Nanti Saja Atau Menjaga Sekarang?

I wish Mama could see this. I wish she saw all the cigar billboards taken down. Not because they don’t matter, but because they matter so much that people now serve as reminders of how smoking sucks the life out of you. I wish she could witness how the youth, adolescents, and even her generation choose to care for themselves and others. Maybe if the world cared more about long-term health, Mama wouldn’t have been rushed to the hospital.

I wish Abang could have seen this. Oh, how much he enjoyed nagging Mama for morning runs to see the “fog”. He said they were magical, but every time they went out, Mama just came back home coughing. Maybe then he would have chosen to stay home for college. I bet he would have enjoyed smiling at the people he’d pass by rather than having the traffic disturb his morning run playlist. We could have all grown healthy as a family– family morning runs, evening walks, better transportation– but now he searches for a home abroad because this nation couldn’t give him the environment to thrive in when he was here.

I wish my ancestors could see this. All those days they’ve spent in the scorching sun, tremendous rain, and unpredictable weather finally bore fruit. I wish they knew that the seasons would eventually give in to the tilts of the sun, the position of the stars, and the messages of the moon. I wish that the community they served all those years, providing rice, knew that we’re thankful for their labour. We should have been more considerate– our simple daily luxuries hindered the process of our food.

To think that Jakarta used to be one of those cities with “potential”, but now it’s the city that has fulfilled it. My father would book flights to other countries for reunions since those places better accommodated the society, but now I get to tour my friends around Jakarta with pride. The abundance in malls and shopping sprees isn’t the only thing relatively impressive about Jakarta anymore– it's the greenery, the sanctuary, and the serenity this city provides. They would comment, “It’s like home away from home”. I’d chuckle since their cities look monochromatic, but I guess there's something about Mother Nature that evokes warmth in each of them.

Even if my family can’t see this, at least this and future generations can enjoy the hard work we’ve all put into this place. The clear skies. The walkable roads. Healthy living. Jakarta has become more than another capital city; it has become a beacon of hope that change is possible and it is real. History is not the only thing that our nation is proud of– we are proud that we are making it. ​Kita Persatuan Indonesia. We are making change as one. For ourselves. For our families. For our friends. For our environment.

I’m thankful that previous generations initiated change. They were observant, keen, and innovative. They made a habit of altering their reality so ours could look like this– a sustainable harmony between urban and nature.