Ergenekon…
(Ergenekon was a long lasting series of court cases in Turkey against a supposed organisation in deep inside the State apparatus. This piece was written when a higher court found high ranking army men guilty, essentially of treason. Many people in the country thought the army man had been retained and accused unjustly)
My reactive side says: I do not recognize this judicial system. Politics has overtaken their conscience, once again …
Strategic thinking says: this is beyond your sphere of influence. Some forces are just battling it out.
The part of me capable of systemic thinking says: this is a process: This is the attempt to pull a country trying to develop to a lower treshold, by exploiting the weeknesses of democracy (tyranny of the majority).
Wisdom says: Which court is capable to judge a man’s heart? If the people leading the Turkish judicial system have decided to destroy themselves, and start a process that will end by everybody losing, then the structure was flawed to begin with.
As Gibran says … You can remove the strings of the harp … But who can stop the farm bird from singing?
In the hearts of the people, those (army)men are innocent. Just like others before them in the past. Who could change that?
Love, Tamer.
September 10, 2013
Adressing young people…
Thank God, we do not have much that’s lacking in the cunningness department as a people. In fact, we are experiencing issues because all those types have decided to come together. But, we need systemic thinking. Because strategic thinking works to maximize personal gain. Everybody tries to maximize their interests. Everyone in a struggle against everyone. Whereas, from the system thinking viewpoint we understand that only with cooperation and in the long run and by creating sustainability do systems remain successful. That is to say, success is not something that requires you to sell your soul. Do not do this for the money, money will not bring this to you. Nor will your ego. Because, people in our day have confused happiness with pleasure or ego – that’s where they search for it. Pleasure is not sustainabile beyond a point, nor is the ego. It leads to narcisistic or hystrionic personality disorders. Uncontrolled seeking of pleasure leads to addictions and, then, to depression. In our day, young people are unfortunately thinking they could get everything they want with money or ego, that’s the legacy of individualism. It is possible to reach strategically, but I have not met anybody who is happy because they have accomplished that feat. And I’ve worked with thousands of people. On the contrary, they either turn out addicted or depressed. Or they are constantly struggling with anxiety.
What’s sustainable? There is a system composed of 7 primary emotions. Success is one, but on the condition you give it up at a point. Another is joy of life. (Self-)confidence. Learning. Awareness. Love. Inner Peace. Systems built around those components are sustainable and optimal. And they contain all the necessary resources to deal with life.
Ego does not do this, money does not do this, pleasure will not accomplish this. For human nature to be in balance and be sustainable depends on its capacity to form a system around those fundamental values. We needs this, as individuals, as families, as societies.
From the 2015 Ankara Productivity Week Conference