Idul Fitri, locally known as Lebaran, is a very special day for Muslims after one month of fasting. This year'€™s Lebaran is expected to exert a soothing effect following the end of the election season and the confirmation of a new president. While Muslims enjoy the first day after the holy month of Ramadhan, they can turn this coming Lebaran into a moment of societal restoration, which will be instrumental for managing the country over the next five years.

Central to the process of restoration is the power of homo comparativus. Semantically speaking, this term asserts that human beings seek truth by means of comparing things. The very essence of this process is to obtain peace in life by returning to one'€™s identity.

Therefore, Lebaran provides a golden moment to return to one'€™s identity through mudik, which literally means '€œgoing home'€ or '€œreturning to one'€™s place of origin'€.

Usually, mudik is simply defined as the annual exodus of millions of urban dwellers to their hometowns and villages for Idul Fitri. While previous mudik set the scene for urbanization '€” seeing people move from rural and suburban areas to the big cities after the Idul Fitri holiday, the new mudik should focus on deurbanization.

Deurbanization is not necessarily the same as decentralization, in which power is distributed away from the center to local governments. What is necessary in terms of deurbanization is to instill the importance of self-reliance into the minds of people living in rural areas, like villages. For that purpose, a charity-based approach is not the ideal solution. Not only would such an approach negate a necessary spirit of self-reliance among people living in underdeveloped areas, it would also only provide short-term benefits.

Deurbanization can only be implemented using a rights-based approach development, which suggests that rural inhabitants are entitled to economic welfare based on their own wishes and the potential available in their own areas.

Rather than providing villagers with shallow success in cities, those traveling out of the cities during mudik could help their siblings in the village obtain financial support and training in agriculture, plantations and fisheries.

Thanks to mudik, there must be a change in public opinion that the contribution by successful farmers is just as important to the country'€™s economic sovereignty as that from any other sector. Needless to say, there is to need to be ashamed of being a farmer since the country'€™s real economic power still lies in this sector. In many cases, those who are successful in agriculture, plantations and fisheries stand a greater chance of becoming successful entrepreneurs later on than civil servants.

Therefore, the economic effect of mudik should not be underestimated. Emerging entrepreneurs in rural areas will help to encourage young people to stand on their own two feet by starting their own businesses.

The Prophet Muhammad proved himself to be a truthful and trustworthy entrepreneur long before he was appointed a prophet. Nine of the 10 people to whom the Prophet Muhammad promised paradise were entrepreneurs. Put simply, the Prophet loved entrepreneurship, urging Muslims to venture into business and expounding that nine out of 10 sources of earnings can be found in business.

Furthermore, returning to one'€™s identity through mudik is clearly visible from communal features during Idul Fitri celebrations. Unlike Americans putting individualism on a pedestal as part of the American Dream, Indonesians still relate to community in their own identity, despite the widespread selfishness exhibited by city dwellers in this country.

Why do Indonesians still stick to communal features? The answer is that they still appreciate value over price. Indonesia is a value-based society, not price-oriented one. Though we are now living in a modern era, many parents still take chicken, rice or coconuts with them when they visit their sons'€™ homes, even though they may already have chicken coops at their houses. Gadgets '€” cell phones, smartphones, Internet devices and others '€” do not stop people from going home, even though it would be much cheaper and more effective for people to use gadgets to communicate with their families than by traveling to their hometowns.

A tug of war between money and culture cannot do away with the mudik culture immediately. Despite the fact that many Indonesians are becoming increasingly prosperous, money and technological devices cannot substitute people'€™s need for love, interaction and direct visits. High-value happiness is no match for the high price of comfort. Everything is likely related to money, but money cannot determine everything.

Love, interaction and direct visits are inner needs seeking expression. They will be well-articulated through touching, shaking hands, hugging and chatting. Visiting extended family and mutual sharing with friends who have apparently changed provide unspeakable happiness during mudik.

Granted, mudik during Idul Fitri is not a religious ritual. This phenomenon is not found in Middle Eastern countries.

Yet, this is a cultural occurrence with strong economic implications for both rural inhabitants and revelers, as long as its real potential and opportunity are exploited to the fullest.

People'€™s love for returning to their original identity '€” deurbanization and community '€” constitutes the country'€™s social capital that the new government will need to develop this nation for the next five years.

I wish you and your loved ones a very happy Eid Mubarak during this blessed time.

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The writer is a lecturer in cultural sciences at Andalas University, Padang, West Sumatra.

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