Guess who's back?
It is always a peculiar thing when one changes his mind. Why did he make the original decision? What compelled him to take it back? Does the new mind work better than the old?
And so I decided today that it's worth trying to write on this platform again. I could come up with several reasons if I had to, but above them all is the fact that I am quite unable to develop myself further without writing again. Anyone with a basic education can read; it is something else altogether to craft sentences that are clear and convincing. (What exactly do I need to convince people of?) And as I have not been sufficiently blessed or trained with the gift of speaking in this manner without the impulsivity of emotion, this is the remaining path.
My education in the institution for higher learning is coming to an end. Four years of stringing together words that made arguments that made essays that made grades. There were several opportunities for me to write creatively, yet I never took them. I was afraid, arrogant, refusing to humbly admit that I knew little and that I did not want to embarass myself by expressing an ignorant opinion. Now I walk out convinced that it is necessary for me to display my ignorance. I cannot move on without casting off these shackles.
There is something delicious about writing. The struggle for the right words and the playfulness in this craft rewards in a way that other endeavours cannot. And on such a platform, without the expectation to conform or impress, I am mischievous and joyful in a way that is reminiscent of my childhood. Limits invariably emerge: only fools cannot measure the danger of unbridled expression online. But horses, tamed and mastered, have only been bred to powerfully serve their masters, not to trample over them.
Horses come in breeds. I have never before valued proficiency in multiple languages until I learned Bahasa Indonesia and was blessed with the gift of Pramoedya Ananta Toer's works. Beliau memang adalah penulis yang paling hormat oleh saya, dan sastranya sangat mengilhami saya untuk menguasai bahasanya. Walaupun saya belum lancar, dengan latihan saya pasti biasa.
The banality in life goes on, but at least now I can try to energize dormant faculties once again.
And so I decided today that it's worth trying to write on this platform again. I could come up with several reasons if I had to, but above them all is the fact that I am quite unable to develop myself further without writing again. Anyone with a basic education can read; it is something else altogether to craft sentences that are clear and convincing. (What exactly do I need to convince people of?) And as I have not been sufficiently blessed or trained with the gift of speaking in this manner without the impulsivity of emotion, this is the remaining path.
My education in the institution for higher learning is coming to an end. Four years of stringing together words that made arguments that made essays that made grades. There were several opportunities for me to write creatively, yet I never took them. I was afraid, arrogant, refusing to humbly admit that I knew little and that I did not want to embarass myself by expressing an ignorant opinion. Now I walk out convinced that it is necessary for me to display my ignorance. I cannot move on without casting off these shackles.
There is something delicious about writing. The struggle for the right words and the playfulness in this craft rewards in a way that other endeavours cannot. And on such a platform, without the expectation to conform or impress, I am mischievous and joyful in a way that is reminiscent of my childhood. Limits invariably emerge: only fools cannot measure the danger of unbridled expression online. But horses, tamed and mastered, have only been bred to powerfully serve their masters, not to trample over them.
Horses come in breeds. I have never before valued proficiency in multiple languages until I learned Bahasa Indonesia and was blessed with the gift of Pramoedya Ananta Toer's works. Beliau memang adalah penulis yang paling hormat oleh saya, dan sastranya sangat mengilhami saya untuk menguasai bahasanya. Walaupun saya belum lancar, dengan latihan saya pasti biasa.
The banality in life goes on, but at least now I can try to energize dormant faculties once again.