Last week I had the opportunity to visit Gorontalo. The only province on the island of Sulawesi that does not hold the name Sulawesi. Just like other small cities in Indonesia, the airport is quite small. No need to walk far from getting off the plane to the airport exit. Approximately less than three minutes. Far different from Terminal 3 Ultimate at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, which may take more than 10 minutes on foot from getting off the plane to the airport exit.
The trip from the airport to the city of Gorontalo is quite far, approximately 30 km. Along the way, layout a soothing sight. Green rice fields on the roadside with a mountainous backdrop at the end of the view. There are still many livestock animals that roam, such as cows and goats, which sometimes travel in groups to disturb traffic. A pretty good refreshment for the eye that is used to seeing the crowded and crowded capital city.
I happened to be picked up by one of the local officials. On this occasion, I asked many questions about Gorontalo. Previously, I had been browsing a little about this city, so that I could converse with people around me. At least, able to keep up with the conversation. After chatting, I thought about his words which made him a little reflective.
He said: “Gorontalo City is currently progressing, although slowly, after several years of stagnation. Moreover, when it was not a province of its own, this city was left behind compared to other areas in Sulawesi, ". Such a statement is quite natural, seeing the atmosphere of the city which is very rare for a multi-storey building. Indeed, a city that is not very developed is from the perspective of the citizens of the capital who are accustomed to seeing skyscrapers.
Suddenly I thought, what makes us categorize a civilization as advanced or not? Aren't the people here able to support themselves independently? Each village has rice fields that meet the needs of its inhabitants. They also have livestock that can be eaten as well as for ploughing the fields. There are also fast-breeding goats and chickens. With such an independent civilization, why do we proudly say they are less advanced?
On my way, I fell silent thinking about these questions. The official told the story again. He said that the level of education in this city had improved considerably. From 15 years ago, the average rate was only elementary school graduates, now an average of them has attended high school. "Wow, a pretty encouraging improvement," I replied with enthusiasm. He continued again; "It's far from Jakarta here, Mas. Investors are still hesitant to enter here, so the construction is rather slow, ”he continued.
Oh, I get points. Whether a civilization is progressing or not, it is measured by how fast the circulation of money occurs in an area. At least this is my layman's thinking. One of the conditions for the progress of civilization is that its citizens must be more specific. That is, one person cannot have many skills. The good thing is that one person has a deep, specific skill.
For example, a computer expert must understand very well about computers and their trifles, but it would be nice if he couldn't cook, even if he needed to make coffee, he couldn't. In this way, he will always rely on other people to make food or coffee. Well, this could potentially increase the opportunity to continue spending and increase the velocity of money circulation. Likewise other professions. It would be nice if they depend on each other so that they can exchange fortunes.
My layman thought simplifies advanced civilization in a nutshell: acute consumerism. Where every citizen continues to spend capital to sell their expertise. Dependence on others is a feature of advanced civilizations! If you want to be successful, somehow you have to make a lot of other people depend on your expertise. Too simple indeed, the name is also common sense.
This is very different from pre-modern humans. Where each individual must master a variety of skills to survive. Must be able to recognize poisonous plants, make fire, cook, make weapons, hunt, understand the direction of the stars (as a natural compass), be able to get along well and so on.
In short, pre-modern humans had to make the best use of their five senses to survive. From some of the research I read, pre-modern humans were the happiest humans of all time.
How come? They spend very little time working. That said, from some of the studies I read on pre-modern humans, they only worked less than 20 hours a week. The rest? Chat, hang out, play and hang out together. That's why the things I just mentioned are always fun, even for us now.
Humans have survived such a lifestyle for tens of thousands of years. From an evolutionary point of view, modern humans still carry such natural inclinations. Modern humans work an average of 40 hours a week. Lots of lost time to hang out with friends.
Not surprisingly, many modern humans experience stress. This is due to the incompatibility of modern lifestyles with the natural physiological and psychological needs of humans.
Maybe right, maybe wrong. But I prefer the first phrase. The proof, many people decide to commit suicide. Statistically, the number of victims who committed suicide was more than the victims of accidents plus victims of war. I forgot the exact number, please just browse on google, that number must be widespread.
So, is it appropriate for us to attach the word "left behind" to an independent civilization such as in Gorontalo and other small cities? we arrogantly ridicule human civilization living in the forest as primitive people. They could be happier than us who proudly claim to be modern-day children. Now, the question that just arises is: “Is modernization a step forward or even a step back for human happiness?
