i feel smitten, torn and exhausted, but neither defeated nor destroyed. however, perhaps when these blows come to an end, i will better see the trees shining under the sun, the birds chirping velvety songs, the flowers exuding heavenly smells and the beautiful people walking past me!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
WHY AM I A GLOBAL NOMAD?
Nomad: A person with no fixed residence who roams about; a wanderer.
This is the second definition that dictionary.com lists under nomad. A wanderer, without a permanent place to call home, maybe other than his or her backpack and some other small portable belongings, such as some clothes to put on when need be.
Why am I a nomad? Well, I think I have good reasons for calling myself a nomad, to be more precise, a global nomad. As when we think of nomads, it is usually within a country or a region or at the very best a continent that we think of them. --lets not count gypsies within this category, as i think they are also global nomads rather than just nomads-- but for me, well, it is all the world really. I think I have not finished my tour yet, maybe, to rightfully call myself a global nomad, but I definitely I am walking on the right path to that destination. So far, only parts of Middle East-well you could call it Asia if you fancy-, Europe, North America and Africa. Still much more to go, much more to cover, much more to see and taste and experience and live ...
A nomad is a kocher in Kurdish, a بدوي in Arabic, a nomada in Spanish, and a gochebe in Turkish. Now, a global nomad, in the same order would be: kochere cihane, بدوي العالمي, nomada global, and global gochebe consequently!
What is it that matters for a global nomad? In this case, I am strictly talking about myself and as it is so, many of the things I will talk about might not be applicable to all other global nomads. Is it race, or ethnicity, or religion, or culture, or economic interests that matters to a global nomad? Or is it something completely different from any of the above? Is it something more fundamental, something more important, something of higher value? Or is it just a useless and cheap concept that in a way I am deceiving myself with?
I will be honest. And let me tell you this dear reader; not many people are sincere when they talk about what they think in front of people, because playing for the crowd is always more appealing, more pleasing, but even more important than that it is much easier. I am not going to get into any of that kind of populist demagogy, but rather share with you, dear reader, what I think is important for me, in my life, and what I think should be important in every one's life, for the sake of well-being of us all. That is of course, if we give a damn about others, right?
Ok, so I think being a global nomad is the same thing as being a world citizen, or rather trying to be a world citizen. And, mind you, there is a ton of literature written on this topic. Many philosophers before us have thought about this, have thought hard about this concept. It cannot be said that this issue has been resolved, even though we are closer than ever to realizing this concept. If we have to modify what Thomas Paine has stated just a little bit, and read it as this: “my home is the world, and my religion is being helpful to my fellow people”, we will have a much clearer idea of what I mean by being a global nomad, a world citizen or at least striving to be one.
Accordingly, it is neither ethnicity, nor religion, nor language, nor economic interests that matter for me. That is, of course, not to say these things are completely worthless in my book and that I see them as contrary to what I believe, because it is not. But, there is something that is more important than all of those. In fact, more important than all of those combined. It is humanity! It is nothing more than that, it is just humanity. Being a human being, seeing yourself as nothing but a human being and everyone else as your equal; neither superior, nor inferior! Just equal. Maybe humanity is vague, so lets call it, to be a humanist!
Now, I can hear some people objecting to my statement and asking : “How can you disregard our language, culture, country, religion this much? Are those not also what, in a sense, make us what we are, that is humans? How can you diminish their vitality so much and yet advocate for something that you claim to be a combination of all those, or even worse, above them all?” -
Well, I think that language, ethnicity, religion, country, etc. that one belongs to is not a good enough reason, justification/excuse for one to favor one of “their” people over some other person, say in Africa. That is why, a global nomad is someone who values human beings, just because they are human beings, and not because they are German, or Muslim, or speak Swahili, or have brown skin, or are tall, or beautiful, or, or , or. These “or”s could be multiplied, for the sake of brevity, lets cut it out here. A global nomad, of course, at the same is someone that cares about the world, that in his or her own way, tries to change the world for the better. To put it more precisely, he or she is someone that wants to a be part of the group of people that wants to change the world for the better, to turn it into a more peaceful, a more beautiful and a more livable place.
All of those characteristics that we have not consciously chosen such as our color, or language, religion-for the most part -, the country that we are born in, our family’s financial circumstances are important. They are important in that, whether we want it or not, or accept it or not, they determine to a great extent what we become. On top of that, these are important because these are our values. These are our richness. These are what make us unique. These are, at times, what give meaning to our lives. So in this regard, I do agree that all of these characteristics that I am talking about are indeed important. And I would not be reckless, indifferent to their importance. That is why a global nomad, in other words a world citizen, harbours all of these features and in addition to that, manages to rise above these constructed realities and see the core, which, in my humble opinion, is that every human being is valuable, thus they should be able to get a good education, have a good life, not be deprived of most basic human needs and have a right to move to wherever he or she wants to at his or her own cost and discretion! and a global nomad is someone that tries to make this happen for every human being, and tries to impersonate these aforementioned facts in his or her own life in the first place.
It is indeed the global nomads that rise and voice their deep disappointment of and fight against unjust events occurring in the world. They are not trapped in their own little worlds, that is why they see the bigger picture, and, as a result, the injustice that reigns in the world. It is this injustice, discrimination, inequality that bothers them, that bugs them so much that they cannot sleep at nights, that moves them to take actions, to cry out in the face of the maladies that cripple the world we live in today.
And, that, dear reader, is what I am trying to become: a global nomad or kochere cihane as I would say in my mother tongue!
This is the second definition that dictionary.com lists under nomad. A wanderer, without a permanent place to call home, maybe other than his or her backpack and some other small portable belongings, such as some clothes to put on when need be.
Why am I a nomad? Well, I think I have good reasons for calling myself a nomad, to be more precise, a global nomad. As when we think of nomads, it is usually within a country or a region or at the very best a continent that we think of them. --lets not count gypsies within this category, as i think they are also global nomads rather than just nomads-- but for me, well, it is all the world really. I think I have not finished my tour yet, maybe, to rightfully call myself a global nomad, but I definitely I am walking on the right path to that destination. So far, only parts of Middle East-well you could call it Asia if you fancy-, Europe, North America and Africa. Still much more to go, much more to cover, much more to see and taste and experience and live ...
A nomad is a kocher in Kurdish, a بدوي in Arabic, a nomada in Spanish, and a gochebe in Turkish. Now, a global nomad, in the same order would be: kochere cihane, بدوي العالمي, nomada global, and global gochebe consequently!
What is it that matters for a global nomad? In this case, I am strictly talking about myself and as it is so, many of the things I will talk about might not be applicable to all other global nomads. Is it race, or ethnicity, or religion, or culture, or economic interests that matters to a global nomad? Or is it something completely different from any of the above? Is it something more fundamental, something more important, something of higher value? Or is it just a useless and cheap concept that in a way I am deceiving myself with?
I will be honest. And let me tell you this dear reader; not many people are sincere when they talk about what they think in front of people, because playing for the crowd is always more appealing, more pleasing, but even more important than that it is much easier. I am not going to get into any of that kind of populist demagogy, but rather share with you, dear reader, what I think is important for me, in my life, and what I think should be important in every one's life, for the sake of well-being of us all. That is of course, if we give a damn about others, right?
Ok, so I think being a global nomad is the same thing as being a world citizen, or rather trying to be a world citizen. And, mind you, there is a ton of literature written on this topic. Many philosophers before us have thought about this, have thought hard about this concept. It cannot be said that this issue has been resolved, even though we are closer than ever to realizing this concept. If we have to modify what Thomas Paine has stated just a little bit, and read it as this: “my home is the world, and my religion is being helpful to my fellow people”, we will have a much clearer idea of what I mean by being a global nomad, a world citizen or at least striving to be one.
Accordingly, it is neither ethnicity, nor religion, nor language, nor economic interests that matter for me. That is, of course, not to say these things are completely worthless in my book and that I see them as contrary to what I believe, because it is not. But, there is something that is more important than all of those. In fact, more important than all of those combined. It is humanity! It is nothing more than that, it is just humanity. Being a human being, seeing yourself as nothing but a human being and everyone else as your equal; neither superior, nor inferior! Just equal. Maybe humanity is vague, so lets call it, to be a humanist!
