Letter No. 2: Nexus

Written by Melissa Sunjaya
Illustrated by Melissa Sunjaya

The second letter from The New East Indies studies the essence of touch in human connection. The cultural shifts during this robotic era have caused an intricate connectivity and some communication conflicts, leaving touch and empathy as an unfamiliar and rare language. I recounted my personal experiences in discovering the harmony between heterogeneity in her surroundings.

Nexus, in the context of this letter, is the connectivity between human with his kin, human with robot, and human with his inner spirit. Through my own experiences, the most important is to know myself. As an independent self, I could be free, able to control my emotions, and ardently responsible towards my own behaviors. The New East Indies is post-independence period. In reality, I have to keep my consciousness towards this concept of being free in the current condition of Cyber-Industrialization.

I used the set theory, formulated by Georg Cantor, to recount several experiences in defining personal identity, the connections between humans, and an organization:

a. ‘Kristalisasi’ | Union of 2 sets or more: A process to unify of several different opinions to conclude in one objective and to come up with a better condition. In unity, humans will see better, think better and act better.

b. ‘Kohesi’ | Complement of 2 sets or more: A process to view diversity as a complement to one’s character and a method to reach a more solid phase. When our differences are set aside, I comprehend that all humans are equal. We all love freedom, believe in tenacity, and despise unfairness.

c. ‘Asimilasi’ | Intersection of 2 sets or more: A process of connecting two or more different ideas with openness and empathy, by initially defining the intersecting condition which eventually would make all parties operate better.

d. ‘Lokus’ | Cartesian product of 2 sets or more: A process of finding the balancing locus within ourselves and the human connections. With this balance, everyone will earn self independence and foster a better connection with others.