Social depression, alienation, and chaos

The classic play of the years Hisseli Harikalar KumpanyasıI had the opportunity to watch it again after many years and I enjoyed it very much. Ankara State Theaterartists are performing the play to sold-out audiences once again. Kadıköy Süreyya Opera HousePerforming it in that atmosphere, which smells of history, is a completely different pleasure. 

While watching the play with pleasure, I also found myself thinking again, why some works never grow old, always remaining fresh and vibrant they ask. They do not grow old because they have been able to observe, understand, and describe humanity in all its aspects. If Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Dickens, Hugo, Flaubert, Zola, Balzac and many others have been able to reach us from centuries past, defying temporal boundaries, it is because they understood and portrayed humanity in all its dimensions. 

From the pen of the famous theater artist, director, and writer Haldun Dormencomes Hisseli Harikalar Kumpanyası has been met with the same appreciation and enthusiasm for decades. For the same reason. When the writing is strong, the music is magnificent, and the actors are masters of their craft, the quality reaches its peak. 

Dormen has observed society and humanity very well. Watching the play, I truly felt as if I had taken a journey through a time tunnel into the past. It would be fair to say that I experienced the pleasure of seeing a collection of experiences—partly lived, partly watched in Yeşilçam films, and partly read in books—reflected on stage. 

The social and cultural motifs of Turkey in the sixties and seventies have been synthesized magnificently. The rich cultural values, humanitarian approach, longings, ideals, dreams, and aspirations of the Anatolian people are so beautifully woven into the narrative. The blending of differences in a melting pot of tolerance, and the transformation of conflicts into cohesion rather than fighting, reflect the humanist perspective and humanitarian cultural understanding of the Anatolian people. 

Even if dreams do not come true or aspirations remain unfinished, environments of love and friendship provide solace. There is no room for sadness when there is such enthusiasm. Songs, poems, tributes, and calls of love.

All elements of society are presented in the play through a wonderful cultural synthesis. We witness the union of feudalism and modernity while watching the play. Hisseli Harikalar Kumpanyası is, in fact, a kind of narrative of how modern elements, born within feudal structures, eventually dissolve the feudal and transform into the modern. We watch the humanitarian elements within the feudal and traditional being carried into the modern, and a sweet sense of peace warms our hearts. 

Then the play ends. We are enchanted once again as we gaze at the wonderful aesthetic texture engraved on the walls and windows of the Süreyya Opera House—the stained glass, the carvings, the chandeliers, and the decor—and we leave the doors reluctantly. 

Should we have even gone out? Which one is real? What was that which happened a few minutes ago, and what is this that we have fallen into now? Pushing and shoving, shouting and yelling, slang, profanities, horns, sirens, a strange crowd that doesn't yield to one another, tossed here and there, directionless, with no clear destination, and perhaps some of them even homeless. 

Then I board a municipal bus to go to Üsküdar. I generally prefer using public transport. Because I believe that to get to know people, to delve into the details of society, and to make sociological and cultural observations, one needs to be in social environments. I don't think it is possible to make social, cultural, or communicative observations while hiding in sheltered environments. Especially if you are an academic, a researcher, or a journalist, you need to watch and observe society in its details. I honestly do not think we have the right or the competence to speak, write, or draw on behalf of society, the people, and consequently humanity, by putting distance between ourselves and the public. That is why I prefer to spend time on the streets and travel by public transport. 

And on the bus, an elderly woman approached and sat down next to a young woman with a child. It was clear she was a long-time resident of Üsküdar. First, she looked around with interest, then turned to the woman beside her, wanting to exchange a few words. She turned to the woman to create a conversational atmosphere in her own way, trying to talk. She was asking and saying things with a smile, but there was no response from the other. Finally, the other woman "Arabic" she called out; our lady didn't quite understand the subject. It's a bit difficult at that age, of course. When the woman repeated "Arabic" a few times, those nearby tried to explain the situation to the elderly woman. She finally understood. It was evident from the sadness that spread across her face.

She had understood much more than just the fact that the woman sitting next to her was a foreigner. Perhaps this city, where she had spent her entire life, was now a stranger to her, or she was now a stranger in this city, in the neighborhood where she lived. That was the reason for the sadness covering her face. Just at that moment, the bus was passing by the Karaca Ahmet Cemetery. The elderly woman turned her gaze toward the cemetery and remained that way; I could hear her sigh. She had become lonely in the world she lived in, and perhaps her memories had come alive in her mind. What beautiful friendships had been experienced once, what conversations and chats there had been. Now, perhaps most of those memories were hidden in that cemetery along with her friends. Alienated from the world, the environment, the city, and the neighborhood they live in, that elderly woman was clearly experiencing a moment of hesitation between staying and leaving. She was asking herself whether it was harder to leave or to stay. Just like so many others. 

Societies are dynamic structures. Change and transformation are continuous. However, this needs to be directed in a programmed and planned manner. It is important that the energy for change, which stems from the internal dynamics of societies, be managed professionally. In societies left to their own devices or exposed to the influence of external dynamics, the process of change and transformation can often become chaotic. This can lead to the disruption of social balance and the erosion of cultural continuity and integrity. The result is alienation, social crisis, and chaos. 

Change and transformation should not disrupt social balances or cultural codes; rather, as depicted in the 'Hisseli Harikalar Kumpanyası' (The Shareholding Wonders Company), they should create an environment for social development, cultural enrichment, and the proliferation of humanistic values. This is only possible with a planned and programmed approach.