Go to: Chipping In

This would be my last entry in Pilgrim for Life.

Remember when I said I was starting to be uncomfortable with the name pilgrim for life? Well, guess what, the feeling has gotten stronger and stronger. So I am changing my blog's name.

From now on, I shall write my thoughts in Chipping In .

But I shall not delete this blog, however uncomfortable I am with the name. Because this blog has been a part of my journey, and an important part as well.

Thank you for walking the journey with me. Thanks for the support. Keep reading. And let's start doing something. Anything.

The umbrella boy

I wanted to have lunch at the canteen at the back of my office building. It was raining. So I called one of those boys who rent out umbrellas for the pedestrians.

He walked beside me in the rain. Of course, I chatted with him – cannot have a living being (note: not only human) standing beside me without me chatting with him/her.

I asked him why he was not at school. He said he has graduated from the high school of economics and now he is unemployed. He wanted to enroll in a higher degree education but he has not money.

Do you know how many Indonesians have graduated from high school or higher? About 23%. More than 20% do not even graduate from elementary school. (data: Statistics Center Bureau, 2004)

So if a high school graduate can only rent out umbrella for a mere five thousand rupiah or less (about fifty cents US dollar) during rainy days, imagine those have received a lower level education.

Tell me we do not have a problem. Tell me we can continue living our lives the way we do. Tell me we can ignore the suffering of the less fortunates.

Start doing something. Anything.