Prof. Dr. Gökhan Arslan: A thousand horizontally, two thousand vertically

It has been 10 articles since my comrade-in-arms, Lieutenant Prof. Dr. Barış Doster, encouraged me to write. Putting my thoughts into writing has been good for me. I am very grateful to my teacher, Barış Doster.

The subject of my articles has generally been the adventures in the construction sector that I have accumulated over the years.

I cannot thank enough our teachers of the republican generation who contributed to the formation of this accumulation and supported us in holding onto life as generations with free minds and free consciences.

Another November 10th has arrived. I cannot pass without commemorating the great leader Atatürk and remembering his revolutions. 

Because the state of nations that cannot produce an Atatürk from within their own bosom is known to everyone.

According to United Nations records, there are a total of 206 countries in the world.. 

The citizens of many of these countries are most likely not really living, they are struggling or think they are living. With the popular social media of recent years, the misery of other countries has become much more visible.

I do not know how many are civilized, but if we take the G20 countries, of which Turkey is also a member, as a basis, I know that only 20 percent of the countries in the world have constant electricity, water, and internet in their homes. The citizens of these countries feed their children sufficiently, receive regular health and education services, and living near or far from the center does not affect the quality of the service they receive. 

Today, when I look back at my own short history, as someone born 1000 km horizontally from the center and at an altitude of 2000 meters vertically, I have received almost an equal amount of service as someone born in the center of modern Turkey.

I went to university in the region where I was born and raised, and with the basic engineering education I received from this university, I did my master's degree in America without difficulty, worked in the construction sector in New York, and earned a considerable income for myself. I even bought a house early on, albeit an ordinary one.

According to my friends, I have done serious academic work and contributed quite a bit to Turkish academia. I am just repeating what they say.

May God be pleased with the teachers who raised me.

Now I think, what kind of life would I have had if it weren't for the opportunities of the republic? 

Would I have drowned in the Askaroz stream or been hit by a stray bullet in the Harşit valley? 

Would I have been herding sheep on Sis Mountain? 

Could I have been a sharecropper for a landlord in Kadırga, polishing his boots, feeding his horse? 

Or would I have been catching anchovies, shad, or horse mackerel in Faroz depending on the season? Would I have been a watchman at the Yoroz lighthouse? 

Would I have been mowing winter hay in Ayder, in Kaçkar? 

Or would I have been throwing stones into the sea in Ganita?

If I were lucky, I suppose I would have done some "check-promissory note" business. Old acquaintances say that although it shortens life a bit, the income and comfort are not bad.  

When looking at Korea, it is clear that the possibilities are quite close, knife-edge possibilities. 

It is all or nothing, in other words.

South Korea and North Korea. 

Both are the same nation. The climate and geography are the same. They cool off in the same wind and get wet in the same rain. The genetic codes are identical. 

However, what state is one in and what state is the other? 

While South Korea has world-famous brands within the G20 and its per capita income has reached approximately 30 thousand dollars, the north's is unfortunately not even 2 thousand dollars. 

It is even said that its people, who live far from the center, are in danger of starvation. I say it is said, because it has almost no communication with the world. Applications like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email do not exist. 

I only use email and WhatsApp. 

North Korea is not in world sports, not in its education, but there is a dynasty passed from father to son where the brother is murdered, thank God. 

May God be pleased with Atatürk, his comrades-in-arms, and our martyrs who sacrificed their lives for our homeland, giving us the opportunity to live in a civilized, free, and independent country, and may their place be heaven.

As Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk said years ago; 

The Turkish Nation is intelligent, it is hardworking.

To many more generations with free minds, free consciences, and free wisdom..