Sat, 04 Oct 1997

Finding our way without a map

This is my 100th letter to appear in the "Your Letters" column of The Jakarta Post.

Hitting a century in letter writing, more so in a single publication, must be something of a record.

I can, however, confidently say that writing has indeed enriched my thoughts and actions.

My fellow writers, who regularly contribute to this page, would surely understand the "pain" and "pleasure" associated with developing and expressing one's opinions in the form of letters.

I remain grateful to The Jakarta Post for enabling me to reach out and build an invisible common bond with a very large number of readers across Indonesia.

Reverting to the subject, it seems that at last the free trade era and so-called "borderless age" are already upon us. But the global information highway is filled with lots of wrong information.

It would not really matter if the economists and meteorologists switch places when it comes to forecasting the future.

It is a strange dilemma when we are forced to manage the present from the future. And the future is so unpredictable that sometimes it would be better to stay ignorant.

Today's constantly changing scenarios make one wonder how long we will be forced to pedal, and pedal harder, in order to finally be where we are at present.

As G.K. Chesterton said: "Man seems to have not only lost the way but also the map!"

One thing is certain. Let us acknowledge that the past does not hold any relevance now. We would be better to leave the past where it belongs since yesterday's solutions rarely apply today.

In today's context, we may only learn by making a series of mistakes.

Needless to say, even at the edge of chaos, there are always certain fixed points -- "universal human values" -- that should help steer us in the right direction toward the future.

D. CHANDRAMOULI

Jakarta