Finding our way without a map

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