Now, I can hear some people objecting to my statement and asking : “How can you disregard our language, culture, country, religion this much? Are those not also what, in a sense, make us what we are, that is humans? How can you diminish their vitality so much and yet advocate for something that you claim to be a combination of all those, or even worse, above them all?” -
Well, I think that language, ethnicity, religion, country, etc. that one belongs to is not a good enough reason, justification/excuse for one to favor one of “their” people over some other person, say in Africa. That is why, a global nomad is someone who values human beings, just because they are human beings, and not because they are German, or Muslim, or speak Swahili, or have brown skin, or are tall, or beautiful, or, or , or. These “or”s could be multiplied, for the sake of brevity, lets cut it out here. A global nomad, of course, at the same is someone that cares about the world, that in his or her own way, tries to change the world for the better. To put it more precisely, he or she is someone that wants to a be part of the group of people that wants to change the world for the better, to turn it into a more peaceful, a more beautiful and a more livable place.
All of those characteristics that we have not consciously chosen such as our color, or language, religion-for the most part -, the country that we are born in, our family’s financial circumstances are important. They are important in that, whether we want it or not, or accept it or not, they determine to a great extent what we become. On top of that, these are important because these are our values. These are our richness. These are what make us unique. These are, at times, what give meaning to our lives. So in this regard, I do agree that all of these characteristics that I am talking about are indeed important. And I would not be reckless, indifferent to their importance. That is why a global nomad, in other words a world citizen, harbours all of these features and in addition to that, manages to rise above these constructed realities and see the core, which, in my humble opinion, is that every human being is valuable, thus they should be able to get a good education, have a good life, not be deprived of most basic human needs and have a right to move to wherever he or she wants to at his or her own cost and discretion! and a global nomad is someone that tries to make this happen for every human being, and tries to impersonate these aforementioned facts in his or her own life in the first place.
It is indeed the global nomads that rise and voice their deep disappointment of and fight against unjust events occurring in the world. They are not trapped in their own little worlds, that is why they see the bigger picture, and, as a result, the injustice that reigns in the world. It is this injustice, discrimination, inequality that bothers them, that bugs them so much that they cannot sleep at nights, that moves them to take actions, to cry out in the face of the maladies that cripple the world we live in today.
And, that, dear reader, is what I am trying to become: a global nomad or kochere cihane as I would say in my mother tongue!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
a great poem
I finally took the time to translate this great poem. Enjoy it.
DON’T GET ATTACHED
Don't get attached to any one thing blindly.
Don't say “I can’t live without her/him”
Just don't say it.
Because you would.
There is no need to use such pretentious phrases.
Don't love too much, for instance. If s/he loves you less, you will be heart-broken.
And usually, s/he loves you less than you love her/him anyway.
If you don't love too much, you won't suffer in agony.
If you don't possess too much, you won't be possessed either.
Don't possess the building you work in, your table, your telephone, your business cards
Don't even appropriate your hands and your legs.
Just behave as if they are not yours.
In any case, if you don't have anything, you won't be afraid of losing.
Act as if you could live without them as well.
Don't have too many belongings in your home, for instance.
So, you can stomp in it freely..
If you absolutely must possess somethings,
Possess the places where rooftops merge with the skies
Possess the sky,
The sun, the moon, the stars
For instance Polaris, make it yours.
Say, 'It is mine.'
If you absolutely want something to belong to you
Rainbow will be yours, for instance.
If you absolutely must belong to something, then be belonged to the colors.
To orange or to pink, for instance.
Or, you should belong to the paradise
Live, without possessing much,
Or, without belonging too much.
Live, as if life will slip away from your hands at anytime,
And at the same time, as if it will be yours forever.
Live, attached to life.
Hanging on the edge...
CAN YUCEL
Translation: Ez/Moi
------------------------
(Original in Turkish)
BAGLANMAYACAKSIN
Bağlanmayacaksın bir şeye, öyle körü körüne.
"O olmazsa yaşayamam." demeyeceksin.
Demeyeceksin işte.
Yaşarsın çünkü.
Öyle beylik laflar etmeye gerek yok ki.
Çok sevmeyeceksin mesela. O daha az severse kırılırsın.
Ve zaten genellikle o daha az sever seni,
Senin onu sevdiğinden.
Çok sevmezsen, çok acımazsın.
Çok sahiplenmeyince, çok ait de olmazsın hem.
Hatta elini ayağını bile çok sahiplenmeyeceksin.
Senin değillermiş gibi davranacaksın.
Hem hiçbir şeyin olmazsa, kaybetmekten de korkmazsın.
Onlarsız da yaşayabilirmişsin gibi davranacaksın.
Çok eşyan olmayacak mesela evinde.
Paldır küldür yürüyebileceksin.
İlle de bir şeyleri sahipleneceksen,
Çatıların gökyüzüyle birleştiği yerleri sahipleneceksin.
