TOWARD THE MATURITY OF HUMANITY AMID THE CHAOS OF LIFE
By: Wari Wicatman
The world today is sick. Not because we lack technology. Not because we lack intelligence. We have AI, rockets to Mars, and medicine for diseases that once killed. But at the same time, we still fail at the most basic thing: living in peace.
Wars still exist. Poverty still exists. Hoaxes spread faster than facts. Trust in leaders, institutions, even in fellow human beings continues to collapse. It feels like we live in a noisy market, everyone is shouting, but no one is truly listening.
Maybe it’s time we ask: has humanity matured?
Maturity is not about age. Our civilization is thousands of years old, but our mindset is still like that of teenagers. Teenagers are selfish, emotional, want to win alone, and are unwilling to take responsibility. The proof? We are still busy blaming “them” when “we” are also part of the problem.
Collective maturity can only be born from 3 things.
First, free ourselves from prejudice
A mature human being realizes there is no “them.” There is only “us.” The fate of farmers in Indramayu, factory workers, fishermen in Karangsong, and entrepreneurs in Jakarta, all are in the same boat. If one part leaks, we all sink. Prejudice of religion, race, and nation are childish games we must leave behind.
Second, unite knowledge and conscience
Science without heart creates bombs and exploitation. Religion without reason creates fanaticism. Economy without justice creates inequality. A mature human is one who dares to use reason to think, and heart to feel.
Third, shift from demanding rights to carrying responsibilities
Teenagers ask “what can I get?”. Adults ask “what can I give?”. When each of us starts from home, from the neighborhood, from the village, to serve instead of to dominate, then the system will change from the bottom up.
Today’s chaos is not the end. It is “labor pain.” Just like a child about to be born causes pain to the mother first. The climate crisis, information wars, moral collapse, all of this forces us to choose: keep fighting like children, or sit together like adults.
Maturity will not fall from the sky. It is built every day. From teachers who teach tolerance. From leaders who are honest. From us who choose to extinguish hatred in the comment section, instead of fueling it.
Maybe we will not see that “new world” completed in our lifetime. But our grandchildren will inherit it. And that is why we are obliged to start the process now.
Because the sun will surely rise after the darkest night. And the maturity of humanity is that dawn.
Indramayu, Sunday, August 9, 2026
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