What If the Minister Didn’t Show Up, But the Wisdom Still Did?

When the minister didn’t show up, wisdom did. A day of unexpected lessons and inspiration.

"Disappointment has a funny way of turning into wisdom, if you stay long enough to listen." — Nuniek Tirta Sari

So, I woke up early today. Like, really early. My mission: to attend the OCBC Business Forum 2025 in St. Regis Kuningan and listen to the new Minister of Finance, Mr. Purbaya's speech.

After wrestling through Jakarta’s legendary morning traffic for 2 hours, I finally arrived at the venue. The first dialogue session was already running, and I panicked, thinking I’d missed the minister’s talk. But when I looked at the latest rundown, surprise! His name was nowhere to be found. Apparently, he’d never confirmed attendance in the final version.

Ah, the classic “expectation vs. reality” moment.

OCBC Business Forum 2025

I just laughed. Not even disappointed anymore, just… amused. Because really, what else can you do when the main reason you came didn’t show up? The only thing to do was pivot. Or in my case, pivot to the buffet table.

And what a buffet. Let’s just say, if macroeconomics doesn’t fill you up, beef steak and soto tangkar certainly will.

But beyond the food coma, something else made the whole morning worthwhile: one particular session titled “Passing The Torch: Next Gen Power in Family Office.”

Dr. Hadi Cahyadi took the stage, and instantly owned the room. He wasn’t just smart; he was funny in that subtle, dry-humor kind of way that makes serious truths land softer but stay longer.

Here are three things he said that I wish every overworked parent and entrepreneur could hear:

1. “At home, change your hat.”

He said, “When you walk through your front door, take off your CEO hat, your professor hat, your consultant hat, and put on your daddy hat, your husband hat.”

Instant guilt trip, but also instant clarity. Because how often do we bring our ‘boss mode’ home and accidentally treat our family like a team of underperforming interns?

2. “Don’t just pass down money; pass down meaning.”

He said that the true inheritance isn’t wealth, it’s wisdom.

Knowledge, experience, and social capital, those are the real legacies. You can leave your kids millions, but if they don’t understand effort, empathy, or failure, that money will evaporate faster than your weekend energy.

3. “Let your kids make mistakes. Forgive them. Move on.”

This hit me right in the mom-heart. Because raising kids is basically a crash course in watching them trip, recover, and sometimes trip again on the same rock. But Dr. Hadi reminded us that mistakes are part of their training ground. If we punish too hard or cling too long to their errors, we’re not raising resilient adults; just fearful ones.

Honestly, by the end of his talk, I forgot all about the missing minister. I realized I didn’t come to be updated on policy; I came to be reminded of priorities.

Then came the second act of my day: the Global Startup Academy – Indonesia Program: Demo Day.

Hosted by KOSME, Global Startup Academy, and Mulia Sky Capital (with Endeavor Indonesia’s support), this event gathered nine Korean startups pitching their ideas to a crowd of investors and ecosystem players.

If the morning was about passing the torch, the evening was about lighting new fires. Each founder stood there with equal parts nerves and conviction, trying to turn their startup dreams into cross-border realities.

It was inspiring, and humbling, to see how much energy and optimism can fit into one event hall. As they shared their visions for innovation, I thought again of Dr. Hadi’s words. Maybe “passing the torch” isn’t just about family businesses. Maybe it’s about communities, startups, and nations, too. Sharing knowledge, networks, and hope across generations and borders.

By the time the event wrapped at 7 p.m., rain had poured, traffic was apocalyptic, and my brain was somewhere between “inspired” and “exhausted.” But I went home smiling. My mind full of thoughts that would take days to digest, my belly full of dinner, my tote bag was full of merch. Along the way, I had good conversation with my husband discussing all that I've got that day.

It’s funny, I began the day hoping to hear from one famous man, and ended it hearing from many wise ones (and women). Life does that sometimes. You go chasing a headline name, and you end up catching a heart lesson instead.

So here’s the takeaway I’m keeping close tonight:

Don’t measure a day by what you planned to get, but by what you allowed yourself to learn.

Because even when the “main event” doesn’t happen, life still finds a way to hand you something worth keeping, if you stay curious long enough to notice.

Friday, 24 October 2025

Nuniek Tirta Sari

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