After seeing the trailer, I asked my friend, who had already watched it, "Is the green one evil?"

"Figure it out yourself," he replied.

I was intrigued enough to watch both films in one sitting.

What is WICKED about?

WICKED is a reimagining of The Wizard of Oz that tells the untold story of the witches (Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good). It explores their friendship and how Elphaba came to be known as “Wicked Witch of the West” after the Wizard and Madame Morrible framed her.

Elphaba is a kind young woman with magical powers who refuses the Wizard’s plan to oppress the Animals of Emerald City. Overnight, Elphaba's face was everywhere. Posters and public announcements branded her as a dangerous witch, turning public opinion against her.

I realized that Elphaba wasn’t as evil as the trailer made her seem. She was framed that way because she wouldn’t let her power be used to destroy what she cares about.

“Wait, is this fkin play about us?”

At first I thought WICKED was just another fantasy musical. Then I realized its conflict wasn’t really about witches. It was about propaganda, power, and how easy it is to convince ordinary people to hate someone based on the information they’re fed.

In WICKED, the Wizard makes everyone wear emerald-green glasses, convincing them that the Emerald City is thriving while giving them a common enemy to blame. Instead of questioning those in power, people direct their fear and anger toward a convenient scapegoat.

I couldn't help noticing uncomfortable parallels with what's happening in Indonesia today. For the past few months, there has been a campaign against the marginalized community here. Posters and public calls have urged their eradication, even though they are simply asking to live safely.

Public attention shifts away from the shortcomings of those in power and toward a vulnerable minority. Many people embrace this narrative because they believe the community has violated their religious values, making it easier for the scapegoating to take hold.

Recently, the administration also enacted a policy classifying this community culture as a non-military national security threat. To my knowledge, this community has never threatened anyone's life. Instead, they have been the ones threatened for loving one another.

And the witch hunt continues…

The aftermath of this policy enactment has caused a lot of violence among the people. There were attacks on innocent people. A crowd attacked a single defenseless person who dressed differently from what most people considered acceptable. The person wasn’t harming anyone. They were simply at work.

Unfortunately, there was little effort from those in position of power to protect these individuals, and many anti accounts continue to spread narratives that harm society as a whole.

Why do I believe this witch hunt harms society?

Think about this: you don’t know how to identify those who are part of this community. They are just like everyone else who live their lives and abide by the law. So one day, these narratives could target anyone including those who attack the community. There could be false accusations that could lead to violence.

How scary propaganda really is

Stories have always shaped how we see the world. They can inspire compassion, but they can also justify cruelty. In WICKED, the Wizard manipulates the people of Emerald City into fearing and turning against Elphaba. In much the same way, those in power can paint an entire community as a threat, even when in reality, they're simply out there being kings, queens, and themselves.

To everyone living under the weight of fear and uncertainty: I pray for your safety. May you all find the peace, and acceptance you deserve.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and decided to take a picture. Then my finger hovered over the Notes app, and this is what I typed:

“Here I am right now, sitting on a wooden pier above the lake, barefoot, listening to the silence. My feet are really cold.”

I think it was around 16-17°C. I am not sure.

I remember asking myself, “When was the last time I felt utterly at peace?”

Truth is, I don’t really know. But right now my mind is really quiet. Not thinking about the past or worrying about the future. I actually feel present, something I haven’t felt in a while.

As the silence grew louder, I could hear the birds singing their songs in harmony with splashes from the little fish swimming beneath the pier. To me it sounded like that Spotify playlist “Relaxing Music with Water Sounds” I used to listen to during my work hours.

You know that feeling when you are constantly exposed to something, and when it’s suddenly taken away you feel ten times worse?

That’s what was happening to me. Two months later. I revisited that note and thought: “am I getting worse or was that the same feeling buried underneath the surface?”

Waking up in your hometown means you have no luxury of having quiet mornings. Everything feels noisy. I’ve tried to silence the noise by listening to my favorite tunes but instead, I think I made it worse. It was so chaotic inside my head that I had no room to simply be human.

I do find it weird that quietness made me feel full, while noise made me feel empty.

Subscribe now

I’ve been searching for answers nonstop. I tried everything. From reading, jogging, writing, calling my friends left and right… nothing. I don’t know how to find peace while shutting off noises at the same time. I came to the conclusion that maybe peace is not something you earn or seek.

One day, I called a friend. We go way back. We haven’t spoken in a while so it was nice talking to her again. I told her that I’ve been struggling with some stuff and asked what she thought about peace. She said:

“Peace is something you receive as you learn to live in alignment with what is true.”

And I literally had an epiphany. (Okay, maybe “epiphany” is a bit dramatic.)

Maybe I might not be able to find peace, but I know I can create the conditions where I can receive peace. I have to learn that I can only control how I deal with things and not the things that I can’t control.