Trend; Tendency, Movement, Course…

In these days when I have reached the end of my third life stage and the beginning of my fourth, we celebrated my new 1st birthday with my family on July 29, 2026. There was only one candle on my cake to blow out.

A year ago, on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, I had a serious traffic accident. I returned to life thanks to the successful surgery and treatment by Prof. Dr. Azmi Hamzaoğlu and his team at İstanbul Florence Nightingale Hospital. A full year has passed since that fatal accident.

Yes; I have stepped into the 4th phase of my life. I thought that I should work harder and produce more for the future. First, I started working at İzmir Gazi Hospital to use my 50 years of medical knowledge and skills to help my patients regain their health. I will continue my work and efforts in social and societal areas as well. I am determined to produce and work. Whatever I can do for the happiness and peace of my people, the future of my country, and the strengthening of our democracy…

I attended the Yeni Parti 1st Group Meeting held at the TBMM on Tuesday, August 4, to participate in the establishment of the New Party, which started in Anatolia and took shape in Ankara, and to become a founding member. I watched the speech of New Party Chairman Özgür Özel standing up; I applauded. Muzaffer Ekinci, who was watching the live broadcast on TV, called from Muğla and asked, "Couldn't they find you a seat; why are you standing?" However, many party members, whether they knew me or not, offered me a seat in the hall; I did not accept.

In his speech, which began with "The New Party, which we founded together with the nation and which our nation named…," Özgür Özel made such innovations and proposed such suggestions and initiatives that would shake Turkish politics that I stood and watched his speech, which lasted over an hour, from beginning to end, instead of sitting down, just to join in the applause and enthusiasm.

As the song attributed to Mevlânâ Celâleddîn-i Rûmî and performed by Sezen Aksu says: "It went with yesterday, my dear; one must say new things…" Those "new things" were applauded standing up. He touched upon new trends (tendencies, movements) that are revolutionary in Turkish politics. I recommend that you definitely read and watch that historic speech.

The day after the New Party's historic first group meeting, I attended the 50th-anniversary reunion of the 1976 graduates of Ege University Faculty of Medicine in Denizli Pamukkale. We saw what Prof. Dr. Ayfer Haydaroğulları and her daughter Eril achieved with artificial intelligence; we were impressed; we applauded. I congratulate them sincerely.

Yes; one of the world's new trends is "artificial intelligence, informatics, and information technologies." We watched a small but striking example of the scientific revolution that will guide, shape, and influence the second quarter of the 21st century at the Ramada Hotel.

Under the leadership of Dr. Rıdvan Erdemir, who made a very important contribution to this meeting, we went by bus to the performance staged in the most famous and magnificent ancient theater of the magnificent Denizli. In the Hierapolis Ancient Theater in Pamukkale, we watched Tchaikovsky's famous "Swan Lake Ballet," performed by the artists of the Izmir State Opera and Ballet.

While we were heading to the south gate of the theater through a sea of people to reach the 7,500-seat theater, one of the officials did not allow the bus to enter. Even though Rıdvan Erdemir said, "We got permission; everyone on the bus is a doctor, a professor; they are valuable people over 70…," the official just said, "Let them walk. Besides, they are over seventy; what business do they have at the ballet, at the theater…" It came as a real cold shower to those on the bus in that heat.

Fortunately, the high-level authorities of the organization were reached, and we, the seventy-year-olds, were able to watch that magnificent ballet. Yes; one of the three major trends in the world is the problems and realities of the aging population. Politics that does not take into account the elderly population, which will increase in the future, cannot be successful. First, it is necessary to destroy the perception in the public that "Seventy is the age, the job is done…" It is necessary to say "new things" for the elderly population.

I will share this in my future articles by explaining the "4th life stage" projects that our classmate Specialist Dr. Aysel Gürsoy has been working on for years.

I came from Ankara with my son Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emre Demir, my daughter-in-law, lecturer Sırma Altun Demir, and my granddaughter Mavi Melodi. Both my son and daughter-in-law are conducting academic studies on the politics and economy of the Far East and China. I think another strong trend of the future will be China, the Chinese Region, and the Far East. Chinese and Far Eastern politics are shifting the global balance of power from the West to the East. Regional economic integrations, technological competition, supply chain transformations, and geopolitical tensions with the USA will directly affect the world order of the future.

We should not forget the increasing forest fires in our country and the world. Environmental problems, space debris, pollution, and sustainability will be at the forefront of the topics that humanity will deal with and be affected by among the most important trends of the future.

Therefore, one should not sit on the sidelines; one must continue to work and produce. To this end, maintaining healthy aging should be one of our most important duties.

Wishing you healthy and happy days,

Prof. Dr. Nurettin DEMİR