There have been many studies on modern man’s search for meaning. New ones will be added to these studies, because after the earthquake on the night of February 6, 2023, instead of questioning modern man’s search for meaning, it became clear that what modern man is looking for is his greatest loss as of the moment.
In the ordinary course of life, we have faced the fact that many of the things we attribute meaning to have fallen into vain…
Achievements in corporate life, promotions, healthy eating trends, pilates-yoga practices, children’s school success, piano lessons, drama courses, higher education goals abroad, language skill competitions…
The decoration of the house, the colors of the kitchen, the most automatic vacuum cleaner…
The brand of the watch, the color of our hair, the choice of branded bags…
The model of our car, the address of our summer vacation.
Even the gold, diamonds, stocks, coins, bonds, hidden in safes…
The picture of the futility of many efforts to make sense of life has been framed and hangs in front of us on every platform. They were buried in mountains and stones as a result of the system that indexes the search for meaning to others, to the system, to modernity, to rent. All our ambitions, all the values we strived for, are now crumbled, a pile of rubble as high as “Three Mount Erciyes”. “Loss of Meaning” has descended like a dark cloud on the life of modern man, who is suspended in a huge void, and at the same time it has dawned like the sun on understanding souls.
Of course, I’m not summarizing life as a life on the side, but I want to draw attention to the importance of reviewing the bonds of life. I propose to think for once about the luxury of having nothing.
Recently, one of our artists said, “I reduced the number of my personal belongings to 165.” To be honest, hearing this for the first time from a popular name made me happy for the sake of protecting this way of life. I don’t know how many people have noticed, but I would like to ask how much you can reduce it to as of now? Or how many did I get it down to? What is the number of personal belongings that we think we can’t part with, starting with a hairpin? Just when I was in these thoughts, in a seminar on healing the spiritual wounds of the earthquake, the following observation was made: “Life is the art of simplification in later life.”
Of course, in this life, we should have the economic freedom to respond comfortably to the above-mentioned concerns. Let’s work for it, let’s strive for it, but let’s also think about the meaning we attach to it. Let us not give in to the temptation of matter. Let us not grieve in your absence. Let us not be slaves of things, servants of the material. Hasn’t the same thing been said for centuries? “Neither do you own anything, nor does anything own you” is not the summary of this spirit? When we give up on the material, we have to look at what we have left. What are we left with? When ambitions, achievements, the “most” beautiful things are over, all we have left is the spiritual rope. Didn’t the earthquake teach us this in language?
This catastrophe is also a great transformation. It is a big window to remind the forgotten and not to be a servant of things. It is a proposition that makes you ask where I am and what I am doing, as well as how I can be useful every day. It’s a great opportunity to get rid of the excess. A great lesson to review life’s bonds.
