in national currency will undoubtedly lead to economic turmoil, with the effects being felt globally.

Therefore, (formerly) French Prime Minister Michel Barnier proposed cutting the social welfare budget in an effort to salvage the nation's finances. This move would have been also effectively tackle the arrival of migrants by providing less to no social money at all.

Unfortunately, despite his good intentions, Barnier was removed from office when the French Parliament passed a motion of no confidence by early December 2024. The right and left parties of parliament, led by right-wing leader Marine Le Pen, decided to reject Barnier's plan and forced him to resign as prime minister after 3 months in office.

Such political turmoil is not only a reflection of the French parliament's unwillingness to live frugally, but also its unwillingness to confront the possibility of widespread protests as soon as Barnier's measure comes to force. In addition, France is already quite tired with anarchic mass protests, most of which are carried out by migrants.

One thing for sure, Marine Le Pen is involved in a legal case of state funds embezzlement at the time being. Hence, it would not be overly dramatic to believe that Le Pen is attempting to strengthen her bargaining position by leading the parliamentary protest to remove Barnier.

Just like termites flying around a light at night, humans are easily drawn to everything that sparkles to find happiness. We should hope that we won't share the same fate as termites, who perish before dawn as they unable to find a partner.

Beware of the Impending Silent Killer Around Us

As of October 2024, at the Commonwealth Nations Conference in Samoa, King Charles acknowledged, "None of us can change the past, but we can commit to learning its lesson."

According to some media, the aforementioned speech expressed the King of England's perspective of his country's actions throughout the bloody and tearful imperial/colonial era. Some people did not warmly embrace King Charles' noble intentions as he stated,

"Where inequalities exist ... we must find the right ways and the right language to address them. As we look around the world and consider its many deeply concerning challenges, let us choose within our Commonwealth family, the language of community and respect and reject the language of division."

The statement seemed to be a direct response to the fact that South Africa and India, two of the Commonwealth's founding members, were absent at the conference. On the previous day, both countries have decided to go to the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) summit instead.

In light of the geopolitical and rivalry tensions between Russia and the West (of which Britain was a part), the British King reportedly considered the implicit absence of South Africa and India as hostile and an indication of discord.

Given the assistance that Britain had provided to the Commonwealth nations, it was reasonable for the British King to voice his disappointment, regardless of how Britain behaved toward South Africa and India during the occupation. Despite this, the details of the assistance were never disclosed.

“I'm good”

According to a source, Ukraine will have the highest depression rate in the world by the end of 2024. It is not a headline news, though, given the geopolitical situation the country is facing.

Suprisingly, United States and Australia hold second and third place, respectively. This means that the number of people who suffer depression in the two countries that are also referred to as developed countries is equal to the number of people who suffer depression in war-torn countries.

This data is baffling yet concerning, as depression and other kind of psychological disorders could gripple any country, including those that traditionally known for its welfare and stability.

The main reason is obviously not because these countries are lack of mental health facilities or mental health specialists. In most cases, the patient's unawareness that something has been going wrong inside of him/her contributes to the severity of their mental breakdown.

Sometimes, the depiction of mental health issues exposed by influencers, social media, or in the storylines of subscription streaming shows is considered as fact. As these shows leave an uncomfortable and gloomy impression, our inner refuse to imagine or curious about whether the disease has taken control our souls. As long as we don’t want to commit suicide nor hallucinating about voices from the sky, it means our mental is fine, isn’t it?

The Silent Killer

GERD (gastroesphageal influx disease) is a condition in which patients suddenly experiencing a burning sensation in the chest or shortness of breath caused by acid rising from the stomach into the throat. GERD can lead to other life-threatening illnesses, such as high risk of cancer, even while it does not cause mortality.

Ironically, this condition—which is sometimes mistaken for indisgestions—affects people of all ages, men and women alike, and is particularly prevalent worldwide, while stress as one of the triggers is becoming more and more common.

