Jennie M. Xue

Liberal democracy and compassion for Indonesia

by Jennie S. Bev

Barack Obama has not confirmed when he’ll be visiting Indonesia, thus it is not too late to remind ourselves that Indonesia is interested in promoting liberal democracy alongside the United States.

It is good timing for Indonesia to end its ambiguity in world politics by supporting Obama’s cause. Especially with recent persecutions against minorities – LGBTQ, non-Muslim and Chinese-Indonesian – and the continued condonation of violent acts performed by Islamic-fascists, the Indonesian government needs to express repentance and utmost support toward minorities and its people. By the time Obama arrives in Indonesia, we should be prepared to present that we are ready to change.

Persecution, minority rights, and being human

by Jennie S. Bev

Immanuel Kant posited that not all humans are considered as persons. He argued that being a human isn’t sufficient to make one and to be considered as a person. A human being is considered a “person” when he or she possesses more than rationality, but more importantly a community in which he or she has a place to experience consciousness, reason, motivation, communication, and presence of self.

Arguably, in Indonesia, being a member of minority groups, based on faith, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and political affiliation oftentimes places one in a difficult position where he or she is “discounted” person, even a “discounted” human being.

Happiness, positive psychology, and liberated learning

 

by Jennie S. Bev

The motivation and self-help industry is worth US$64 billion worldwide. People, who are seeking for a voice of reason and enlightenment, turn to print, electronic, and audio books and videos of motivational learning.

It taps a huge market for the optimization in human achievement, which can be attained more efficiently through positive psychology and liberated learning.

It is something to ponder upon pertaining to optimization of dissemination of democratic learning opportunities throughout the Indonesian archipelago. By narrowing the digital divide throughout Indonesia, we should be able to implement effective liberated learning through an online environment based on positive learning psychology.