Most of us only listen to our own voices, whether it is in our neighborhood or wherever we happen to be. We have virtually become prisoners of our furies and obsessions. Even our seemingly most reasonable ones go uncontrolled. We grow unfair. Our prejudices are increasingly ossified in each confrontation. We are on full steam. Our anger is sweeter than honey. How long will we continue to cause distress to ourselves and each other with our hate-filled glances, hatred-shaped mimicry and the ready-to-fight mood? As such, we are not going anywhere.
“Yes” or “no” coming out of the referendum is not the end of the world. We cannot take a step towards a solution without questioning ourselves or looking at ourselves in the mirror. As we will continue to intermingle with each other, we have to sit and think critically about what we are doing for the sake of our own peace and the peace of our children and grandchildren. There are numerous elections or referendums to come. We have to get rid of this conundrum that is imprisoning us.
Certainly, this is no easy project, but we have to try and take the first step.
There are three values that we need greatly: mutual trust, goodwill and mutual respect.
As for mutual trust, our country ranks near the top of the list of countries where people do not trust each other. (Our country ranks second among 29 countries. Only 10 percent of our people say, “I have trust in the people in my country.”) While common values, conscience and trust are stronger among ordinary people, our elites are dominated by selfishness and mistrust. Here is our political arena: It is teeming with political actors accusing each other of selling the country, being a spy, not investing in the country, spiced up with insults and combative and harsh words. This applies to our journalists, authors, academics and the people who blindly advocate diametrical opposites, as well as those who try to hide the truth and do not accept any truth other than theirs, and those who defend democracy only for their own.
We must first trust each other. Is everyone bad? Is everyone a traitor? Is everyone a sellout? These mutual accusations destroy the foundation for dialogue and compromise. In this vortex of meaningless, useless fights, voices searching for the good are not being heard. We are not listening to and understanding each other. We are fighting with each other.
We have faced very difficult circumstances. Turkish-Kurdish, Sunni-Alevi, secular-religious differences should not foster clashes. How are we going to weather the crisis if Turks don’t trust Kurds, Kurds don’t trust Turks, Sunni don’t trust Alevis, Alevis don’t trust Sunnis, secular people don’t trust religious people and religious people don’t trust secular people? How are we going to start a new period if everyone does not accept their mistakes, does not make a self-assessment for once in their life? There is a step that can be taken to achieve this. We need to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. How can we find agreement if we continue to think “I’m good, everyone else is bad,” “people who don’t think like me can’t have good intentions,” “this country is ours; no one can love it more than we do,” “positions in the state are good if we are in power, and evil if people who don’t think like us are in power”?
If the outcome of the referendum is “yes,” this does not mean the country will be sold away. The dark propaganda claim that “civilian tutelage” will emerge is untrue. By empathizing I understand the sincere concerns of those who will say “no.”
They are not completely wrong. Harsh tones and bullying tactics are terrifying. But there is another reality. A new trend that clarifies and espouses human values, advanced democracy, compassion and kindness is coming. A new trend that takes universal human values as a standard, that is based on respecting everyone for who they are, that says “humans are very valuable, we are humans before anything else,” that guarantees internal peace, that is sincere, that conquers the hearts of millions and revives spirits is coming. The sincerity, style and stance of people behind this trend will not allow anyone to act like a “sultan” or a dictator. You may be skeptical. But we just need a few years. Everyone will see.
I wish everyone a happy and healthy Eid.
