Salvation

Atatürk updated the maxim of Sheikh Edebali, the intellectual founder of the Ottoman Empire, “let the people live so that the state may live,” to “justice is the foundation of the state.” One carries traces of an Anatolia broken by the Crusades, while the other bears the marks of the Ottoman Empire’s collapse amidst tyranny. The reasonable conditions for a human to live are clear: a healthy body, sufficient food, shelter, and working under humane and fair conditions. 

We are billions of people on this blue planet who have crossed paths, all wanting to love, be loved, be fed, have shelter, and continue our lineage. Generation Y has realized that time spent in the metro-metrobus-minibus trio is not living, and although the minds of Generation Z are numbed by social media, the majority have realized they are victims of the wrong geography. We will not have a second life in this world. The time we have to spend healthy and happy with our loved ones is very limited. As for those who preach about the afterlife, they are doing their best to go to hell. I repeat constantly; the richest 1% in Turkey owns 40% of the total wealth. According to DİSK Genel-İş data, the world’s richest 1% owns 46% of the total wealth, while the world’s poorest 55% owns 1% of the total wealth. While 150 per thousand of Switzerland’s population are dollar millionaires, this rate is only 2 per thousand in Turkey.

It is very clear that we are condemned to a poverty that is contrary to human dignity. It seems to me that our young generations will be the ones to experience humanity’s transition to the next era.

If we were to take 99% of the assets of the world’s richest person, this individual would still remain among the world’s richest 1%. Because there is an unbridgeable gap between human lifespans. While half of the planet earns half a plastic water bottle a day, a select few earn an ocean every day. 

The public appreciation for the socio-economic services of the CHP, such as nurseries, dormitories, free or cheap student transit cards, the right to humane water usage, and city restaurants, is evident. Only 27 per thousand of Turkey’s budget consists of taxes collected from wealth, while 643 per thousand is collected through indirect taxes on the consumption of us all. 

Isn’t it a requirement of the modern world for those who want to live in peace with their infinite worldly wealth to keep their fellow citizens and neighbors at a minimum standard of living? If one who sleeps while their neighbor is hungry is not one of us, is their wealth not lawful to the hungry? There is only one way for the republic, founded to be the voice of the voiceless, to keep its citizens in unity. It is for the 1% who own 40% of the wealth to provide for the basic human needs of the remaining 99% in order to keep their own assets secure. Moreover, implementing the wealth tax and the “where did you get this” law as seen in Western European democracies would be sufficient. In other words, it is neither a dream nor a favor. We are talking about applying the same taxes in our country that they are subject to in Europe, where they have moved their wealth via golden visas.

Even in our worst state, our location, the natural resources we possess, and our young and qualified workforce spread across the world—that is, our potential—are clear. It is not impossible for us to become a country that sets an example for the world in terms of humane conditions for housing, nutrition, working, consuming electricity, water, and natural gas, and living safely and fairly, starting with quality education.

Attila İlhan ends his famous novel Kurtlar Sofrası (The Wolves' Table) with the sentence, “When the country turns into a wolves' table, rebellion is a right.” Our only need is a guide to lead us out of Ergenekon. If we can stand tall and escape this trap, we will show the world that there is no society more productive and successful than ours when it receives the fruits of its labor. We will work with confidence and boast with pride.