Indonesia is a very unique country. This country consists of several large sized islands and thousands small sized island. Each island in Indonesia has its own culture. There are so many cultures in Indonesia and people in Indonesia came from so many ethnics.
People who live in Indonesia also hold various religions as well. This diversity makes Indonesia has very complex lifestyle. People who live in rural areas have different lifestyle than people who live in big cities such as Jakarta, Bandung, or Surabaya. People who have good education in Indonesia also have different lifestyle than people who never get proper education. Rich people have different lifestyle than people who are less wealthy.
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Even though there are so many kind of Indonesian Lifestyle, people who live in this country can be categorized into two large groups. The first one is people who live in rural areas and the other one is people who live in urban areas. On the other hand, there are also several unique lifestyles that might only be found in Indonesia. Below are quick descriptions about various lifestyles that can be found in Indonesia.
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A. The Lives of People in Rural Areas in Indonesia
Rural areas in Indonesia have their own way of life. The rules that apply in rural areas might be a little bit different than the rules that apply in urban areas. Indonesia has very big rural areas.
There are certain areas in Indonesia that are very remote and can’t be accessed easily. The geographical factor also plays main role in shaping the way of life of people who live in the rural areas of Indonesia. Besides work as farmer, some people who live in rural areas might also have several side jobs as well such as fisherman or breeders.
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Basically, people who live in rural areas in Indonesia are considered have better kinship compared to people who live in urban areas. However, in some cases, people who live in rural areas also might be affected by the modern lifestyle as well.
Most people who live in rural areas in Indonesia work as farmer. This is because the land in rural areas is still fertile and not being used for infrastructure such as office building, housing, or other public structures.
The geographical condition and the location of the rural areas might also affect the type of job that is chosen by people who live in rural areas. For example, rural areas that are located on the coat usually have people who work as fisherman while rural areas that are located under the mountains usually have people who work as farmers or lumberjacks.
Generally, people who live in rural areas in Indonesia are homogeneous in various aspects of live such as in livelihood, religion, customs, and lifestyle. Other thing that is considered as the characteristic of people who live in rural areas is mutual cooperation.
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There are several characteristics of people who live in rural areas in Indonesia. These characteristics are:
- Interaction between the members of society.
- There are customs, rules, and specific law that regulate the behaviors of people who live in that particular area.
- There is continuity in specific term.
- There is a strong identity that bonds all the people who live in that particular area.
On the other hand, rural areas also have their own characteristics as well. The characteristics of rural areas are:
- The number of people who live in that particular area is less than 1000.
- Most of the lands in that particular area are used for farming, except for rural areas that are located near the coast.
- The live in that particular area is not too preoccupied by four wheel vehicles since the roads in rural areas are usually not designed for four wheel vehicles.
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Society in rural areas also has its own characteristics as well. The characteristics of society in rural areas are:
- The interaction between the members of society is very close and intense.
- The system that is used in society is based on kinship.
- Society in rural areas usually lives from farming.
- The methods that are used in farming are still conventional.
- The elders play major role in live. This is why it is hard to change society in rural areas since the elders still hold the customs. These elders are usually considered as the formal leaders.
- Social control system is very strong which makes individual is hard to be developed.
- The relationship between members of society is very strong since ach one of them knows each other and helps each other.
Even though people who live in rural areas hold customs and maintain their own values, in this globalization era, these customs and values tend to change due to the influences from outside the society in rural areas. People who live in rural areas start to accept modernism and the new values in their live which might affect their lifestyle and the customs that they hold.
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B. The Lives of People in Urban Areas in Indonesia
Besides rural areas, Indonesia also has urban areas as well. Before we get into the lives of people in urban areas in Indonesia, first you might need to know the definition of urban areas. Urban areas are usually related with cities.
According to Max Weber, cities are the urban areas that became the center of social changes. A city is a world capitalist system. The people who live in the city or urban areas are commonly known as urban community.
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Just like people who live in rural areas, urban community also has several characteristics as well. The characteristics of social live of urban community are:
- The religious aspect of urban community is usually less than people who live in rural areas. This is because urban community tends to be more focus on material world.
- The urban community tends to mind their own business without have to depend to anyone else. In other word, urban community prefers individualistic lifestyle.
- The urban community categorizes job in more strict way. The job and the activities of urban communities can affect their scope of association. For example, government employees tend to mingle with their colleagues than mingle with students or street vendors.
- The chance of getting the job in city is bigger than in rural areas.
- The categorization of job in city is wider than in rural areas since there are various fields of industries in the city.
- The urban communities tend to have rational way of thinking. The interaction between people who live in the city is more interest-based than personal factors.
- The life cycle in the city tends to move in high speed which makes time became very important for people who live in the city.
- The social changes in the city are more obvious since the urban community tends to be more open in accepting outside influences.
- The culture is urban community is more diverse.
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People who live in urban areas tend to have less time to socialize since each member of the society is already busy with their own interests. The pattern of interaction of people who live in rural areas is harmony while people who live in the city tend to have interactions based on economy, politic, education, and sometimes hierarchy. The solidarity pattern of urban communities is formed due to the differences in the society.
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Sanitation
The sanitation aspects, especially about clean water, are not become a major concern for people who live in the city. According to studies that are conducted by WHO, the water system in cities of developing countries is not managed well and might contaminated by many factors. Therefore, the risk of bronchitis and emphysema disease that are caused by air pollution is quite high in the cities.
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The rush and the activities of people who live and work in cities require fast and instant lifestyle. This condition is used by fast food companies. Therefore, the fast food restaurants grow rapidly in the urban areas.
