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Suruc
Turkish foreign policy used to be based on “peace at home, peace in the world” until recently. I remember Abdullah Gul made a pronouncement as the Secretary of State: “Turkey has interests over Iraq that remain from the Ottoman legacy.”
What happened a short while ago in Reyhali and today in Suruc … the seeds of those events were sown back then. Those that dragged Turkey into the swamp of the Middle East because of their greed started mechanisms that they don’t and probably will never understand.
And, unfortunately, it seems these events will not stop … The solution? To return to “peace at home, peace in the world.”
My condolences to the young, their families, and those of us that have not yet lost their humanity.
Love, Tamer.
July 20, 2015
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The Root of Problems
Despite being a graduate of politics, I cannot stomach it. But, if I were to look at it from the lens of the relation between individualism vs communitarianism …
The issue is not to tell people off. The issue is how did Turkey get here? Paralel states, ISID, attempts at authoritarianism, that the PKK terror could not be ended, plundering the state’s resources … As all our institutions collapse, the country and the economy is headed to oblivion, the politicos in battles of ego, the end of jurisprudence, the people divided, religion manipulated in the name of politics, the country accelerating stead-fast to division, what were we doing really? Other than just moan about the state of affairs …
That’s where the real issue is … Turkey is stuck between reactive people and cunning manipulative types. As the world moves closer to becoming one global system, technological developments accelerate logarithmically, individualism without skill growing around us, we need to prepare for this great transformation by protecting our primary values and teach our children to learn to balance ‘I’ and ‘we’.
Starting from ourselves … Where do you start? There are thousands of ways … Let me give one example. People have primarily 5 areas of interest. People, things, actions, information, and place. That is to say these are what motivates people, that’s what they spend their time and energy on. These are also thought patters or thought habits. One of the underlying dynamics of our behavior …
To describe by generalizing a bit, The Turkish people mostly behave with the people and things patterns. Western European are more inclined to things and action. They know they need to work to get things. Us, on the other hand, because of the prevalence of the people motivator are more concerned with relationships than work. In Americans, the emphasis is on things-action-information. They use information more. In the Japanese, people-action-information comes to the front. They are the closest society to mind-labor-heart. What would happen if they’d also add in balance – who knows?
Teach children to labor, to think strategically and systemically; teach them not to sell their humanity. The solution is in the middle term and the path is through education. Are you saying you are reactive or of the cunning variety – these solutions won’t suit me? Return to the first sentence … How did we get here really?
Love, Tamer
June 9, 2015
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The Path Leading to Optimum
Only a realistic, capable, goal oriented, and flexible person can lead an adaptive life …
– A realistic person assings the right meanings to himself, others, and life. S/he recognizes threats, opportunities, and resources or herself and other people as they are. Neither too big, nor too small. Her meanings and perceptions have settled down.
– A capable person can develop the capacity and habits to deal with reality, s/he can find, access and take advantage of resources in the system or in herself …
– A system without a goal disbands, disolves, and is no longer what it was. A person with goals can create and enact behaviors and actions …
And if you can balance these, you reach sustainability.
Only when we can raise a child in this manner, can we change the world …
Only with optimum balance can we achieve this …
How close/far we are, would you say?
Love,
Tamer
May 26, 2015