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Family, neighbours, and communities are frequently overlooked as agents within the social, economic, and cultural dimensions of society. The dynamics within these small circles are often deemed unproductive through the capitalist lens, leading to external interventions under the guise of development. Larger capitalist systems—including corporations, aid programs, and various misguided initiatives—insidiously infiltrate these intimate networks, ensnaring and altering, and even covertly poisoning, the social, economic, and cultural dynamics of lives that once existed in harmony with fellow humans, living beings, and nature.

 

In West Kalimantan—my homeland—forest and land fires occur almost annually, resulting in dense haze that sometimes affects neighbouring countries. The forests and all life within them are reduced to ashes, while our communities face increasing marginalization due to the pressures of monoculture oil palm plantations and mining operations. Traditions and customs are relentlessly undermined by these extractive systems, with a lack of regulations or legal frameworks to protect our living spaces.

 

A myth I encountered in my childhood posits that the arrival of butterflies at one's home signifies impending guests. However, it remains ambiguous whether these guests herald good or ill. This piece draws upon that myth, allowing for multiple interpretations: it may represent the perpetuation of extractive systems masquerading as bearers of prosperity for remote areas, alongside controlling and occupying land deemed 'unproductive' by capitalist enterprises, such as monoculture plantations and mining.

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Yet, amid the fatigue and despair of existing within these systemic constraints, this "guest" can also be interpreted as a positive spirit, awakening a critical consciousness regarding the exploitative systems that have eroded our daily lives. Many have fallen in the struggle, but such sacrifices are never in vain. This positive spirit manifests in our collective efforts to endure, resist, and support one another, a crucial endeavour that must be nurtured for the sake of our present and future.