My siblings and I came from a simple family, not because we wanted to, but because circumstances had us cornered. Our parents had inadequate education, which shaped the course of our lives from the get-go.

My father only graduated from junior high school. He had to drop out to help his grandfather in the gardens and rice fields, working from dawn till dusk. From what I've heard, my dad had to fight tooth and nail through sheer deprivation.

The school environment my father attended was a far cry from ideal for studying. The condition of the school was so bad that he and his friends were often tasked with selling the teachers' wares at school. The merchandise ranged from ice lollies to market snacks.

Yes, you heard right—teachers sold stuffs at school. This situation often made them forget their duties as educators, so students lost motivation to learn.

My father's school was in a remote village, where it wasn’t unusual to see teachers "bullying" students. Back in the day, it was normal to scold and hit students. Compare that to now, where a little pinch leads to parents storming in to curse at the teacher. There have even been cases where students went as far as killing their teachers because they couldn't handle being reprimanded.

We were never in a state of hunger or severe lack, though based on intellectual and social standards, we were in the lower-middle class.

By intellectual standard, I mean education, because the level of education is directly proportional to social capital. As Putnam said in Bowling Alone (2000), "individuals with more education tend to exhibit greater markers of social interaction."

In Putnam's theory, social capital is closely tied to education. Education opens doors to meaningful social interactions, creating strong and efficient social networks. Educated people tend to be more involved in the community, participate more in social activities, and are better at leveraging social relationships for personal and collective success.

Gratefully, even though our parents didn't pass down a big name or wealth, they passed down innate talents that kept us from being complete dummies.

This time, I’m not talking about myself but about my eldest brother, who inherited essential talents like the ability to analyze the environment, negotiate, and use rhetoric and charm.

These talents were undoubtedly inherited from our parents, our grandparents, or even further back.

He's been honing these natural talents since middle school, making him active in many community associations. From religious groups like tausiyah activities, the Subuh Youth Movement (GPS), Musabaqah Tilawatil Quran (MTQ), to intensive Quran memorization programs every Ramadan.

His skills in the religious field made him a sought-after muezzin in mosques and a qori at various events, often earning him some cash. He was also close to a group of rough kids his age, though he never joined their ranks.

This guy has a knack for leadership, making him a leader among his friends, no matter where he goes.

Now, he’s focusing on building networks with several officials in the city of Lhokseumawe and its surroundings. His acquaintances come from all walks of life, including the military, village, sub-district, and city officials, as well as religious figures and Islamic academics he met through tausiyah associations and mosque activities.

Sometimes, I wonder how a kid without even an ID card (17 years old) can gather so many resources. He said he's becoming interested in politics and plans to make a career out of it.

Currently, he’s joined the youth pillar community of one of the major parties in Aceh and is driving the campaign for a mayoral candidate. There, he acts as a coordinator targeting Gen-Z, or young voters, to support the candidate.

I don’t know what the future holds for him, but I can only pray that luck is always on his side.