"Pertamax, gan!"

No, the title of this entry is not referring to the "non-subsidized" gasoline in Indonesia. We're not going to talk about the anxiety most car users in Indonesia are having for the possibility that in the near future they might be forced to use this gasoline variant to "ease the burden on the state budget", whatever that means.

The title actually refers to Indonesian internet lingo, that is used by so many people when they are the first to comment on something "commentable". Facebook posts. Instagram uploads. Forum posts. Blog entries. The fact that the comment is not even remotely relevant to anything seems, well, irrelevant. Being the first to comment on something is.

When I write this, it's Easter Sunday. The day when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why is this relevant to the title? 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the core of the Christian faith. Who is the first witnesses of this event? Peter, one of Jesus' staunchest disciples? No. Mary Magdalene? No. According to Matthew 28:4, the first witnesses are the guards paid to watch over Jesus' tomb "... lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away..." They are the first to witness such a great event, but what was their reaction? Did they spread the words? Yes. But bad words. Words that carry with them harmful consequences (cf. Matthew 28:12 - 15).

What is the morale of the story, then? Well, for me it is thus: It is not that important whether or not we are the first to know something. What is important is that we have the correct understanding of the event. What is important is that we give the correct response to the event. Being the first to react  to something --- particularly incorrectly --- can be harmful. Think first, make sure that we understand the matter first. And make sure our reaction is relevant. Let's not be those "Pertamax, gan!" posters.

Happy Easter to you celebrating it. 

"Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:18-19, NIV)