You know how Woody Allen makes fun of himself by saying, "I have never been an intellectual, but I have this look?" There are so many individuals in Turkey, who appear to be democrats or even liberal democrats, who in reality have no consistent opinions other than their obsession with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. However, because these individuals do not have the same guts as Woody Allen, they present their appearances as if they were their real personalities.
We should have learned from our experiences by now, and know better than to be fooled by appearances. Have we not seen what people posing as "men of God" are capable of? And are we now not witnessing how people who wrote, "The Kurdish problem needs to reach a peaceful conclusion," provoke the PKK by saying, "Öcalan is selling you out," thus sabotaging the peace initiative?
The main actor behind the Feb. 28 postmodern coup was the media cartel, which formed the base of the era. Now, Gülenist media has also joined them. Old and new actors are now chanting in unison: "Whatever will be, will be. Except if it is the decision of the voters."
Mrs. Haji's colognes
I learned the lesson of not judging a book by its cover during a situation in a small village in Diyarbakır. I was visiting villages in the rural areas of Diyarbakır to conduct interviews for an upcoming general election. They took me to the home of an old lady whom they said knew everything there was to know and had a solid grasp of developments. The villagers called her Mrs. Haji because she had fulfilled her pilgrimage to Mecca.
We sat face-to-face on some cushions and began chatting. Next to Mrs. Haji was a small coffee table full of bottles of cologne. She kept pouring some cologne into her hands and inhaled it while answering my questions. I had a colorful and interesting chat about politics and life with this woman, who could neither read nor write but spoke wisely and almost floated among her thoughts. She might have been illiterate but she was far from ignorant.
She had inhaled two bottles of cologne by the time the chat was over. I then understood that Mrs. Haji was an alcoholic, who was not able to consume alcohol because of her social status in the village. Instead, she inhaled cologne to satisfy her addiction, and as the alcohol blended with her blood, she began hovering between her thoughts.
The villagers had obviously come to terms with her situation. They preferred her mind over her addiction.
Always be aware of people who argue for subjects such as democracy and freedom and make sure you know where their noses have been. Question those who say they are not concerned with worldly matters and investigate if they are leading double lives.
Make sure that those who dream about angels
are not devils while awake.
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