I just got back from another family trip, and this time it was Aceh, Indonesia.
About 4 years ago, a tsunami struck the area of Aceh, killing over 100,000 people. Development is still going on today but many people have returned to their lives by now. Aceh has received some international attention due to the tsunami, and that’s a good thing when a lot of people get by with measly salaries and are always in position for a healthy economy spurned by tourism, trade and other external factors.
Land is expensive, and the government gives little for the local industries to thrive. But still, even those who have made their fortunes do return home for the simple life – living by the seaside, serving simple meals to locals and occasional tourists, planting crops, selling snacks on motorcycles. Others will immigrate to Malaysia or move to cities like Jakarta.
It’s strange to me at first to observe some poverty level, but these people are living out their lives quite meaningfully within their own means. Some are quite happy to stay where they are, and have no intention to do anything else or be anywhere else.
It seems obvious to ask about my own condition – should I aim for the simple life and make do with less and be happy with it?
With my experiences and expectations, I do not think I could live on a beach forever. But it does mean a lot to know what I want in life. A lot of people I met in Aceh seemed to know what they wanted in life – even though it was a simple life.
Without all the social baggage of going through a big education, making a lot of money, or becoming successful and popular, the Acehnese make choices about their lives very openly and just need to make ends meet and enjoy the rest. And their friends and neighbors think and act the same way. There’s no pressure whatsoever.
This would be ideal for them if the government actually provides better infrastructure to protect the small investments the Acehnese have made into the land. I don’t think they need a lot. Good roads. Clean water. Protection from wild animals so that their crops can grow. Trade groups.
Not everyone wants to live the ‘perfect’ lives we see on television. I like this article by Penelope Trunk about her farmer friend who’s happy with life the way it is, even though it doesn’t pay very much. The important part is that he wants it that way.
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