Transportation, getting from one place to another place is so important that it dictates life and society itself.
As i live in Jakarta, transportation is a nightmare, what i can do in a mere 5 hours on anyday in Singapore, i could only possibly do it in 1 week in the Big Durian.
In October i exclaimed my happiness to my China suppliers when I woke up at 8am that morning, visited 2 factories in ZhangJiaGang which is in Jiangsu (North of Shanghai), then went to Shaoxing in Zhejiang (South of Shanghai) by car (a whopping 300km) , ate KFC and reached his office by 3pm.
In Indonesia, on the weekend, within the same time frame, i would have just gone to my favourite Japanese restaurant (13km) to eat lunch, and go home.
As I try to make my life more happier in Jakarta, i’m thinking whether the key is to live in the city considering that all my activities are there, and my office is very close by as well.
Or is it really just a luxury that i can do without? This is the burning question because right now, im trying to let go of luxury and focus on the real things.
This was when i saw this video on Africans having access to bicycles
Africa versus Jakarta. Both takes AGES to get anywhere but one is filled with cars and motorbikes, whereas the other one doesnt have any form of transportation.
But both fall under the problem of inefficiency which is causing great distress to the society. I could easily use the same message, and use Indonesia as a backdrop and it would be 100% related.
Is having a bicycle a luxury for the Africans so that they can spent more time doing the things they need to do?
The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama, he mentions that in developed countries, car is not seen as a luxury if you have the means to buy one. He doesnt go so far as to say its a necessity, but he does point out that it is not considered an item of luxury depending on your situation.
As i realised these points, i think to myself, is living in the city where i’d be closer to my activities and to my office a luxury? But more importantly, would this alleviate my standard of living/lifestyle here? And is this even more important than just being thankful for you’ve got?
(i was rambling when i began so i decided to start again…)
As I deal with Jakarta, i’ve come to a realisation that accessibility, convenience and efficiency might be at the core root of my restlessness with the Big Durian.
I was in Singapore recently and the ease of doing things were just amazing, in just a mere 5 hours, i decided to
-buy organic soya yoghurt in an ultra overpriced supermarket that i’ve never been before
-meet Colin and had a good conversation with him
-met Qinghui and had dinner with him while Colin had starbucks
-met Colin again and went to buy the Okinawa Program book
-watched Rum Diaries in the cinema
This is impossible to do in Jakarta. Unless all these things occur in the malls, which is why Jakarta is home to super big malls where they offer everything and you never need to go out. But no matter how big the mall is, it would never compare to the ease and freedom of Singapore.
I’ve deduced that maybe my problem lies with the fact that I dont live in the city. And not living in the city, while all my activities are in the city is a huge huge hassle in Jakarta.
