What our readers think

Thank you for the fun anyway! It reminds me of what we went through here in the past as students. From: Abel u udoh.”

Dear Abel u udoh: Glad you enjoyed the piece. Thanks for the idea. I suggest to save space the person could Google the word to see the pronunciation, or check a dictionary. Here is a comment on the piece “Turkey and its natural beauty” (July 9, 2012):

“Dear Charlotte: … Is there an electronic version of your book I can download in Turkey? The title of your article also reminds me that much of Turkey’s beauty is reflected in the warmth of its people. From: Bruce Graves.”

Dear Bruce: Well said! No matter how beautiful the place or delicious the food, it is the personal experience with the people that can make the experience what it is.

Here are a couple of comments on the piece “Pity or awareness of the disabled” (July 10, 2012):

“Dear Charlotte: Thank you for the good article and letting me know what there is in the land [where] I was born. I came back to start one LLC where able disabled [people] can work to heal the sick society of healthy [people] … Things had not been going as expected, and then comes your article, and I learned about a play I should attend and [people I should] contact. Yes, my plane leaves July 30, but I must go to the play and speak with [the participants] of this play. The difference [between] a few years before and now is changing economics and changing family structure because economics is big. In my youth it was a shame if the family did not take care of the old and disabled. Now in my senior years, everyone in this land is talking about freedom and individual rights … and your economics! Economics, economics. It does not matter where you are if economic management is bad (stealing taxpayers’ money). Individual and social health is bad. Charity goes to slavery, pity goes to anger and hatred. Thank goodness there are writers like you (in NY and TR). They keep me sane! From: B.K.”

“Dear Charlotte: I appreciated your article ‘Pity or awareness of the disabled’ (July 10, 2012). When my father was 16 he came down with some sort of illness that crippled his legs and arms. After being bedridden for nine years he then moved to a wheelchair, then to crutches, then [had] surgery to walk again. I believe that most disabled people just want to be treated normally. … For them the norm might be a wheelchair. I remember buying a small item from a one-handed man in Ankara at the bazaar years ago. When he struggled to open the tape to wrap the package I did not offer to help. He said I was the first person not to take the job away from him … and thanked me for letting him do it. … All this [is] to say we need to be aware of the disability, but don’t downgrade many of their abilities. Another interesting thing while traveling in Turkey with my father [is] many of my Turkish friends asked who had cursed him or his dad, or sinned. This is an interesting world view that Turkey needs to realize and began to deal with. My dad has never complained about his condition, even when I ask him. He is now 83 years old! Thanks, dad, for being such a great example. From Brad.”

Whatever road we follow along life’s journey I have found this quote to have helped:

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes.” -- Charles Swindoll

Note: Charlotte McPherson is the author of “Culture Smart: Turkey” 2005. Please keep your questions and observations coming: I want to ensure this column is a help to you, Today’s Zaman’s readers. Email: c.mcpherson@todayszaman.com