Pythagoras: A Guide Towards Balancing Tradition And Modernity

In a society that stands to uphold deep-rooted traditions but is also moving into a fast-paced modern world, Indonesian youth often find themselves struggling to balance between two polar opposite sides: tradition and modernity. The need to honor their cultural and familial expectations while also carving out their own path in life is more than just a generational dilemma, it's a philosophical one.

Communities within Indonesia are often tied strongly towards their familial cultures, abiding traditional beliefs like the Javanese philosophy of laku hidup (Way Of Life) or the Adat Istiadat (Customary Law and Tradition) belief that is found across multitudes of Indonesian ethnic groups such as Minangkabau, Toraja and Balinese (Suprapto et al. 2021). These generational convictions combined with Indonesia’s high power distance culture, where authority figures are not to be questioned, creates difficulty for younger generations to go against the hopes and expectations of parents, relatives, teachers, religious figures and other elders (Hofstede Insights, 2023). In fact, choosing to embark on a more modern path may invoke resistance, albeit through verbal pressure or financial withdrawal. For instance, in spite of the rise in contemporary media encouraging women to pursue independent careers, many Indonesian families still expect their daughters to become stay-at-home mothers that manage household duties, care for retired, aging parents and their children (Puspitawati, 2020). Similarly, families also still push the youth to secure stable and “safe” jobs such as accountancy and medicine instead of more modern careers such as content creation, digital art and gaming. Although it is to be noted that such industries like gaming are estimated to reach $4.28 billion by 2025 in Indonesia (Statista, 2023). This dilemma of having to choose between two different but equally important beliefs may lead to feelings of internal conflict, stress and entrapment.

Pythagoras, the ancient Greek philosopher that introduced the triangle theorem taught in schools, actually left behind more than just the answer to the missing length of a right triangle. His legacy was one rooted in harmonium, balance and the pursuit of what is most true to the soul. He believed that the universe followed a hidden structure, one that supported the unity of opposites instead of prompting the drive towards dulcet uniformity (Kirk, 1957). And although this might seem far off from the experiences of modern day Indonesian teens deciding between being their family business’ next heir or pursuing a career in graphic design, the two in fact do interconnect and can bring more insight than we realize. One famous quote from the thinker: “No one is free who has not obtained the empire of himself” (Pythagoras Quotes, n.d.), which can be interpreted as having a strong internal compass, regardless of externalities.

Pythagoreanism abides by five core concepts:

1. Aim to balance your life

2. Purify your soul through good behaviour

3. Live with discipline

4. Embrace the unity of opposites

5. Reason when truth-seeking

We can apply these concepts towards the struggle between traditionalism and modern aspirations. Whilst not all parts of the ideology explicitly fit to provide us with supple solutions towards the issue, there are still ample messages we can obtain.

For example, the concept of living life in balance can be a steady foundation to rely on when making decisions for the youth in life. Meaning each side of traditionalism and modernity should be roughly equal. This can equate to equal time spent on pursuing one or the other. Embracing the unity of opposites also coincides with this as traditionalism and modernity are two polar opposites in values, but it is only through welcoming these polarities that the youth will be able to appreciate the beauty and growth both could provide for them in life. They need to learn that they can embrace being both Indonesian and a global citizen, to be able to heed the advice of those who came before them and also follow their heart’s desires. This is of course done through reasoning to find out which decisions should take the modern route and which should follow the traditional route, based on what they feel aligns with them through careful observations. After all, what the community says may not be what’s best for them personally and the media does have a long-standing habit of spreading hoaxes (Luo, Cai, and Cui 2021). Observations could also be done through self-reflection and the disciplining of personal habits, emotions and the youths personal growth.

We, as the youth within Indonesia, must persevere to master ourselves and to find our own inner balance within traditional expectations and modern individuality.

Bibliography

Goodreads. n.d. “Pythagoras Quotes.” Accessed April 22, 2025. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=%E2%80%9CNo+one+is+free+who+has+not+obtained+the+empire+of+himself%22

Hofstede Insights. 2023. “Country Comparison: Indonesia.” Accessed April 22, 2025. https://www.theculturefactor.com/country-comparison-tool?countries=indonesia

Kirk, G. S. 1957. “Pythagorean Harmony.” The Classical Review 7 (1): 42–45. https://ia801908.us.archive.org/15/items/huffman-2014-a-history-of-pythagoreanism/Huffman%202014%20A%20History%20of%20Pythagoreanism.pdf

Luo, Han, Meng Cai, and Ying Cui. “Spread of Misinformation in Social Networks: Analysis Based on Weibo Tweets.” Security and Communication Networks 2021 (2021): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/7999760

Puspitawati, Herien. 2020. “Cultural Influence on Women's Roles in Indonesia.” Jurnal Ilmu Keluarga & Konsumen 13 (1): 1–10. https://journal.ipb.ac.id/index.php/jfs/article/view/43239

Statista. 2023. “Video Games - Indonesia.” Accessed April 22, 2025. https://www.statista.com/outlook/amo/media/games/indonesia?currency=USD

Suprapto, Suprapto, Sahid Teguh Widodo, Sarwiji Suwandi, and Nugraheni Eko Wardani. “Philosophical Teachings of Javanese Culture in Lakon Ludruk: Cosmological Perspective.” Atlantis Press, 2021. https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/125956640.pdf.