Odisseus’ Mom

Economic claims as the study of social science that deals with the ways in which men and societies seek to satisfy their material needs and desires (Albert Rees 1968). It’s quite a very confident definition I believe.

In the middle of my lonely-studying-night, I find an interesing paragraph excerpted from the book ”The economic approach to human behavior” wrote by Gary S. Becker (1976).

“According to the economic approach, a person decide to marry when the utility expected from marriage exceeds that expected from remaining single or from additional search for a more suitable mate. Similarly, a married person terminates his (or her) marriage when the utility anticipated from becoming single or marrying someone else exceeds the loss in utility from separation in utility from separation, including losses due to physical separation from one’s children, division of joint assets, legal fees, and so forth.”    

My husband once said that, “One should marrying someone just right before the marginal utility of the relationship of the two persons begins to diminish.”  In this term, my husband also uses an economic approach in defining the decision of marriage. But what happened to us was, I am quite sure, that at the time he proposed me to marry him, we didn’t even have the so called special relationship yet. We worked as colleagues at the office at that time, nothing was really special.  

We didn’t even have the special utility from our relationship, except the utility to finish the job as perfect as possible as a team. Suddenly, his proposal, came on one sunny afternoon while I was in Makassar doing some research, changed everything between us. It happened right one week before Ramadhan three years ago. I  couldn’t explain very clear why was at that time I had a unique happy feeling for being proposed by this guy-from-the-office. The stories went very fast following the short message that afternoon. And 4 months after that proposal, we got married in a small mosque near my neighborhood. I’d like to admit here that it is a love marriage afterall!

Can some economists explain me about this phenomena?

1] Dengan menyebut nama Allah Yang Maha Pemurah lagi Maha Penyayang. [2] Segala puji bagi Allah, Tuhan semesta alam, [3] Maha Pemurah lagi Maha Penyayang, [4] Yang menguasai hari pembalasan. [5] Hanya kepada Engkaulah kami menyembah dan hanya kepada Engkaulah kami mohon pertolongan [6] Tunjukilah kami jalan yang lurus, [7] (yaitu) jalan orang-orang yang telah Engkau anugerahkan nikmat kepada mereka, bukan (jalan) mereka yang dimurkai dan bukan (pula jalan) mereka yang sesat.

poem

every time i try to write one

never succeed in just

writing a sentence

perhaps it is

my heart which is

need to be

more open to the beauty

and miracles that happens

or maybe it is

my tongue which is

could not speaks eloquently

i do not know what to say

anymore, i have lost my words already

by: Anonim at FAI Fasilkon UI

Jadilah manusia-manusia langit
Yang dengan sayapnya dapat meringankan beban bumi
Jadilah manusia-manusia langit
Dengan biru lembutnya, mampu memberi keteduhan pada bumi
Jadilah manusia-manusia langit dengan sejuta keutamaannya
Ia istimewa karena rela berkorban, dengan tubuhnya ia payungi bumi
Agar tidak kepanasan …
Ia menjadi mulia, karena baginya… memberi adalah sebuah keindahan,

Keindahan dan keindahan …

Dan ia perlu menerima
Menerima sebuah kekuatan untuk menjalankan tugasnya
Karenanya …
Di pagi hari ia berdzikir
Saat siang ia bekerja dan
Malam hari ia berkhalwat dengan Rabbnya
Sebab tanpa Rabb-nya… Ia pasti bukan apa-apa…

by: Anonim at FAI Fasilkom UI

Ibunda…
Di tirai pagi kubersandar pada dinding kesedihan
Di senandung alam kuberbaring pada rajutan kerinduan

Tidak bunda…
Rindu ini hadir dalam doa anandamu
Agar surga selalu hadir untukmu
Bukan hanya di telapak kakimu