A Flower in the Desert
The author reflects on global crises and rising fascism, finding a glimmer of hope in a Turkish minister's compassionate act towards a family targeted by racism.
Dear Readers:
Our world is going through a major crisis and trial. Humanity is grappling with food, energy, and financial crises on one hand, while facing nationwide turmoil in countries like Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan on the other. In Japan, the former Prime Minister was assassinated, and assassination plots against statesmen will likely be put into action in other countries as well. Even the safest (!) countries have begun to fear for their future.
The Russia-Ukraine war has almost been forgotten. While a world war is expected, and this possibility gains momentum every day, who cares about Ukraine! We all know, a China (North Korea)-Taiwan (USA, Japan, South Korea) war is on the horizon… In short, every country is fighting for its life…
Humanity is certainly not experiencing such a situation for the first time. History is full of examples of this… Involuntarily, one feels like saying, “I’ve seen (read) this scenario before.”
The scenario is this:
An economic crisis shakes the world, money loses its value, inflation, stagflation, and deflation intertwine, purchasing power declines, food and energy crises devour countries like a monster, assassinations accelerate, angry humanity ridiculously searches for the culprit in “ethnic” or “religious” reasons, slogans of racism and fascism gain traction, new Hitlers appear, captivating the tired minds of a spiritually blinded populace. Thus, humanity seeks solutions in war. Massacres and genocides follow one another. Humanity, driven to madness amidst the destruction, finally comes to its senses, regenerates its superior (!) human values, and continues on its way.
Please, let's not worry about when elections will be held in our country. Let's not worry about who will become President or which alliance will gain a majority in Parliament. What we should fear is the rise of racism and the accelerating footsteps of fascism. There are those who pin their hopes on fascism, like Ümit… Today the culprit is Syrian, African; tomorrow it will be Kurd, Alevi, and then all of us. Let's not give hope to those like Ümit. This is a crime against humanity!
In these uncertain and anxious days, good things are also happening. In a metro in Istanbul, during a journey, an ignorant racist curses and attacks a Black family of Senegalese origin. Two children cling to their parents in fear. Upon hearing the news, our Minister of Interior, Mr. Soylu, visits the family, apologizes, and distributes gifts to the children. This “noble” act caressed my heart like a flower in the desert. A state official may have shortcomings and make mistakes, and you may even dislike them, but we cannot close our eyes to the chivalry they show in the most difficult moments.
Let's not forget, from the enormous Second World War to today, only a few beautiful names remain for humanity: the German Oskar Schindler, the Jewish-German-Dutch Anne Frank, and a few others… We remember them with love and respect.
