Change yourself -- seize the day<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
\"I want to be less idealistic,\" a Yogyakartan artist said.
\n\"I want to care less about my physical appearance,\" a Bandung
\ngirl confessed.<\/p>\n
\"I want to have a boyfriend,\" a Yogyakarta student announced.<\/p>\n
\"I want to leave my parents,\" a Jakarta kid uttered.<\/p>\n
\"I want to know what I should do in life,\" a Jakarta
\nuniversity student said.<\/p>\n
\"Change yourself ... when life needs to be supplemented,\" said
\nIrwan Ahmett, or Iwang, who conceived the movement known as
\nChange Yourself (CYS).<\/p>\n
Iwang, 30, has changed a lot in recent years; he is now
\nsomebody whom he likes more.<\/p>\n
He is happy with his changes and he wants people to have the
\nsame experience. He set this movement to motion by toting his
\nApple notebook computer and hundreds of round, blue stickers to
\nJakarta, Yogyakarta and Bandung, meeting young people and
\narranging presentations.<\/p>\n
Iwang, an owner of graphic design house Perum Desain
\nIndonesia, writes dozens of verses about why and how to change:
\n\"When your desires continue growing but are not yet fulfilled,
\nwhen hope becomes merely a dream, then boredom becomes an empty,
\ndaily routine.<\/p>\n
\"Change Yourself is for those who want something new in their
\nlife and who try to see change as a simple tool. Let's change.
\nChange yourself, when life needs to be supplemented,\" Iwang
\nwrote.<\/p>\n
He writes several suggestions, from the radical to the
\ntrivial, on how to effect change: \"Cut your hair, say hi to God,
\nget married, stop watching reality shows, pay all your credit
\ncard bills, change the fonts on your computer. You can do it,
\nchange yourself,\" Iwang writes.<\/p>\n
\"I have received many good responses. After a presentation I
\nusually get about 10 people who want to consult me on their
\nproblems and how to change them,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Iwang, married for five years to Tita Salina, who also
\nconceived the movement, started it all when he became tired of
\nfamily arguments, largely due to communication problems.<\/p>\n
Iwang later asked family members to reopen family photo
\nalbums. It turned out that the photographs had a visual power
\nthat enabled his family to reminisce about old memories.<\/p>\n
\"Unwittingly, tears welled up in their eyes, a longing for
\npast, peaceful beauty overcame them. Finally, each family member
\nwas touched and agreed to accept differences, dispense with anger
\nand end their dispute,\" Iwang said.<\/p>\n
As a graphic designer, Iwang believes in the magic of visual
\nimages.<\/p>\n
\"There's a boy in Jakarta who craves drugs every time he hears
\nthe word 'Manggarai' (a district in South Jakarta) because he
\nassociates the word with his visual memory of drug dealers
\nthere,\" Iwang told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
\"In the consultation I told him to change his visual memory to
\nmove away from images of drugs and dealers to whatever appealed
\nto him. It could be Pasaraya department store, a McDonald's
\nrestaurant there, or whatever,\" he added.<\/p>\n
He said he believed that once the boy was able to change his
\nperception of \"Manggarai\" he could become a \"clean\" person and
\nescape his addiction to drugs.<\/p>\n
Iwang is quite serious about the movement. He has discussed it
\nwith psychologists and spiritual gurus.<\/p>\n
He has also shelled out Rp 20 million of his savings to
\nfinance the project since January this year.<\/p>\n
\"It will end in September with an exhibition of the project's
\nprogress at Cemeti Gallery, Yogyakarta,\" Iwang said.<\/p>\n
To create a domino effect for the movement, Iwang printed blue
\nstickers with suggestions for change imprinted on them.<\/p>\n
\"I gave a bundle of 25 stickers to one person, asking them to
\ndistribute them to their friends and so on; so the idea spread,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Are there any grand objectives expected from the project? Like
\nfor example, an anticonsumerist society?<\/p>\n
\"No, nothing grand. I just want to announce that change is
\ngood,\" Iwang said.<\/p>\n
Indeed. After all, as Iwang says, ultimately, we all move in
\nthe same direction: Toward death.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, why not change for a change?<\/p>\n
Website:<\/p>\n
www.perdisi.com<\/p>\n
E-mail:<\/p>\n
changeyourselfin2005@yahoo.com<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/change-yourself-seize-the-day-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }