Human beings are usually preoccupied with commercial and political competition, interstate struggles, international rivalries and wars. There is such fierce competition that one would think the purpose is to kill each other.

You can categorize this competition into many areas, from interpersonal competition to the lowest criminal acts, with the logic of the famous Latin saying Homo homini lupus est, "A man is a wolf to another man."

Türkiye was not focusing on an earthquake agenda last week like it is today, with media, social media, television news, newspapers and magazines covering the devastation. People were dealing with other issues. Everybody had their own problems, social issues, family issues or political discussions at the state level. Even the Ukraine-Russia war, which occupied the world's agenda for a long time, was almost no longer on the agenda. It was as if we all left the battlefield to its fate.

Once in 100 years

We all woke up on Monday morning and learned that we are facing enormous destruction after a big earthquake in Kahramanmaraş province in the southeast of the country. Here, the view of life and the world of people living in many countries, especially those who live in Türkiye, suddenly gain an entirely different focus. You can see that the issues people were interested in talking about and discussing the day before are now meaningless.

And then another quake of a similar magnitude shook the region approximately nine hours after the first one.

As the news began to flow, the magnitude of the disaster became clear. State officials emphasized that this disaster is the biggest that the country has ever faced. There was terrible destruction in 10 large cities and nearly 60 towns of Türkiye at the same time, in harsh winter conditions.

As time progresses, data is pointing to the possibility of it being one of the biggest tremors of its kind recorded around the globe.

Rescue management

Under normal circumstances, Türkiye is perhaps one of the most experienced and equipped countries with search and rescue capability and the ability to use state power when faced with a disaster such as an earthquake.

However, it turns out that we are facing such a huge disaster that the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), rescue teams and Türkiye's infrastructure will likely be unable to support handling it alone. After the magnitude of the disaster was revealed, a major global humanity test began.

The earthquake also caused high death tolls and destruction in Syria. Lebanon and Egypt have also felt the impact of the quake.

The government declared a state of emergency as the nation switched to mobilization mode en masse. The AFAD, the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay), aid organizations and all ministries rushed to the region. As the roads leading to the cities deteriorated, cold winter conditions also hindered rescue efforts.

While the rescue activities, which were more intense in Maraş, started on the first day, the organization of efforts gradually took shape toward the evening of the second day. Rescue management provided blankets and tents to citizens at risk of freezing outside, and started to supply meals in the provinces and places to stay at government facilities, sports halls and undemolished buildings for those who were displaced.

On the third day after the earthquakes, no region or province remained unserved by the rescue management. But considering the magnitude of the earthquake, hundreds of thousands of experienced search and rescue teams are required if, say, one needs a team of around 30 people to check each of the thousands of buildings that collapsed.

Turkish people are always eager to mobilize in times of need. Political parties, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), private companies, the wealthy, the ones who can produce blankets in their facilities, and those who mobilized field kitchens and prepared truckloads of aid started campaigns across Türkiye. Almost the entire country's energy began to flow toward the southeast.

I don't know if one can encounter such mobilization elsewhere, but the Turkish nation has such skill and capacity for success in difficult times.

This humanity test not only concerns individuals living in Türkiye. At the same time, messages of condolence and support began to come from all the countries. The most remarkable aid came from Ukraine and Azerbaijan as soon as the earthquake struck. Aid is also flowing from Russia, European states, the United States, the United Kingdom and all over the world, from all countries.

In times of disaster, culture and feelings of solidarity strengthen between nations. In such situations, when one observes the help from the world and the internal solidarity within the country, one realizes that humanity is still alive.

Perhaps, at such times, one comes to the following conclusion about human nature: The normal state of humankind is compassionate and unifying. It strives to keep humanity alive. However, we all know that once the effects of such disasters wear off, war scenarios, rivalries and people will continue to gnaw at each other. Let's hope to learn long-term lessons for humanity from such disasters.

Renewal of building stocks

After the 1999 Marmara earthquake, the government took crucial measures and made critical decisions regarding building material supplies since Türkiye is located in an earthquake zone.

Owning a house in Türkiye can be problematic on its own. Due to the cost of urban transformation, people often avoid rebuilding their homes to be safer. However, this tragic event has demonstrated that the effort and cost required to construct safe buildings is worth it to save lives.

Regarding these issues, landowners and construction companies must be sensitive to the dangers, and the state should be responsive. Hopefully, the sensitivity of both sides will lead us to healthier housing and safer lives.