Various types of fast food such as hamburger, pizza, French fries, and fried chicken usually came with very high calories level, low in fiber, and low in nutrients. That’s why nutritionists and health experts usually call this type of food as junk food.
These days, junk food became more popular among kids. Families that live in the cities usually have very busy activities and they don’t hesitate giving the junk food to their kids without paying attention to negative effects that might be caused by this type of food in long term. Fast food restaurants can be found easily in almost any parts of the city these days.
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The lifestyle of people who live in the city and the influences of environment in developing countries have been associated with many essential causes of death besides cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
The rapid increase of people with diabetes might be caused by the combination of genetic factors and diet. Cardiac cirrhosis is usually caused by alcoholism. People who live in the city usually have unhealthy diet. They eat too much carbohydrate, especially sugar and fats.
Moreover, this type of diet might cause various health issues such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. Other types of health issues that usually can be found in people who live in cities are stroke and ischemic heart disease.
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Lifestyles That Can Only Be Found in Indonesia
Indonesia is a very big country with millions people live on it. People who live in Indonesia definitely have different characters. People who live in Indonesia are also known for their diversities as well. There are various customs, races, ethnicities, languages, and religions that can be found in Indonesia. These diversities make Indonesia came with very unique lifestyle that might not be found in other countries.
One of the most interesting things about lifestyle in Indonesia is that people who live in this country have very high creativity in modifying almost anything. People who live in Indonesia can assemble or modify anything to meet their needs. For example, in some cities in Indonesia you will find a very unique vehicle called “Betor”. In local language, Betor is a word that is a combination between two words, “Becak” and “Motor”. Becak is one of the traditional vehicles that you can find in Indonesia. However, these days people are no longer using this vehicle since there is regulation that forbids it.
Bentor is the type of Indonesian Traditional Transportation that combines Becak and motorcycle. You can find this type of vehicle in almost any big cities in Indonesia. Motorcycle modification is also a very popular thing in Indonesia, especially among teenagers. Indonesian people are also known for their creativity in modifying various types of foods as well. This is considered as one of the most important parts of lifestyle in Indonesia.
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Mutual Cooperation
Other thing that became a part of lifestyle in Indonesia is mutual cooperation. Tolerance and mutual cooperation are considered as two of the most essential elements of lifestyle of people who live in Indonesia. Mutual cooperation is usually more dominant in rural areas. People who live in the cities usually have lower mutual cooperation than people who live in rural areas.
However, overall, people in Indonesia tend to have high tolerance and excellent mutual cooperation. The members of society will help each other without discriminating race, religion, ethnicity, and other aspects of life.
If you cane to rural areas in Indonesia, you will find out that people who live in rural areas are very kind and willing to help you in anything. They will provide foods and drinks for you and if you want to stay at their house they will prepare the room for you. People in rural areas also usually work together in the weekend to clean their residence. This activity is considered as a common thing to do by people who live in rural areas.
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Hospitality
Indonesian People are also known for their hospitality as well. Hospitality plays a very important role in lifestyle of people who live in Indonesia. In Indonesia, if people meet with their neighbors on the street, they will smile and greet them. This is considered as a very common thing in Indonesia. If you take a bus and you sit beside a stranger, you might have a chance to involve in a very friendly conversation with that person.
The hospitality of people who live in Indonesia has become one of the reasons why this country is chosen by many tourists from countries outside Indonesia as their destination when they want to go on vacation. Tourists from other countries outside Indonesia are usually impressed with the hospitality that is shown by people who live in Indonesia.
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Habits
In Indonesia, eating is considered as one of the most important activities. Eating not only means consuming the foods that are needed by your body but it’s also considered as one of the medium to socialize with other people. That’s why in many social events such as weeding ceremonies or traditional ceremonies, eating became one of the most important aspects that should be noticed.
When people eat their foods together, they will talk to each other about almost anything. This condition will break the ice and makes the atmosphere becomes more friendly and warm. Sharing foods with your family, friends, or even colleagues is considered as a common thing in Indonesia. Moreover, there are so many choices of foods that you can find in Indonesia since each area of this country has its own traditional foods.
Talking about food, Indonesian people also have a quite unique lifestyle. If you visit Indonesia, you might hear expression that said “If I don’t eat rice, then it’s not eating” in many parts of this country. Most people in Indonesia consider rice as their main food. So even though they’ve already eat noodles or bread, they will still eat rice since they feel that they are not really eating if they haven’t eat rice.
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Indonesian lifestyle also can’t be separated from mall. There are so many malls and shopping centers that you can find in Indonesia. These malls and shopping centers came in various classes, from the most luxurious to the ones that are more affordable for people in lower class.
Visiting malls is not only considered as activity to get things that are needed by people but also can be considered as one of the forms of recreation for people who live in Indonesia. Visiting malls also can be indication of people’s prosperity level as well.
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Not all lifestyles in Indonesia are considered good. There are also some lifestyles of people in Indonesia that are considered as bad habit. One of them is coming late. People who live in Indonesia, especially those who live in big cities, tend to develop a habit of coming to an appointment not on time. They usually came late and make the others upset.
This is considered lifestyle since most people in Indonesia do this. People in Indonesia tend to buy some time and consider appointment as something that is not that necessary.
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Other bad thing that became lifestyle of people who live in Indonesia is curiosity. Most people in Indonesia don’t know how to keep their own business and always try to find out about other people’s affairs. In some levels, this is acceptable. However, there are some cases that make curiosity became quite annoying because it can harm other people’s privacy.
