The Absurdity of Oversharing

Every time I get informed about some random people's personal lives being on the news; local, regional, or even national, I cannot stop thinking about their life. Are they feeling comfortable while their personal lives are being consumed by society? Or are they feeling proud of being famous? 

Years ago when the internet was not for everyone, personal life stories were shared between family members, close friends, or neighbors. They were trusted that they would not share the stories to people outside of the circle. Those who were not in the circle were not supposed to hear the stories. Personal lives, therefore, remained personal.

And not to forget about celebrities' personal lives, years ago not many people really cared about their idol's personal life. They chose to care about admiring his/her work in the field of music, movie, or art. If they wanted to dig deeper about his/her personal life, they had to buy some magazines or newspapers. Or they waited for a TV program airing celebrities' life stories. From what I remember, TV programs about celebrities' lives in the old days were aired not as often as these days.

Nowadays, when the internet is unlimitedly accessible for everyone, we are forced to consume the personal lives of either celebrities or ordinary people. Though we are not interested in one celebrity, we might stumble across an article, or at least a trashy clickbaiting headline discussing that celebrity's personal life. And it is an eyesore!

The worst part is when TV stations and online media are bombarding us with tragic, bad news about ordinary persons' personal life. From the case of adultery to domestic violence, it all starts from the persons' careless decision to post it on social media. And, of course, that social media post can be a 'valid' source for those infotainment journalists to produce news. The more sensational the news they produce, the more clicks they will get, and the more money will come to them. 

To be honest, it's a good thing when we like to write and we can make money from our writing. And, in fact, the internet is one of the best places for persons who have a passion to write. However, it will be much wiser if they choose some better topics to write; not just some crappy stories about someone's embarrassing misfortune.

Now, don't you think that some people are so absurd that they over share their dirty laundry on social media? What is their purpose in doing so? Do they need supports from their followers whom they mostly don't recognize? Or do they want to be famous by sharing a sensational story about their personal life?  

For me, over sharing on social media is pointless. Let me keep my dirty laundry for myself. And let me finish it without asking for attention online.

Problems Happen

We often experience some mental fatigue when everything seems to go out of our control; the missed deadlines, the angry customers, the unfinished housework, the toxic relationships, and some other problems of life. 

How happy our body when we feel very tired after doing restless physical activities. Our body really knows its function to sense its power limit. Our body also absorbs every positivity from a good quality of rest.

However, the situation will be quite different when we are mentally exhausted. Our body feels the urge to burst out and we are not able to enjoy our rest. I know that feeling all too well. And I know why it happens to me. One clear cause is that I force myself to multitask. I am not a qualified person to do multitasking stuff, and when I force myself to do it, I get burnouts.

Anyway, when we are still alive, problems will always happen. Those problems are what make our life worth living. They will make us stronger and wiser as long as we don't run away from them. It is a good thing to choose to deal with our problems because that makes us human. Human beings are always allowed to choose options when dealing with their problems. They are allowed to make bad decisions.

So, when you are still breathing, just accept the fact that problems, easy or difficult, will come to you. Enjoy your time when facing them before you come to your final destination: death.

Kreativitas Perempuan

Pernahkah terlintas di benak kita tentang gambaran sosok perempuan masa lalu? Munculkah sosok imajinatif perempuan beruban dan mengenakan kebaya? Bagaimana gambaran sosok perempuan masa kini? Berpakaian ala pekerja kantoran dengan sorot muka cerdas? Lalu muncul sosok seperti apakah sosok perempuan masa depan? Berpakaian ala tokoh anime Jepangkah?😁

Apapun dan bagaimanapun sosok perempuan di benak kita, satu hal yang pasti adalah perempuan-perempuan itu mempunyai satu kesamaan, yaitu femininitas. Mereka makhluk yang lembut, sabar, dan penyayang. Secara struktur biologis pun mereka diharuskan untuk jadi makhluk yang lembut, yang seharusnya melakukan aktivitas apapun dengan penuh elegan. 

Berkat femininitas itu pula, perempuan dianugerahi panjang akal. Pernyataan tersebut bukannya tidak berdasar. Saya mengutip dari www.rolling stone.com:

"A new study from music researchers has found that women are engaged in creative fields like art, music, and literature at higher rates than men - and are generally more creative than men."

Saya sebagai perempuan merasa bersyukur karena dianugerahi tubuh yang ternyata sangat mendukung untuk jadi orang yang kreatif. Banyak perempuan yang nyatanya bisa mendapatkan kesuksesan ketika mereka berkiprah di dunia seni dan sastra; dunia yang menuntut kreativitas tinggi. Meskipun memang banyak juga dari pihak laki-laki, keberadaan perempuan yang mampu sukses di bidang itu padahal mereka juga melakukan aktivitas harian yang sangat padat, membuktikan bahwa perempuan memang makhluk hebat.

Para perempuan yang membaca tulisan ini pasti mengingat saat-saat berada di situasi genting, dan tiba-tiba ada ide untuk menyelesaikannya ataupun keluar dari situasi genting tersebut. 

Di situasi yang mengharuskan orang untuk segera mengambil tindakan yang kreatif, perempuan pasti lebih cepat memunculkan idenya. Hal itu bisa jadi disebabkan oleh kebiasaan perempuan yang lebih sering mengedepankan emosi terlebih dahulu daripada pikiran-pikiran logis.

Seandainya yang didahulukan adalah logika, akan muncul banyak pertimbangan yang pada akhirnya hanya akan menimbulkan keraguan. Namun karena perempuan dikatakan lebih emosional, maka wajar saja jika ide-ide kreatif bermunculan dari benaknya berkat dorongan emosional untuk segera keluar dari masalah.

Maka berbahagialah para perempuan pada hari ini, 21 April, yang diperingati sebagai hari Kartini dan sekaligus hari Kreativitas dan Inovasi Sedunia. Semoga para perempuan Indonesia, yang dikaruniai berkah kreativitas yang luar biasa, selalu tetap bersahaja dan memahami kodratnya sebagai perempuan, serta tidak pernah memandang sebelah mata terhadap laki-laki.