How close are we to these recommendations from Mevlana? Who says "whatever exists is within" in their daily errands?Let us have a brief break and think.
How many years ago did we begin living in our current house and current neighborhood?
How respectful are we to our roots?
Do we pay visits to the towns, villages or hometowns of our fathers, mothers and grandfathers? Are we curious about them? Have we fallen asleep under the stars in these towns just once?
Do we have warm, vibrant, sincere and humane feelings about our ancestors? Do we know that our history is not all about land conquests and power changing hands?
Take a look at the guest books of the boarding houses in the towns and villages of England, Ireland and Scotland. You will encounter traces of visits by Americans, New Zealanders, Australians and Africans who migrated from these territories hundreds of years ago, seeking the imprints of their ancestors. Are we curious about our roots? Are we looking for our roots in Central Asia, the Balkans, the Middle East, Africa and other geographies?
Forty-five percent of the people in Turkey are grandchildren of those who migrated to Anatolia to escape genocidal campaigns over the last 150 years. Which books did we read on our ancestors' migration or exile to Anatolia?
What initiative have we taken to erect monuments in memory of our ancestors who died in different parts of the world and our martyred troops? For how long will we keep erecting spiritless, fiberglass statutes?
The understanding of "It is our village even if we do not see it or visit it" is mistaken. If we want to put emphasis on our past, let us grasp the earth where our past lies.
If we cannot go to the territories of our ancestors outside of our borders, let us set our feet on Çanakkale to remember our martyrs who were laid to rest there.
Remember, the best fertilizer for the earth is the footprints of its owners. This is also the case for our homelands.
