A Flower in the Desert
The author reflects on global crises, the rise of racism and fascism, and finds a glimmer of hope in an act of kindness by a Turkish minister towards a family subjected to a racist attack.
Dear Readers:
Our world is going through a major crisis and test. Humanity is grappling with food, energy, and financial crises, while also facing nationwide turmoil, as seen in Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan. In Japan, a former Prime Minister was assassinated, and assassination plots against statesmen will likely be put into action in other countries too. Even the safest (!) countries now look to tomorrow with fear.
The Russia-Ukraine war has almost been forgotten. With the expectation of a world war, and this possibility gaining momentum every day, who cares about Ukraine! We all know, a China (North Korea)-Taiwan (USA, Japan, South Korea) war is imminent… In short, every country is fighting for its life…
Humanity, of course, is not experiencing such a situation for the first time. History is full of examples… One can't help but think, "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 decreases, 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 by destruction, finally comes to its senses, re-produces its superior (!) human values, and continues on its way.
Please, let's not make an issue of when elections will or won't be held in our country. Let's not make an issue of who will be 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 "Ümit"s (Hopes) who pin their hopes on fascism… Today the culprit is Syrian, African; tomorrow it will be Kurd, Alevi, and then all of us. Let's not give hope to these "Ümit"s. This is a crime against humanity!
In these uncertain and anxious times, good things are also happening. In Istanbul, on a metro, 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" (Soylu) act caressed my heart like a flower in the desert. A state official may have shortcomings, make mistakes, or 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 until today, only a few beautiful names remain for humanity: German Oskar Schindler, German-Dutch Anne Frank of Jewish origin, and a few others… We remember them with love and respect.
