Complexity is Symphony

Complexity has never been more complex. We live in the age of multi dimensions. Everything comes from various directions -- information, goods, knowledge. Some pay attention and get overwhelmed, some ignore the existence, and a small proportion of the global population embraces complexity. Embracing it is to take advantage of it by creating hubs, connecting dots or even making money off of it.

“The joy that I feel every morning, the enthusiasm for my work, the boundless love which fills my heart for all around me, brings forth a vision of the community: a community in which people of all nations and cultures work and learn in peace, and resonate together in harmony as a symphony; ..." -- Dr. Ibrahim Aboulesh of SEKEM Egypt.  

SEKEM Group is known for its endurance over decades. Since the inception of the first company in the group in 1977, 9 other organizations have been formed -- for-profit companies (including a packaging company and a seedling supplier) and a foundation under which kindergarten, primary and secondary education is provided (mainly for the blue-collar employees' children). 

Dr. Aboulesh began his work by starting an organic farming movement because he saw a destructive pesticide-driven food industry in Egypt. Then he found his way to founding other ventures, and I suspect, these ventures were intended to recreate a brand new, sustainable supply chain with optimal efficiency and prospects for job creation. Creating a community, as he claimed.

This is what brave visionaries do. Start with something small and address opportunities and loopholes in the market incrementally. This kind of movement is what I have learned to admire, admittedly instead of those doing one thing and one thing only (especially without forming partnerships with others).

Dr. Aboulesh spent 21 years in Austria and then he packed his bags and moved his family to Egypt. Though he was not completely a no-one (knowing the former president Anwar Sadat when growing up in Egypt), he knew nothing about farming. His work was joy as he was solving a monstrous puzzle of the economic frailty and inequality in Egypt. 

And as I continue on taking small steps for Sarjana, hunting down prospective partners and cheerleaders of Sarjana, coming up with initiatives .... And on, and on, and on .... And staying cost-efficient, nimble, and really, brave. The complexity of problems around higher education in Indonesia for too many decades has been producing, mostly, the kind of graduates that is not employment-ready, unable to think critically and creatively. The egos, inefficiencies and lack of vision is what makes me get up in the morning to scheme new ways, partnerships and projects for Sarjana, knowing that some will fail. There is not yet a harmony in Sarjana, but it is like what you hear a 2-year-old singing along to songs he hears on the computer -- it can be a viral video on Youtube and people get on board. Nonetheless, the complexity in its growing operations is like a symphony; there is a small orchestra behind it that creates and molds tunes everyday.

Transition and Possibilities

Here I am at a major crossroad again, exploring exciting possibilities for my personal journey. Bootstrapping has been halted for two months, as I made a radical decision leaving a dead-end job and pursued consulting gigs as a DC entrepreneur.

Yes I am surprised that I am still in DC, as a one-year old Social Enterprise scholar/practitioner who struggles to make sense and sells his credentials to continue boostrapping. And DC over time seems more and more bleak -- risk aversion of DC folks seems repulsive to me and there are less and less people I want to connect with.

In times of transition, it is easy to make up and feel the emotions of regrets. Damn! Why did I have to pick this degree and take all those classes? Why didn't I see what I see now? Could have take web dev and programming classes! Could have gone to Boston dadada ... But hey, where I am now, having met my partner in crime for a lifetime, is priceless, indeed!

As I am constantly bothered by the existence of only 2-3 possibilities going forward, I have been looking for a job for two months, while running my venture and hunting down more consulting gigs. It is a dream to enter a new era of my career, having a full time job in the same field as my venture. But the reality is quite a few major changed have to happen to reach it. Now decisions take two.

And two months have passed where I am launching a new portal that opens up a whole world of possibilities for Indonesian graduates. I am exploring opportunities for Sarjana and found quite a few -- a few revenue generating products, a few partners and a few short-term goals. 

I am not the kind of person who can sit back and relax for a prolonged period of time, yet! It is unhealthy half the time because the feeling of uneasiness cripples me. But transitions in the past have helped me make decisions that I am proud of and mistakes that I learned from. As scary and lonely it is being with my own thoughts, I have to tell myself that I have to be OK with my own character, that I have never seen my life as the keep-it-simple kind. My dream is complex and I am sticking to it.