When memories bloom

“A madman far from the world,” says Turkish poet Sebahattin Ali for his melancholy state. The music group Yeni Türkü asks in their famous song: “Which is homeland for us, where is abroad”. Where are we actually?  

Nostalgia is described as longing for a moment or place in the past. Melancholy is a state of deep suffering. The state of being in melancholy at the level of illness of people who have been separated from their homeland due to migration in the past was also called nostalgia. One way or another, we live always in nostalgia.  

It is often said that “the power lies in the moment”. In fact, we have just seen living examples of this in the Olympic Games. The focus may seem to be on the goal, but the secret lies in focusing on each moment that leads to the goal. What happens if there is no focus? Experts would know, of course. But the breathing rhythm may be disturbed, for example, or the muscles may become tense. Our bodies don’t work linearly.  

The spiritual side is even more difficult. Is it possible to break away from the past in normal life? Or not worrying about the future? In fact, it is neither possible nor necessary to break away from the past. Nor is it necessary to worry about it getting lost. It is just there. And the future is, after all, the future.  

Life is like a sea. Everything is together; plain water, salty water. Although the sea seems to be standing still, it is actually always flowing somewhere. It is also not helpful to look at the photos and lament as if things can stay still at that moment. The moment lives only within us. Photos help just keep track.  

Also in our dreams. Everything is mixed up; places, things, people, occurrences… Exactly like the life itself, everything flows together endlessly in the sea of dreams. The meaning of everything lies in its effect on our lives, in the emotion we experience. Only after secrets come to light, memories bloom.  

Therefore, when we watch a movie, we measure it by the emotion it gives us. Not by what happens, but by how it makes us feel. If we see our grief there, we feel that we are not alone. Our hope of living remains alive in case of joy.   We also used to have a pure state. We miss it the most. The innocence of our baby and child times. To relax in our mother’s lap, to hold our father’s hand. Is it still not alive inside us?  

Stay with love.

19 December 2021
yuksel_cilingir