Gökyüzünü sahipleneceksin,
Güneşi, ayı, yıldızları
Mesela kuzey yıldızı, senin yıldızın olacak.
"O benim." diyeceksin.
Mutlaka sana ait olmasını istiyorsan birşeylerin
Mesela gökkuşağı senin olacak.
İlle de bir şeye ait olacaksan, renklere ait olacaksın.
Mesela turuncuya, yada pembeye.
Ya da cennete ait olacaksın.
Çok sahiplenmeden, Çok ait olmadan yaşayacaksın.
Hem her an avuçlarından kayıp gidecekmiş gibi, Hem
de hep senin kalacakmış gibi hayat.
İlişik yaşayacaksın.
Ucundan tutarak...
CAN YUCEL
DON’T GET ATTACHED
Don't get attached to any one thing blindly.
Don't say “I can’t live without her/him”
Just don't say it.
Because you would.
There is no need to use such pretentious phrases.
Don't love too much, for instance. If s/he loves you less, you will be heart-broken.
And usually, s/he loves you less than you love her/him anyway.
If you don't love too much, you won't suffer in agony.
If you don't possess too much, you won't be possessed either.
Don't possess the building you work in, your table, your telephone, your business cards
Don't even appropriate your hands and your legs.
Just behave as if they are not yours.
In any case, if you don't have anything, you won't be afraid of losing.
Act as if you could live without them as well.
Don't have too many belongings in your home, for instance.
So, you can stomp in it freely..
If you absolutely must possess somethings,
Possess the places where rooftops merge with the skies
Possess the sky,
The sun, the moon, the stars
For instance Polaris, make it yours.
Say, 'It is mine.'
If you absolutely want something to belong to you
Rainbow will be yours, for instance.
If you absolutely must belong to something, then be belonged to the colors.
To orange or to pink, for instance.
Or, you should belong to the paradise
Live, without possessing much,
Or, without belonging too much.
Live, as if life will slip away from your hands at anytime,
And at the same time, as if it will be yours forever.
Live, attached to life.
Hanging on the edge...
CAN YUCEL
Translation: Ez/Moi
------------------------
(Original in Turkish)
BAGLANMAYACAKSIN
Bağlanmayacaksın bir şeye, öyle körü körüne.
"O olmazsa yaşayamam." demeyeceksin.
Demeyeceksin işte.
Yaşarsın çünkü.
Öyle beylik laflar etmeye gerek yok ki.
Çok sevmeyeceksin mesela. O daha az severse kırılırsın.
Ve zaten genellikle o daha az sever seni,
Senin onu sevdiğinden.
Çok sevmezsen, çok acımazsın.
Çok sahiplenmeyince, çok ait de olmazsın hem.
Hatta elini ayağını bile çok sahiplenmeyeceksin.
Senin değillermiş gibi davranacaksın.
Hem hiçbir şeyin olmazsa, kaybetmekten de korkmazsın.
Onlarsız da yaşayabilirmişsin gibi davranacaksın.
Çok eşyan olmayacak mesela evinde.
Paldır küldür yürüyebileceksin.
İlle de bir şeyleri sahipleneceksen,
Çatıların gökyüzüyle birleştiği yerleri sahipleneceksin.
Gökyüzünü sahipleneceksin,
Güneşi, ayı, yıldızları
Mesela kuzey yıldızı, senin yıldızın olacak.
"O benim." diyeceksin.
Mutlaka sana ait olmasını istiyorsan birşeylerin
Mesela gökkuşağı senin olacak.
İlle de bir şeye ait olacaksan, renklere ait olacaksın.
Mesela turuncuya, yada pembeye.
Ya da cennete ait olacaksın.
Çok sahiplenmeden, Çok ait olmadan yaşayacaksın.
Hem her an avuçlarından kayıp gidecekmiş gibi, Hem
de hep senin kalacakmış gibi hayat.
İlişik yaşayacaksın.
Ucundan tutarak...
CAN YUCEL
Friday, March 4, 2011
tongue is fickle
Tongue is fickle
It can utter empty words
That’s why what is pronounced
Should not be taken into account too much
That’s why they call it boneless
Without a stance
Without a character
Without a shape
That’s why it should be twisted
Should be squeezed and given a lesson
Until it finally comes to confession
Confession of all the vital things in life
And …
ps: maybe one day i will be capable enough to finish these lines!
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