in and out of our collective minds

the shadows, as the fall skies fell on the head of every pedestrian in istanbul, were gaining height. streets full of gossip, flare and expectations of the government saying 'no' to european union as the group follows up the recomendations of the European Parliament to halt negotiations on several topics concerning Turkey's membership. Bu alas, the government starts another row of marketplace bargaining tactics to postpone what, this author cannot even imagine if they knew what. politics as usual.

the shadows on the other hand still growing. streets marked with half-dead, tormented and hopeless trees are full with exhaust gas coming from a wild variety of vehicles one can only witness in Istanbul. looking for an identity and obtaining it does not satisfy them. one has to change it so vehemently that at one point one loses his sense of recognition. 'who was that guy that passed me a while ago?' is arhetorical question not a cognitive one mostly. he, who carries the burden of the lack of knowledge as to who he is, what are his roots, and where he is going to, is a lost soul where the only tradition is the lack of it. the streets are not. they have one, one that is so strong for their own benefit. they carry centuries of use, abuse, and natural wear, as if it was a fate unevitable becuase of the monstrosities they have witnessed: crusades, invasion, hundreds of insurrections, riches, poverty, massacres, interventions, tears, laughter, briefly all things considered human here.

many people have walked these streets. they were of different backgrounds, cultures, religions, and of a wild variety of ethnicities. they have shared the common fate of instability, chaos and wealth concurrently. fallen stones, torn pavement blocks, ghost-like trees and their uneven branches reflect that common fate as they get older (as in two hundred centuries old), more pathetic and forlorn. walls that reflect an unavoidable gray, dust, violent green of that foresaken land in bliss, look like they would give away soon. but they don't. they haven't. they won't. they have endured centuries old debates on whether history is something didactic to count on or a notion that should be erased off the collective mind that make up the people here. it's an official target and at the same time sole aim of that collective mind that all people should be alike in this society. one who does not belong to the flock bear any chance of intellectual survival. the collective mind lingers among different political views, rights or wrongs as time goes on. but there is only one single set of this criteria that is right at any given point in time and its collective status hardly change. it can even manifest itself in the form of tens of different political parties defending the same collective mind at the same time.

it is a collective virus, closing all doors towards free speech, improvement, scientific research and individualism to mention a few virtues.

one scholar (ali nesin) recently said "scientific research is a product of welfare. a society must be wealthy to engage in research that will save the nation in fifty years to come, individuals in this society must posess plenty of time that they can waste on free fall research. in this country both people and corporations have to concentrate only on projects that could save the day." he is right, but societies today need to differentiate between saving the day and seizing it. and to seize one must accumulate. accumulate knowledge, faith, history (facts) and build on top of these foundations. however the collective mind here has one agenda; no matter what the consensus may be, it has to defend status quo (even if the current consensus, or what is claimed to be the current consensus, may last only a few days) and that should be the case collectively. one truth, one solution, on people; hence an undivided country.