It's our independence. Let's celebrate.

How can I miss this very day without writing anything about it? I wouldn't dare call myself a true Indonesian if I didn't say a single word.

Indonesia, today we enter our 69th year of freedom, our independence day. I, as one of your (almost always) proud citizen, have a little something to say. It might sound like an open letter, and it won't go viral, but at least I can express my views properly.

We have come far, my friends. We have come past the dark age where bloods were shed and bamboos (not swords) wielded. Heroes come and go. Their service to the country is something we cannot repay. They didn't die in vain, but we might. 

We're not that old, we're not that young, but we lose to our younger neighbors, who have now arrived in a higher state of developed countries. Yet here we are, still developing after all this time.

If we are about to list our mistakes and flaws, we know it's impossible as we have too much to count. But I think I know we have one fatal flaw: our mentality as a person that's dragging down the nation as a whole. 

We demand a clean, modern country with a decent mode of transportation, but we never change. We never once care about maintaining or protecting what we have. With a very low sense of belonging, even the best of the best facility will end up looking cheap and trashy in Indonesia. How can I put it, many people here are not receiving proper education and are not well-informed about what's happening in the world. All they care about are surviving for themselves and their families. As a result, they have that I-don't-care attitude that hinder them from becoming more classy and more noble. 

Additionally, we have a major hypocrisy issue. We call ourselves a nation who believes in one true God, and the freedom of faith, yet we don't show what are taught in our religion in our daily activities. They say we can believe what we believe, but inside we look down on others who don't share the same belief, to the extreme that some even try to force their faith onto others. Or become a blind believer and judge poorly as if he has the right to do so. 

It doesn't end at that. Clothes and attires, the way Indonesian people dress, are also a sign of this country's hypocrisy. On the one hand, we try to preserve the eastern norms and cultures where we can't expose too much skin, can't kiss in public, and many more that are considered racy and improper or impolite. On the other hand, a lot of Indonesian do the exact opposite, but we pretend like we don't know and act all pure and innocent (Yes, it's you, overly religious leaders and organizations). I truly believe we're facing a fatal identity crisis. 

Oh Indonesia, our problems have rooted deep it will be hard and painful to erase. Like a tattoo, it will leave scar even when it's removed. Like body hair (yuck), no matter how often we shave, it will grow back. But dear fellow Indonesian, it's better to remove it to end our suffering and get out of the mud. Let's get working and find our true self one more time. Like when we first declared our independence from colonization. Stop imitating others, stop being apathetic, and start moving forward together as one big nation that is rich in colors to make one beautiful, harmonious, dignified country. A mental revolution, a working country, together with our new leader. Yes, we can. 

Happy 17th of August, Dirgahayu Indonesiaku. Merdeka!