THE NEXT DAY
Morning arrived for Marlon. Today, he would be returning to his classes. After getting ready, he left for campus alone since his class schedule differed from that of his twin sister, Riri.
Upon arriving, he parked his motorcycle and headed straight to class, waiting for the lecturer to arrive. This was his final semester at the university, and he only had 2 credits left to complete before graduating. While attending his remaining classes, he was also working on his thesis.
For his thesis, Marlon wanted to explore the true nature of the world. He felt that the values and perspectives he had learned so far were insufficient. He believed that the world was not created in black and white. Instead, it was a vast grey area, where the lines between right and wrong depend on the perspective from which one views them.
Marlon even believed that humans were never meant to be entirely honest. Humans are social beings, and to maintain harmony within a group, honesty and truth are often restrained.
For example, in early human civilization, when people lived in caves and had to hunt for food, there must have been a hierarchy within those groups. Leaders—chosen perhaps for their strength or intelligence—would naturally have more privileges than others. In such a system, individuals played roles based on their abilities.
However, in environments ruled by the law of nature, honesty was not always beneficial. Members of the group often had to withhold their dissatisfaction to avoid conflict.
For instance, someone who felt they didn't get a fair share of the hunt might stay silent out of fear of challenging the group's leadership or stronger members. Meanwhile, those with physical or intellectual advantages saw their privileges as the natural result of their superiority. From there, the concept of absolute justice and truth began to erode.
This inequality can even be extended to the spiritual realm, such as the concept of destiny. Humans are not created with equal abilities; each individual has their own traits and characteristics.
These disparities result in different life outcomes from birth. We are not destined to have the same capacities. Because of this, inequality begins the moment we are born.
Marlon concluded that God's justice in this world is, paradoxically, injustice itself. Whether someone is a president, a billionaire, a regular employee, or unemployed—they all experience injustice in life, only in different forms. A wealthy businessman who grows old may feel it's unfair that he doesn't get to enjoy the fruits of his labor longer. His family may feel it's unjust that he was rarely home, always caught up in his career.
Every life choice carries its own benefits and sacrifices. To gain something, we must give something up. As the saying goes, "There's no such thing as a free lunch." Everything has a price—whether in money, effort, time, or missed opportunities. In economics, this is known as opportunity cost: every choice means giving up another option.
In society and religion, we are often taught to value only the "positive." We're conditioned to divide the world into a realm of WHITE, symbolizing goodness and truth, and a realm of BLACK, associated with evil and wrongdoing. But in reality, the world can't be split so neatly. It is a balance of both. The world is a vast GREY area, where both good and bad have their own pros and cons—depending on how we look at them. You can't judge them solely in binary terms.
Driven by this perspective, Marlon decided to center his thesis around the nature of reality. To simplify the concepts of BLACK and WHITE, he would examine them through the spiritual lens of the Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Heavenly Virtues—concepts rooted in Christian tradition and widely regarded as moral guidelines.
While the spiritual world categorically separates these two groups, reality does not make the distinction so easily. Both the Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Heavenly Virtues play crucial roles in sustaining life on Earth—across fields like economics, innovation, and the evolution of human culture and behavior.
As he waited for class to begin, Marlon continued to reflect on these ideas swirling in his mind. The campus building buzzed with students chatting and laughing, but to Marlon, the noise faded into the background. His thoughts were occupied by how to merge theory and reality into a cohesive thesis.
He envisioned a large diagram in his mind, with two circles—one representing the Seven Deadly Sins, the other the Seven Heavenly Virtues—overlapping in the middle. In that grey intersection, he believed, lay the answer to the world's moral ambiguity.
How greed could drive innovation. How humility could suppress competition. He wanted to explore how these seemingly opposing traits could actually complement each other.
Marlon realized this topic could be controversial, especially in an environment that clung to traditional values. But to him, that only made the issue more urgent. He wanted to challenge old assumptions and encourage readers to view morality and ethics through a wider lens.
When the lecturer finally arrived and began discussing the role of ethics in modern technology—a subject closely related to Marlon's thesis—he immediately focused on the discussion.
After class, Marlon made his way to the campus cafeteria for lunch, jotting down more notes. He smiled as he reread the idea about wealthy businessmen who find it unfair that they don't live long enough to enjoy their riches. It reminded him of stories he'd heard about magnates like Rockefeller and Morgan. He couldn't fully verify them, but they made sense in his logical framework.
He often overheard conversations like:"You're lucky—you've got money and everything you want."To which the reply would be,"Sure, I have money, but I barely have time to spend with my wife and kids. There's always something to work on, someone I need to meet."
He also recalled chats between his father's entrepreneur friends:"You're lucky to be rich at such a young age—you have time to enjoy it!"Only for the younger one to respond,"Sir, you flatter me. I'm still far from your level. And I can't enjoy this success with my family yet—I'm still in the growth phase. I barely have time. Twenty-four hours isn't enough to reach the kind of stability you've achieved."
Conversations like these only convinced Marlon further: God's justice is, in fact, the presence of injustice for everyone—just in different forms.
Marlon became even more excited to dive into the societal values passed down from ancestors or rooted in religion, and to examine how these ideals manifest in real life.
Riri, intrigued by what her twin brother had shared, was enthusiastic about the idea. Studying economics and management, she saw the potential for valuable insights in Marlon's thesis.
"Let me help you finish your thesis," said Riri, eyes gleaming with excitement as she playfully squeezed Marlon's shoulder.
Marlon winced, grinning through the mild pain caused by her long nails."Alright then, come with me. Let's travel the city—and maybe other regions in Indonesia—to observe society's odd behaviors," he replied with renewed energy.
And thus began the journey—the adventure of Marlon and Riri, twin siblings in pursuit of truth in a world full of contradictions. A new chapter was about to unfold.