Sociodynamics!

Today it has become a revelation to me that social dynamics problems around me (around my village, nearby our cities, and in Indonesia in general) are more severe than I thought.

No it's not technology. Not supply of money. Not any of the core problems that matters on paper. It's probably more about culture. The things we always talk about in real life but never put in an academic journal, thesis, or any written document if you want to be taken seriously.

The words "corruption", "external funding not self-financing system", "waste of time & money", "their own benefits", "self-righteousness", "they are so slow" are lingering in my head. I won't name names, since individual actors aren't the problem. The problem is identifying the pragmatic solution that works.

And I still think there has to be a way...

I remember The Philanthropist. The rich guy who solve corruption by corruption. Excellent lesson of strategies and tactics even if strangely pressing situations. I know it's fiction, but I think it's possible. And I think it's probably the best approach of all the bad choices. Of course, I'm not as rich as Teddy Rist (yet), so I'm having much bigger challenges than him.

Solving a problem not by just attacking the root or the symptoms, but by designing the solution to fit a specific environment under which the solution will "execute".

A great example of this in action is TheFunTheory.com. So we can change people's behavior not by telling them to, or showing them how... but by letting them choose what they think is best for them. In short: incentives.

I'm not sure if I'm getting dumber, or people in general is getting dumber, or that we need more education, or what... but there has to be light. Even if improvement is done progressively that's much better than nothing. Even if little things fail that's good, because then I learn what didn't work. Because I'm not thinking of a big, huge, dramatic kinda' resolution. (it may be huge in the end, but just not at once) "Just start from the littlest thing that works." (thanks Prof. Yunus!)

There has to be a way. I know it. But for that to happen, first I must help myself... ;-)