The Imitator
Our people want change but do not want to change. They are forced to change as external conditions shift. All the economic, political, and cultural changes they think they initiated are merely the small breezes of the great winds of change in the world. Everything claimed as “we did,” including the companies established, is only a branch of the main global development.
Fraudsters, politicians, words, entertainments—all come from the body of the world, yet we believe we created them. This lack of awareness means there will be a price to pay. Once we realize who we really are and what is actually happening, the loss of illusions and the painful awakening from the dream will be inevitable.Nationalism, religiosity, secularism, traditions, holidays, weddings, funerals, social roles, neighborhood relations, literature, and music will all descend vertically from the world into Turkey. Conservatism cannot provide a remedy, because we borrowed that from the West too. The civic nationalism we defended in our previous writing will, as elsewhere, be applied here as a political agenda forced by borders and laws. In fact, most countries will continue with center-right governments, even if they call themselves leftist.
The Price
The difficulty Turkey will experience in this environment of change is its inability to accept it, and the suffering that comes with losing the comfort of living in its own illusion. Like an adolescent who cannot accept being part of the world, normal, and exaggerating ordinary developments, it will eventually adjust. Yet, just as individuals can sometimes step outside the pattern, so too can nations. At times, this can reach the level of neurosis, even self-destruction. Nations unwilling to find balance become like this.
For centuries, Turkey has tried to catch up with the West by borrowing models and imitating them. Yet the models are outdated, and the imitations unsuccessful. It must either update its models and make better imitations, or be itself and create something original and right in the direction the world is heading. As we have said before, this requires simple but rarely practiced behaviors, like honesty and impartiality. Most of us know that in Turkey, being honest gets us into trouble, so we cannot take the simple path. Then how will we proceed down the more difficult, political path?
Where is “actual us” heading to
Where is the world heading? What is the planet doing? If the future cannot be seen, we can still project approximately, just as individuals and families can foresee their near future. Apart from the obligatory civic nationalism imposed by political borders and laws, it is clear that we must also include humanism in our political agenda.Throughout history, cult leaders, dynasties, religions, nations, and ideologies formed the basis of political discourse. In our age, these no longer work. While there are minor experiments in each country, there is one common effort everywhere. Humanism, which has repeatedly appeared throughout history, is reemerging with a new face. With globalized media and communication, and with many enemies confronting it, our humanity is becoming our true identity.
For ages, against enemies such as nature, time, and society, the human identity came to the fore. In the last century, technology elevated humanity to an unprecedented upper identity. Now, with artificial intelligence and mechanization creating a sense of redundancy, humanity is emphasizing its species-specific traits more than ever. Should a front against machines emerge, humanity may become our ultimate unity.Turkey can prepare for such a future. While the US has monopolized freedom, China the working class, and Europe the Enlightenment, Turkey can claim the future of humanity now. Yet to do this, it must rid itself of illusions and make certain confessions. Unfortunately, confession is not among our successful imitations. This leaves us with reforms spoon-fed to us by leaders, as if to children.
