Many people will feel very sad when they face a farewell. By farewell we won’t stay together any longer with whom we want to stay for long. That’s why there are so many reunions are being held to sustaining the solidarity because many people may assume that farewell could reduce the degree of solidarity. But, we must be critical. Do you think that farewell is simply as physical separation? If yes, then you would still being captived in a physical dimension only. If yes, then you would still attend to so many (maybe) useless reunion without being critical for the false reality like what I’ve mentioned in some of my previous writings. We must go further to see the sociological dimension, that is social dimension. University of Indonesia Sociologist, Prof. Paulus Wirutomo used the term “social” to point a relation or interaction with others and He stressed the importance of good relation with others. From this basic point then we could really dissect the reality.
A French Sociologist, Emile Durkheim said that solidarity is the answer why society still survived. Well Durkheim focused on macro level of analysis and here I might not do so because I’m not philosophizing a society as a whole. I just put my scope at meso or micro level where there are some people that bounded as a small community within a society. Solidarity is still existed on that level and I think it will be more concrete than talking about society as a whole. When we talk about solidarity we talk about a harmonic condition. Durkheim classified two different kinds of solidarity, mechanical and organic. Put it simply, by mechanical solidarity everybody will be bounded by a general norms (universal principle) and by organic solidarity you will be bounded by interdependency. My question is : Are they really exist? If not then we still have one more type of solidarity that is coercive solidarity which can be maintained by someone who are the element of structure or having a power (to be precise : authority in Weber’s term), but I don’t think it’s a genuine solidarity.
Now, let’s focusing on farewell and solidarity in social dimension. Physically, farewell can happen when we are not in the same spatial territory anymore and we need to hold a reunion party so everybody can see each other again. Many people tend to focus on this dimension. It’s true that reunion has such function, but we must go further critically. Socially, farewell can happen when there is no longer good relation with others and if this happens then the genuine solidarity will be broken. Those who hold an important position in that small community could coercively maintain the solidarity, but it’s not a genuine one. That person could utilize a structural instrument (rules) to keep all members unite or else they will be punished.
Sometimes we need to questioning (who’s rule, what is the purpose, for whom) that rule because it might not throw the problem away, but you are constrained to fight against the unequal treatment (which is the root of conflict) in order to preserve a ‘harmony’ (the sustainability of domination by others who treat you ruthlessly). Or in other word you must accept the unequal social system without any rebel. Those who have certain status (superior standing) could also maintain the solidarity in a hegemonic way, but still it’s not genuine. If some members have a critical consciousness then the hegemonic power might possibly be destroyed. I label these two kinds of solidarity as a false solidarity which seems harmonious outside, but it has a dark spirit inside. A genuine solidarity must be desired by all members until it has its own life (social fact in Durkheim’s term) whether mechanically or organically. One example of the fade of organic solidarity is social exclusion where certain people are being excluded from social networking in which he or she should have certain function. Usually it happens horizontally (horizontal exclusion).
From here I could conclude that it’s very useless to holding a reunion if there is a farewell in social relation (the destruction of genuine solidarity) and it haven’t fixed yet until the physical farewell comes. It’s better to make up a reconciliation first. I think this is the most crucial thing that many people like to forgot. They assume that everything is in a good condition whereas there may an unequal treatment to each of community member that lead to a fragmentation and conflict. Note that inequality is one of the source of social conflict. For example I’ve mentioned it in my previous writing which tells that unequal social recognition would lead to a conflict. I stand on a critical thinker’s thought, Axel Honneth who said so. That’s why we have to be critical for any reunion as a way to enhance and sustaining solidarity after a farewell (physical farewell). It won’t sustain any solidarity if there is no genuine solidarity which is built up before physical farewell. So, keep in your mind readers that social farewell must be considered first before you make up a plan (reunion) to end up a sad feeling caused by physical farewell.
