Parámetros de sostenibilidad

Many of the participants were concerned about their romantic relationships, as might be expected among individuals in this age group. They were all very aware of the restrictions on interaction with the opposite sex that are imposed by their religion, and many felt stress because of this. This was particularly the case for the female participants, many of whom had experienced relationship breakups.

“Putus hubungan dengan pacar yang membuat saya sampai sekarang sedih dan sulit untuk melupakan karena hubungan yang dijalani sudah cukup lama”

[I broke up with my boyfriend which makes me sad, even now.

It’s hard to forget this relationship which went on for a long time.]

Participant 1

“Pacar saya memutuskan hubungan tanpa sebab yang jelas dan ternyata dia selingkuh dan saya dan pacar saya sudah cukup lama berpacaran.”

[My boyfriend broke up with me for no real reason, and it turned out he had been with someone else for quite some time.]

Participant 2

“Sebenarnya aku sayang banget sama dia, tapi dia hmmm kayak gak nganggap aku penting, Makanya itu gak ada saying good bye, tau-tau dia gak mau bales chat aku, balesnya kayak gitu-gitu doang, aku telepon gak diangkat-angkat.”

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[I really loved him, but he, well, it was like I wasn’t important to him. So there were no goodbyes, suddenly he didn’t want to respond to my chats, he would just say whatever, when I called him, he wouldn’t answer.]

Participant 3

“Tidak bisa melupakan hubungan pacaran masa lalunya yang telah berjalan cukup lama namun karena agama melarang dan pasangannya pergi begitu saja, kalau teringat suka stres.”

[I can’t forget my boyfriend from before. That lasted a long time but because religion forbade it, he just left me. It makes me stressed to think about it.]

Participant 4

Some participants specifically mentioned that they dislike the religious restrictions on romantic relationships between people who are not married.

“Hubungan dekat dengan teman perempuan, ingin pacaran tapi agama tidak membolehkan jadi selalu kepikiran.”

[You have a close relationship with a girl and you want to date but religion doesn’t allow it – this is always on my mind.]

Participant 6

“Terkadang ada sedikit penyesalan kenapa agama melarang orang untuk berpacaran, yang membuatnya sampai sekarang masih sulit untuk ikhlas dan melupakan hubungannya tersebut.”

[Sometimes I wonder why religion forbids people to date. This is still hard for me to accept and to forget about this kind of relationship.]

Participant 1

Again, perhaps characteristic of their age group, some of the participants found their family to be a source of stress. In most cases, this related to relationships within the family and the expectations of parents that were not consistent with the desires of the participants.

However, one participant felt anxiety for his parents because of their religious behaviour.

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“Ketika dimarahi orangtua . . . Merasa hanya dirinya saja yang sering dimarahi, kedua adiknya tidak pernah dimarahi.”

[When I am scolded by my parents (I feel stressed) . . . I feel like it is only me they get mad at. My two younger brothers never get in trouble.]

Participant 11

“Sebenarnya aku mau nikah cepet…tapi tidak boleh sama orangtuaku.”

[I just want to get married . . . but my parents won’t let me.]

Participant 5

“Faktor orangtua juga bisa membuat saya tidak bahagia, tidak dipercaya lagi untuk melakukan sesuatu.”

[My parents can also make me unhappy. They don’t trust me to do anything.]

Participant 12

“Melihat orang tua yang tidak beribadah.”

[(I am stressed when) I see my parents don’t pray.]

Participant 10

The participants in this study expressed many of the same stresses that characterize young adults’ relationship with parents and other family members. These issues centred on the participants’ aspirations that were different from their parents’; the desire of parents to see their children succeed in the ways considered socially acceptable, such as through higher education; incompatible social goals; and general conflict because the participant felt restricted at home or unfavourably compared to siblings. The participants in this study felt unhappy because of them but were not always able to alleviate the stress and unhappiness using religious strategies, even when they expected and hoped that intensifying their religious activity might have this result.

4.8 Summary

This chapter outlined the findings of this study and presented selected quotations from participant interviews that illustrate the way in which

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the young people who took part in this study expressed their views and experiences. The findings are presented in seven sections that relate to the themes that emerged from the interviews. These findings will be discussed in Chapter 5.

101 CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION

This chapter discuss and analyses the findings of this study. It is divided into seven sections and themes that come from the findings.

They are: the nature of happiness in Indonesia, the importance of ethnic identity, membership in a social group, the use of religious observance to achieve non-religious goals, religious observances as a custom, religious practices as stress management, and happiness and religiosity in young Indonesian Muslims.

Religion is an integral part of life in Indonesia, regardless of the specific religious practices of certain individuals or in a given area. Belief in God is part of the national philosophy, and it is not possible in a legal sense for a person to have no religion, as religious affiliation is recorded on the national identity card and other administrative documents. It is also the case that most Indonesians don’t question their religion, as often occurs in western societies (see Gertz, 1971; Brenner, 1996, for example). In a social sense, it is very difficult to convert to another religion. Because religion is embedded in community and family life, a change in religious practice can have the effect of disrupting a person’s social networks and position in their environment. Indonesians are generally communally oriented and feel it is important to be part of a group (see McCullough and Willoughby, 2009). For many people, it is extremely uncomfortable to feel different from other people in ways that are important and will be viewed negatively by others; converting or changing the visible way in which one practices religion is likely to be seen as negative. This social perception tends to prevent young adults from questioning their religious affiliation. This is different from many western societies where it is considered usual and appropriate for people in this age group to think about religion and its role in their life and perhaps choose to practice a religion different from the one they were raised in (see Voas and Crockett, 2005; Smith, 2003; McGuire,

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2008). Religion in Indonesia is an important component of personal identity that allows a person to be part of a community mainstream, which is generally very important to their psychological wellbeing and happiness.

The aim of this research was to elucidate the relationship between religion and happiness among young adults in Indonesia. The participants in the study were all Muslim and were enrolled at a public Islamic university in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital. In terms of religion, they represent the majority of the public; Indonesia’s population is estimated to be up to 88% Muslim, making it the largest Muslim population in the world and accounting for about 13% of the world’s Muslims (Pew Research Center, 2010). Like many other Indonesians their age, the participants in this study aspire to professional careers and expect to join Indonesia’s growing middle class when they graduate.

Like other young people of a similar age in Indonesia and elsewhere, they had many of the same concerns that included the difficulty of finding employment, the desire to be involved in a romantic relationship, the desire to please their family but also to pursue their own interests, and so forth. The aim of the study was to determine whether and to what extent the religious beliefs and practices of these young people were related to their happiness and, if so, in what way.

The central role that religion plays in both the public environment and personal life in Indonesia suggests that religion may be significant in contributing to the happiness of young people and, by extension, to their wellbeing.