National Awakening and the Crisis of Empathy

Surabaya — History shows many times that civilizations collapse not due to external attacks, but because of the fragility of empathy within themselves. In the midst of a nation fond of extolling nationalism, we confront the most fragile phenomenon in public life: the dwindling of empathy. People are quick to take offence, yet hard to move. A criticism is often seen as a threat, while the cries of the ordinary people frequently go unheard. Even though social media makes it easier for everyone to speak, comment, and even judge, people are becoming harder to listen to and understand the suffering of others. Public space becomes crowded with loud voices, yet poor in social sensitivity. Nationalism slowly ceases to be a sense of humanity, becoming instead a loud slogan spoken, but hollow in action. Therefore, reflection on National Awakening Day becomes important to be returned to its original spirit. Indonesia’s awakening did not arise from hatred or a desire to push others away, but from empathy. At the beginning of the 20th century, a doctor named Wahidin Sudirohusodo witnessed directly poverty, educational backwardness, and the loss of the dignity of the indigenous people due to colonial rule. From that moral restlessness emerged the idea that the nation could only rise through education and shared awareness. History records that the first national awakening was driven not by politicians, but by a doctor. His message was clear: large-scale change is rarely born from power ambitions, but from care for the fate of people. The ideas or ideals of Doctor Wahidin then met the zeal of the young people of STOVIA, such as Soetomo, and gave birth to Budi Utomo in 1908. In the view of Mohammad Hatta, the national awakening grew from an awareness to improve the status of the people, through knowledge, unity, and human dignity. In other words, from the outset, the national awakening was a moral movement. A call to care for others. Without empathy, nationalism would merely be a loud voice that has lost its soul. The courage to listen