Moving On Amid the Stagflation Stalemate

The UK House of Commons was stunned when Conservative politician and former Chancellor of the Exchequer Iain Macleod spoke about stagflation before the House on 17 November 1965. Britain’s financial sector also rejected Macleod’s argument, unable to believe that inflation and economic stagnation could occur at the same time.

“We now have the worst of both worlds—not just inflation on the one hand or stagnation on the other. We have both at the same time,” he said.

The government and the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time, James Callaghan, dismissed Macleod’s view. Economic thinking in the 1960s and 1970s held that unemployment and stagnation could not possibly occur together. Macleod was thought to be deluding himself. British economists of the day believed that the economy could balance itself out as long as the government managed prices and incomes.

The problem was that economists in the 1960s and 1970s had overlooked one crucial factor: human desire. In theory, people and governments everywhere could weather a period of inflation safely and eventually achieve economic stability. There was just one condition: they had to be willing to embrace the “new normal” wholeheartedly.

By the “new normal,” I mean lowering an already elevated standard of living by cutting back on spending. Ordinary people might not find it particularly difficult to start doing this. But what about government officials and members of the British royal family? Could they lower their standard of living—for example, by going from eating three meals a day to just two?

Illustration: Srigading Temple, Lawang, Malang. 

“Go, and Don’t Come Back”

Traditional communities around the world follow customs that may seem strange at first glance to us modern people. One thing worth knowing is that they hold firmly to a principle that remains with them to this day: once someone has died, they cannot come back to life.

Communities that follow the Siberian Native Faith bury their dead on mountain peaks or deep in the forest. Some nomadic Siberian tribes even move on when one of their members dies. They leave the body far behind, signaling their willingness to let the deceased go and their desire not to have the departed come looking for them.

These people, whom we might consider primitive, seem to have understood that decomposing bodies produce fluids and bacteria that can be hazardous to health. Soil and groundwater can become contaminated if a body or burial site is not kept at a safe distance.

It is therefore reasonable that some sources describe Siberian Native Faith communities as treating burial grounds as forbidden areas. No activities are permitted there, which is why they build neither sacred sites nor places of worship in cemeteries. They certainly do not build homes there. And it turns out the reason has nothing to do with being afraid of cemetery ghosts.

Coming Out of a “Coma”

For many people, stagflation is a state of coma in the truest sense of the word. Just imagine: opportunities to earn an income keep shrinking as the cost of living shoots sky-high, with no telling when it will come back down. There is little we can do to break out of that situation. We are stuck. Only hunger and thirst can force us to keep breathing and moving.

If we think of stagflation as someone who has died, then all we can do is accept reality. Deluding ourselves into believing that the deceased will return someday is no different from pretending that our economic situation is just fine. (dswas)

How to Face the ‘Apocalypse’

The turmoil in the economic and financial sectors shows no sign of abating, while nature is baring its teeth through one disaster after another: outbreaks, earthquakes, flash floods, droughts, and fires. The picture is complete.

With so many challenges confronting humanity throughout 2026 so far, some people have begun to wonder, “Is the apocalypse really near?” Others ask, “Is this the end of the world?”

If it is, I suspect quite a few people will welcome it with joy. Yes, you read that right. We may never know who belongs to this group. It could even be someone close to us: a relative, a coworker, a neighbor, or perhaps a stranger sitting beside us on the commuter train.

Millions of people around the world can only shake their heads as they watch the antics of prominent figures, all while being bombarded with one piece of bad news after another about the state of the natural world in every corner of the globe. An acquaintance of mine explained that things have become far too dire to fix.

Even if someone were willing to try, those taking the initiative might not know where to begin. Should we start by changing the human mindset or by repairing the world around us? Both have been so badly damaged that razing everything to the ground seems like the only solution. How true is that? 

Illustration: Sumur Windu Kendedes, Polowijen, Malang

The Apocalypse goes round and round

Like many people who follow traditional belief systems, the Siberian Native Faith community does not believe in a Day of Judgment. Time keeps turning, and so does existence. Neither moves in a straight line toward a final endpoint; instead, both follow a cycle that keeps turning.

Consider the offerings they leave by rivers or in forests. For a day or two, the food or flowers still look fresh. By the next day, they begin to decay, eventually returning to the earth. However, the offering itself isn't the last one.  

