Thank God that I still have a family that can get me to get into a “holiday rush”, so excuse me, for this will be a Holiday Greeting a little too early…

Didn’t most of us used to have a much more different good/bad sense of the world in genera? America good, Russia bad… Freedom on the one hand, and slavery on the other. 60-70-80-98… what happened in our country, now mistakes once again…

After the eastern bloc was brought down in the world, when NATO had no foundation purpose left and started looking for a new enemy, even creating one itself, then the atrocity in the center of Europe in Bosnia and the West just sitting idly by, the whole world leaving democracy aside after the Twin Towers and the sort of invasion of Iraq and the whole Middle East including Saudi Arabia, the Rwanda, Kongo, Darfur, Rohingya genocides that have not been in the public eye… The failure of this general invasion much closer to us (Syria, Libya) due to much more different and varied balances (Turkey/Russia) and Palestine, always Palestine… We did not used to know; one side was the good ones and the other was the bad ones… We were always the good ones, like everyone else… The “bad ones” were the other ones. I am not talking about the United States’ information about Palestine that is not only prejudiced and biased, but that also corrupts the awareness right now, we found out who rules the USA, but look at the German media which we thought was supposed to be truer, even the ones that make the most proper news, even FAZ and SZ only talk about “conflict… mutual injuries, deaths… and surely Hamas’ missiles” as if a button has been pressed. The entire “western” media, even the Germans report – just like they are asked to – how the Israeli settlers raided and seized the Palestinians’ homes, and while intimidating the Palestinians to stay quiet, how they changed the subject with Al-Aqsa (to show the world Hamas’ expected reaction). And they do this knowingly… I thought that all governments, media and even the whole humanity were “good” and told the truth, there was definitely trust; I was more naïve and happier.

Right now I am thinking about how I can tell my children, my grandchildren about whom they can trust, about the world with the rights and the wrongs, without making them worried. I want them to love all people. That is how we have been raised. We were naïve, naiveite, purity and stupidity are different things… A person older than me once said to me, “You are too naïve, Cuneyd”, and I replied, “Yes, I am, and I wish to stay that way; I am not willing to change”.

I am sorry, this was merely supposed to be a holiday greeting; I did not wish to bore you, it just came out… Hoping that we all get to the future Holidays in good health – and that my generation also sees a better world. Happy Holidays.

Cuneyd Zapsu

Note: This does not mean stop the kazandibi, dolma, pastries… Let them come in. Let us dress nicely even if we stay home, let us experience the Holiday even a little…