Stress, this very word is increasingly popular along with the numbers of people who had or feel pressured to be tough and strong in public and in their daily lives, whether due to work or family responsibilities, even when their true feelings are quite the opposite. As if you're not living in modern times when you never experiencing stress at all.

Is it because life is short so it will be meaningless without stress?

Looking at the King Charles' ‘assertion’ above, it becomes clear that both colonizer and the colonized felt miserable. When the imperialists "discovered" colonies that were abundant in sunlight and many other things that were not found in their hometowns, they felt as though they had found a second, third, fourth, and so forth home. Naturally, they experienced a profound sense of loss upon being compelled to permanently leave their dream homes.

The sense of loss skews a nation's viewpoint, responses, behaviors, and collective wisdom that is passed down through generations, since it is not voiced and has merely been suppressed for centuries. It shapes humans' mindset as they have to deal with different events from time to time.

Everything that happens on Earth today is the result of a never-ending chain of causes and effects like a malignant disease brought on by chronic GERD. All of complexities occur amidst society's dynamic as a global community turns out lead up to neglected problems of the past.

Living With Shame Is Not the End of the World – What Should We Do About It?

As people think they lack something, they assume they are unworthy of being equal, a thought that makes them feel ashamed of living in society. Thus, shame is common in any person with a family who lives below standard, since they believe their neighbors may talk about it, and since every one of us will feel better having something we can be proud of. Wealth and a good financial condition, just to name a few.

Given that we live in an era when image is more important than one's actual quality, most people are willing to do anything to grab people's attention, no matter the cost. If they don't have money for that purpose, a shortcut is now made available: a money loan. Not borrowing from the neighbors, of course, but from banks, online loan apps, or other credit or money lending institutions.

According to several groups, the practice of loan and borrowing money began centuries before the Christ was born. During that period, farmers would borrow money from moneylenders to cover their daily expenses when the harvest was still a ways off.

Throughout human civilization, lending and borrowing money have become common practices, despite Aristotle's severe critique that accruing interest on loans was a disgraceful practice, followed by Christians and Muslims' fatwa that condemn such business as a sin. But, that was a long time ago.  

To put an end or to express shame?

It is not an overstatement to believe that, for many people—regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, or occupation—shame is like the agony of hellfire. For those experience this, it feels like everyone is humiliating them, which in turn lowers their self-esteem. Public humiliation and encroachment is no myth but a true situation among young people globally. 

For instance, the perpetrators behind the current wave of mass shootings in the US, the majority of whom had experienced bullying in school, were the masterminds behind this trend.

The emotions that plague their minds—shame, humiliated, low self-worth — need an escape route to break free. They believed that the best way to let everyone knew what they felt deep inside was to shoot aimlessly in all directions.

In Japan, on the other hand, victims of bullying usually decide to take their own lives rather than live in constant loss of face. In addition to middle school pupils, elementary school-aged children may also be vulnerable to committing suicide, despite reports of a drop in this age category.

Historically, during the height of the samurai's fame, taking one's own life was either considered as a regret, a self-punishment for one's master's defeat in battle (seppuku). Rather than to be beheaded by the enemy's sword or due to neglecting their duties, seppuku was regarded as more noble one.

Seppuku is banned by the modern-era Japanese government, but shards of the past always serve as an inspiration to young people who imagine themselves as samurais in the brink of losing their dignity.

The two actions above, which are respectively aimed at carrying out (mass shooting) and rolling up (suicide) the shame, both end in death, as well as the suffering of others who are connected to such suicide perpetrators.

Since shame is an innate emotion most of people experience, should we just take the term "shame" out of all world languages' dictionaries so that people will eventually no longer remember how to express their dread of losing something they can't see?

It's better to be ashamed than be shattered forever

Feeling ashamed is not a bad thing. In many of the circumstances people will face in their lifetime, shame will lead the way, the driver for their behaviors' vehicle. Some people also employ shame as a weapon to control other groups.