Disasters and the many hardships that arise from disharmony are accepted sincerely. This does not mean they are too lazy to make an effort, or that they simply surrender to fate and are suicidal.

There was, indeed, a dark period when suicide rates rose among Siberia’s Indigenous communities. This painful time came not long after they began encountering ideas from outside their region. I see it as a kind of culture shock.

Outside influences cannot be avoided, even when people make a determined effort to isolate themselves. The only way forward, then, is to build new ‘cells’ strong enough to help them find balance amid those external influences. It is certainly not easy, especially since individuals within the community vary in their capacities.

Yet the Siberian Native Faith community sees this as the only way to face the apocalypse, understood here as an extraordinarily catastrophic event. One terrible event ends, only for another to follow, again and again. There will always be something worse than what came before. They do not demand an answer to the question, “Why does the apocalypse happen?” What they need is concrete action.

Life is ‘beautiful’

It may sound clichéd, but it’s true, isn’t it? Preparing for the End Times is necessary, because we are encouraged to be ready for all kinds of possibilities. We choose to prepare for the worst because we have hoped too often, only to be disappointed. As a result, we tend to fear the Apocalypse, the End, Doomsday, you name it.

As the saying goes, the future takes shape according to our mindset. If we allow ourselves to be ruled by fear of what lies ahead, then we shouldn’t be surprised by the world we find ourselves living in today. (dswas).

Economic Hardship Leaves No Room for Loneliness. Is That Really True?

Loneliness: being alone, with no one to love you or care about you ... I guarantee you won’t feel it if you’re willing to live in Indonesia, especially in its outskirts or rural areas, on any island or in any city.

It’s not because Indonesians are friendly and kind. No. It’s not because we enjoy helping others or neighbors who are going through hard times. Nor is it because we have a tradition of working together for the common good. Is it because we believe everyone is equal, rich or poor? Ah, probably not that either.

As the media have reported, Indonesia’s name has suddenly made headlines around the world because of forest fires in several regions, threatening the lives of people, animals, and plants in the affected areas.

That doesn’t mean areas untouched by forest fires are free of problems. If it isn’t flooding, people have to get used to scorching weather day and night, leading to drought and water shortages. They also have to contend with global stagflation, which drives up prices across the board while jobs remain scarce.

This pileup of problems, rooted in economic hardship, forces people to focus more closely on their work and on how they spend what they earn. Those who are single focus on surviving, while those with families focus on keeping their families afloat.

For most people living in these circumstances, time seems to pass too quickly. Morning is over in a flash, and night arrives before they know it, while the money they earn still isn’t enough to cover their needs. They simply have no time to feel lonely.

Illustration: Mount Arjuno view in Sumber Kalimangun, Randuagung, Malang. 

A Legacy of Sorrow

From the perspective of Indigenous Siberian beliefs, loneliness does not arise only when the need for love and affection goes unmet. For these communities, moving to a place with a milder climate and more comfortable temperatures does not automatically bring them closer to their hopes for a better, more civilized life.

Their elders carried a sense of loss when they were forced to obey bans on practicing their Indigenous rituals in their new home. They were unable to reject the new rules, not because they lacked the courage to resist, but because the people closest to them—their neighbors, relatives, and family members—had already become convinced, for a host of reasons, that their ancestral beliefs were something to leave behind.

The elders of Indigenous Siberian communities kept their homesickness firmly hidden as a way of supporting the younger generations, who hoped for a brighter future. Yet this emotional burden shaped their everyday behavior, including the way they interacted with their children and grandchildren.

This is how loneliness, that hard-to-explain melancholy, was passed down through several generations. It was more than the loss of identity that came when a community chose to be “born again” by abandoning its old beliefs.

 

Free from Loneliness

The Russian government’s recognition of Siberia’s traditional peoples was one factor that encouraged them to rebuild their sense of identity and find their way back to the ancestral wisdom they had long left behind.

Today, they no longer fear leaving offerings at the edge of a forest or beneath a tree. They no longer worry about visitors asking about offerings placed in the living room or on the dining table. Nor do they have to fear the suspicion of people who do not share their beliefs when they leave offerings in public places.

They are no longer anxious about facing any form of punishment in the afterlife, either. The offerings they present are not an act of defiance against, or a rejection of, the Creator of the universe. So why should they be afraid? (dswas).