Even though my son is young, he too knows a little about Mevlana, and he has seen the sema ceremony several times. We have visited Konya often, and from the hotel where we usually stay, my son knows his way to the tombs of both Shems-i Tabriz and Mevlana. A usually energetic boy, upon entering either of these tombs he will suddenly become solemn and quiet, perhaps recognizing the importance of these two places.Mevlana is an important part of Turkish culture, but his timeless messages of love and compassion are known throughout the world. “Come, come, whoever you are, wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving. Ours is no caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vow a thousand times. Come, yet again, come.” These words, translated into numerous languages, give hope in today’s often turbulent world.
The day after we sat together in the living room watching the sema ceremony on television, my mother, my son and I went to a local church to attend a service featuring Christmas carols. To me, there is no sense of dichotomy in this combination of sema one day and church the next day. My son is learning to find the similarities and beauty of both.
At home in Turkey, and when we travel abroad, I like to expose my son to other cultures, traditions and religions as much as possible. To me, this is an important part of growing up as an expat. I feel that in order to understand other people, we need to be as open as possible to learning about cultures other than our own. For expats, it is especially important to be flexible and adaptable as we move between countries, cultures and languages.
My son’s view of the world is generally very different from that of his classmates. This is mostly due to the fact that he has grown up traveling the world and meeting people of many different cultures. His Turkish friends, for the most part, have not traveled outside of their own country, so their exposure to foreign cultures is limited at best. However, I doubt if my son is much different from the majority of expat children who have a multinational home. At our home, we have friends from around the world who come to stay for anywhere from a couple days to several weeks. Because of his exposure from a young age to a rather international household, he has grown up comfortable with a variety of languages, dress, cuisines and religions.
And how, you may ask, does this relate to Mevlana? Mevlana was born in what is present-day Afghanistan, and he spent the majority of his life in the Central Anatolian town of Konya. An expat from a young age, Mevlana learned firsthand about differing religions, traditions and cultures. When he passed away in 1273, his funeral was attended by members of all religions. His universal message was heard by all who search for God, and by all who still search for that connection.
The lessons of Mevlana are still relevant today. His writings teach us all, adults and children alike. “Let the beauty you love be what you do. There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth.” A seemingly simple lesson such as this can help open a child’s mind to other cultures and religions. The messages of Mevlana go beyond borders and cultures.
Another timely piece of guidance from Mevlana that, in my opinion, is particularly meaningful for children is:
“Do you want to enter paradise?
To walk the path of Truth
You need the grace of God.
We all face death in the end.
But on the way, be careful
Never to hurt a human heart!”
Even though my son is young, the lessons imparted by Mevlana centuries ago are still an important part of his life. I hope that as he grows, he will learn even more from the words of this wise man.
Send comments and questions to k.hamilton@todayszaman.com
