WORD
GIVING!
(Publication
Date: March 5, 2007)
We made promises to our friends.
We made promises to the future...
We gave our lives, but did not reveal our secrets, because we had given our word.
We kept our word; keeping a promise mattered to us; otherwise, it was dishonorable: the very thing our ancestors were most angered by...
That was how we were raised; we were given such advice, and we always kept our word...
There were times when promises made to us were not kept. We got angry and could not accept it; but even so, the peaceful spirit passed down to us by our ancestors urged us to forgive...
Because our Father had taught us the principle, “Peace at home, peace in the world”...
***
I’m at home, following the news of the day on websites...
One news item catches my attention;
I read it.
Then the words above
come to mind...
I put
my thoughts down on paper; I feel a little hurt.
The news item upsets me...
I can’t understand why it upsets me,
because I knew this was how things would turn out...
The person featured in the news
was dismissing a way of behaving that I consider very important; what’s more, they admitted that this behavior, with its very serious consequences, had been directed against a people...
It saddened me; I suppose
that’s why I feel hurt.
So what was the news?
“Joost Lagendijk, Co-Chair of the Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee, said the European Union’s position on Cyprus was very weak, adding, ‘Yes, the EU made a mistake. The Cyprus problem was not resolved, and it made a promise to the “Northern Cypriots” and could not keep it.’”
I could actually have interpreted this news in different ways and spared myself the unnecessary upset...
I could have welcomed these words
with great satisfaction and said, ‘Hmm, look, they realize their mistake... Bravo.’
Or I could have said, ‘Good for
Lagendijk, he’s honestly admitting it. That’s it...’
But the education I received from my family and the general judgments of our society kept me from thinking that way.
The statement felt very far
from me.
Because Lagendijk spoke of a way of behaving that I care about as if it were perfectly normal, and openly revealed that a society I care deeply about and belong to had been deceived.
Interpreting this as “promises
were not kept” could be described as an optimistic way of putting it.
In other words, this is really a polite way of saying, “We deceived you, my friend”...
*
When a promise is not kept,
it may not matter much if we consider the personal losses involved.
But when promises are made to a society
and that society is steered on the basis of those promises, the consequences of the losses here are severe.
Social distrust on this issue
brings many other things with it..
Let’s take the poll announced
a few days ago as an example:
Remember, the poll
drew attention to the lack of trust in politicians.
Yes, external factors are one
cause of this distrust; but it seems the cost of it will be paid by domestic politics.
Do you think our politicians
deserve this distrust, at least when it is caused by external factors?
Using simple logic and an optimistic
approach, the answer is “no.”
Because they are the ones who were actually deceived; that is, the promises were made to them, and they steered society accordingly...
But that doesn’t mean they are innocent!
Ultimately, someone
must answer for steering people with promises that came to nothing and for the current situation.
Is this a good thing?
Of course not...
*
In conclusion:
Promises were made to the TRNC, and
unfortunately, those promises were not kept.
Those who made the promises
shamelessly admit that they did not keep them.
This has led to a “crisis of trust”
in the Turkish Cypriot community, which trusted those promises.
The only institution capable of solving
the community’s problems, “politics,” is swimming in a sea of distrust; however, because of their internal feuds and struggles for power, current politicians are unfortunately unable to see the truth or correctly read the public’s views.
I see what has happened
as a “calamity.”
Calamities offer unparalleled opportunities to learn lessons...
Have we learned the necessary
lessons from this? Or have we not?
We must take stock
of this!
See you on Wednesday... Be respectful in traffic!
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