Back to debt problems, for instance, if a debtor does not make payments on their debt and cannot be reached, debt collection agencies will get in touch with (and in certain situations, debt collectors will also ask debt repayment from) those who are listed as debtor emergency contracts.

If there is no transparent communication between the debtor and his/her emergency contacts about his/her debt because the debtor is embarrassed to be found out that he/she has debt, it is not impossible that there will be divisions between family members, relatives, and friends due to debt collectors' invasion of the debtor's personal space (which is a common practice among online loan services in Indonesia).

Debt isn't the only thing that causes shame in a complex age nowadays. A sudden change in one's status , falling into poverty, losing a war or a sporting event, or losing their job, you name it. The trigger is varied for each person, depending on one's background and preference. Nevertheless, they feel a relatively similar shame: agitation, dyspnea, dysphagia, anti-social, self-hate, etc.

If we give it think about it carefully, who was to blame for causing us so much discomfort? I'm sure you already know the answer. So, how do we get rid of this strangled shame that arose among a nation or a group of people around the same time and lasts for years?

By following a few simple steps, you can get the answers to all of these questions. One mistake we often make when we feel insulted or low is to bustle up in figuring out how exterminate the shame completely. In fact, a self-acknowledgement that our pride wounded is needed. OK, we're ashamed. We're pariahs. Period.

Remember, you're not your shame, either your humiliated self-esteem. Don't be tempted to kill it or vent it in a hurry, since everything we do based on these two goals will never overcome the shame within ourselves. Conversely, such moves will serve as food for our shame to grow bigger within beyond our consciousness.

How to Avert the Downside of Individualism on a Community

It’s not complicated to start a community wherever you interact with a moderate to large number of people buzzing around over the same topic and/or interest. And it would be unchallenging to start a community that built upon the same identity, citizenship, or residency since there is one thing that weaves them together.

However, starting a community is one thing, keeping its members feel belong in it is another. Why would you join a community when you don’t enjoy being part of it, wouldn’t you?

Such a community, in the end, will stuck in the middle of its journey since it fails to figure out why it has to exist in the first place; something that needs a consolidated decision, rather than one’s personal vision (aka the leader).

The weightiness of individualism

Individualistic culture values personal achievement, self-direction, and individual liberties. In times of trouble, such a culture expects people to solve their problems by themselves, be self-reliant, and not bother others with their difficulties.

These are good, with regard that one will learn how to grow and develop his or her full potential to be the best version of themselves. However, a drawback persists.

Given that individualistic culture appreciates autonomy and personal identity, society tends to prioritize its own convenience above the common good. Somebody raised by an individualistic culture will likely undermine how their decision affects others, as they assume that others will do the same.

Illustration: lalesh aldarwish

As a result, they're more likely will have to deal with more stress due to a feeling of loneliness and lack of support, tend to be more anti-social, all of which bring unhealthy impacts to the community. Suggesting a-my-way-or-the-highway approach is somewhat inhumane as it refuses to look at any community members as ordinary men or women with their plus and minus.

A disconnectedness of a worker from the whole team may lead to a declining sense of collectivism among them since none of the sides are willing to turn down their ego and start to reach out to each other.

An experiment

If you have tasted or are currently dealing with such situation above, rest assured. Instead of perceive individualism as a bad omen for your community, take it as a challenge that awaits for your answer. There will be a new level reached as you and your community manage to overcome such challenge, still, the question is ‘how’.

Most of people in the managerial roles are usually giving more spaces to the individualists, so that they can grow their potentials without sacrificing their precious privacy, which at some extent may drive them even farther from the collective goals.

 What about trying a different approach?

Instead of putting these individualists where they choose to be, let’s detach them from such comfort zone.  Delegate specific roles for the individualists where they will have to teach others to do something. This role will put them in particular situations where they interact more with others and bear the responsibility to empower them, therefore, the thickness of individualistic mindset can be reduced.

