I once wrote here that sometimes I forgot about August 17, the (supposedly) Indonesia’s independence day had I didn’t checked my social media timeline and saw videos of folks doing the flag ceremony or kampung festivities.

Today, I wanted to forget about it, because I honestly feel that there is no point of celebrating something so hollow, so rotten, and so broken beyond repair. The land where gods and goddesses’ whispered their stories, hopes, and fears, is now imploded in real time as we speak. The guardians of the mountains, forests, and seas are receding away and the only thing left in the land of Indonesia is her people gasping and grasping for every single inch of hope, raising their helpless hands to the sky, with such frenzy eyes looking at the endless skies covered with smog and pollution, looking in such futile for signs of something big would happen and save us all here.

I do wish I could scream curses and throw every thorn and spew hellfire from my chest, but I have been too angry, and the only thing I can feel is numbness.

81 years old, Indonesia.

Mankind are so much the same, in all times and places, that history informs us of nothing new or strange in this particular. Its chief use is only to discover the constant and universal principles of human nature.

— David Hume

Might be useless or seemingly like screaming into the void, but I highly recommend these books if you want to know what happened, what is happening, and what will happen in Indonesia.

• Indonesia: Dozens dead after earthquake off Flores island
• Duka Bencana di Aceh: Rumah Hilang, Bantuan Lamban Tiba
• Krisis Prabowo: Kontradiksi, Halusinasi, dan Amarah Publik
• Gaji Guru Indonesia Terendah di ASEAN, Berikut Perbandingannya
• Keracunan MBG, Ratusan Murid dari 5 Sekolah di Karo Alami Gatal Mulut-Sesak
• Mengenang Kepergian Affan Kurniawan, Pejuang Keluarga Sejati