From Selfism to Indifferentism: Challenges Facing Indonesian Society and Culture, 2015–2045

Abstract

As Indonesia as adapted to changes in its regional and global environments, its transformations have produced both progress and threats. Society has changed in the face of three major forces, namely increased mobility, greater technologization, and diverse mediations in all parts of life. These forces have laid the foundation for significant transformation, which has only rarely been analyzed comprehensively. This article is a projective one, intended to examine these changing contexts' implications for Indonesia's security and insecurity over the next three decades. The concepts of threats, challenges, obstacles, and disturbances are used as the framework for analyzing projected situations and conditions. Keeping in mind the lengthy consequences of insecurity, three phenomena should be anticipated: selfism (a deification of the self); greedism; and indifferentism. Expected future insecurities include excessive egotism, exclusive greed, and broad indifference. This article offers four anticipative scenarios: accommodating difference and disparity, developing inner potential, promoting public participation in problem-solving, and understanding social perspectives about problem-solving.