You will likely have to face their strong dislike when forcing them to go this way. But, hey, we are already familiar with more and more extreme situations day by day around us, due to economic hardships etc. A little complaint won’t ruin your day since the mutual good is above all.

With that being said, a constant communication is needed to build common understanding why they have to endure such inconvenience. Moreover, when it comes to online communities as it has different dimensions than traditional communities.

All in all, emotion makes us human, as well as the basic reason some employers prefer delegating human tasks to AI. Something that makes us feel alive has been scapegoated as the cause of unemployment in most of countries. Nevertheless, for centuries, it's humans’ ideas and passions that solve every problems they need to deal within their respective societies, magic charms that will make us become happier and find our meaning of life.

When Self-Respect Gone With The Pragmatism

It seems like breaking promises and stances has become a trend, and those who do it are less concerned about the fallout from their aberrant actions. It is becoming more common to withhold or even deny one's own words, as though this is the only realistic way to accomplish their objectives.

Two or three years ago, modern civilization could still take pride in its principles, morality, honor, self-esteem, and reputation — all the things we proud of and work hard to protect so that we are able to present a picture of ourselves that conforms society's norms and expectations. Not anymore.

Accepting bribery is among the signs of low self-respect.

Whoredom politics

As an entrepreneur who want to succeed in the industry, we would need to conduct market research and then develop a product that meets the needs of the market’s target. Afterwards, we develop a name, identity, brand, and product values that align with current societal trends.

Given that our customers make up the audience, a competent marketer won't neglect them at every turn. A brand should create compelling marketing materials that genuinely care about its audience target as it seeks to win over their hearts.

A brand's level of confidence can also be gauged by our response to ever-intense competition.

In the short term, following trends may increase a brand's selling point. Nevertheless, frequent changes to catch up with trends reveals the brand's low self-confidence toward the initial self-image it established.

And how can we ever convince others when we don't believe in ourselves?

Leaders and prominent figures from all over the world constantly use the tactics of "whoredom" or self-imagery in an attempt to gain the respect of the public, which will hopefully lead to the public's compliance.

If these personalities and leaders behave in a way consistent with their self-imagery, society will also be fine with it. Let alone obeying, people's respect for a leader will vanish as they witness that their respected leaders cannot even respect themselves.

Regrettably, there are a lot of leaders and personalities like this out there.

Self-respect vs profit

Experts in mental health assert that maintaining self-respect is critical to support an individual's psychological resilience in the face of challenges, cultivating happiness, and achieving success without losing self-esteem.

Self-respect is one of the things that prevents us from giving in to the impulse to do something we'll regret later on. It is our loyal companion in our journey and our invisible security guard till the day we pass away.

However, people frequently disregard their own dignity in order to achieve short-term material gain without carefully weighing the impacts in the future.

An opposition figure who has been adamantly against the government for years suddenly licks his own lips; a movement activist who abruptly alters his viewpoint after holding a significant position in the administration, you name it. 

Short-term view impacts

It is everyone's right to work hard, and nobody has the right to criticize someone for the means by which they choose to make ends meet, unless they break any applicable rules and regulations.

Inflation, a lack of job prospects, and declining national currency exchange rate.are among economic circumstances that encourage an individual to choose the easiest way to make money Why would you walk when you can ride a motorcycle to get to your destination, wouldn't you?

It would be naive if I told you that sacrificing principles for material gain had no consequences, when you and I are aware that it is our responsibility to fulfill our families' needs. Furthermore, no laws restrict us from abandoning our old principles in favor of new, practical and more lucrative ones.

Is "as long as it doesn't violate laws" enough to guarantee issue-free future moves? Is the absence of problems is enough as a confirmation that the process we are walking through is correct according to moral values, nobility, and social norms?

I'm not sure these kinds of questions pop-up in the mind of anyone who prioritizes short-term profits.