There's no such thing as a free lunch...Or is there?

Image
It's official. The next president of Indonesia is former army general Prabowo Subianto. Quite how the next five years will pan out is anyone's guess but hopefully the foreign pundits who always bring up his dodgy human rights record will be proven wrong. Nonetheless, on policy making, Prabowo's popularist move to literally offer the poor 'a free lunch' every day of the week does not augur well for the future. Such a policy - if it ever came to fruition - would cost a phenomenal amount of money and likely lead to huge inefficiencies (food waste) and poor incentives (make people lazy). Another concern is Prabowo's strong nationalist bent. Thus, in the possible event that he finds himself with his back against the proverbial wall in the face of stern economic challenges, there is a big chance that he will simply scapegoat foreigners. But he will have to be careful. Construction of the new capital city, Nusantara, for example, is highly dependent on foreign in

One hand clapping: Hakuin Ekaku

Two hands clap and there is a sound. What is the sound of one hand? 
>Hakuin Ekaku 

I’m off to Bali tomorrow for a two-week break seeking pollution detoxification, plenty of solar electromagnetic radiation, psilocybin mushrooms, locally brewed Stormbrewing beer, and even - if I’m very lucky - a mola-mola or two at Lembongan Island

And as for the answer to that famous Zen kōan - well you could spend the next three and a half years in a Buddhist temple - like this one in Banjar, North Bali (complete with a miniature scale Borobodur temple!) – trying to figure it out. Or, alternatively, you could just forgo the enlightenment and slap the poor blighter who asked you across the face! Sma-ck!!!!!!!!!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The 10 best plus plus massage spas in Jakarta

20 things you should know about Indonesian women

The comfort zone (Jakarta hotel and spa)