Take wisdom from the mouths of crazy people

"It’s not about being right; it's about observing people."

-Vailcan people-


It was the first thing this drunk man said.
It was kind of interesting.

He came closer and kept talking.
The first thought that came to my mind was:
“Take wisdom from the mouths of crazy people.”

Somehow, it was true
until it wasn’t.

He talked a lot, mostly about his personal journey and life,
which was of no interest to me at all,
But I let him speak.

Until he suddenly raised his voice at me and said:
“Why the fucking Muslim prays in the street in front of the cathedral
and not in the fucking mosque?”

He said it angrily.

I kept listening.
I kept observing.

It took me years of my life to learn how to stay calm in such moments
when it comes to almost any topic.

I don’t react easily.
I don’t get angry,

especially in the last few years,
After burnout taught me silence.

I listened to the voice in my head,
looked into his eyes,
and wondered:
What do I see there?
Racism?
Fear?
Ignorance?
All of it?

I would say racism.
But I also saw fear.

And somehow, I didn’t sympathise with it.

I didn’t feel it for people shaped by colonial histories
people who, in many ways, helped break the world themselves.

Yet this old, lonely man
still has his own lens to see the world,
just as I have mine.

I looked at him calmly,
but with confidence,
and said:
“People can pray wherever they like.
The whole world is a place of prayer.
There is no difference between praying in a church,
a mosque, the street,
or under a bridge.
If they believe in God,
God is everywhere.”

He answered quickly:
“They want to take our land, these te-r-o-rr-ists!”
I laughed.

A white man saying this!
Honestly, wow.

I said:
“You don’t know what’s in their hearts.
How can you think someone wants to take your land
Just by praying in the street?
If that scares you,
your heart is full of fear, not love.
And people who lack love in their hearts
don’t defend God’s places.
God doesn’t need anyone to defend Him anyway.”

I believe that keeping your kindness toward people
is how you survive life.

Coming from the holy city gave me this lens of love
one I don’t want to lose,
no matter how heavy life becomes.

From Makkah, with love.

To all the versions I once was;

I HAVE NO ENERGY LEFT

“I HAVE NO ENERGY LEFT” I said that after doing my best. I have no fight left in me for those who have no dignity, for those who are different in a good or bad way, just different. The ones who don’t align with my values. The ones who choose themselves over others, Who listens to one side and refuse to hear the other. Who thinks twice before giving, who think twice before loving, who think twice about sharing their food not only that, but carry such heavy moods they make you question your own goodness, as if it’s not enough, or not as worthy as theirs. Those who see the world differently who decides who is right and who is wrong, who deserves land more than another, Who deserves a visa? a paper, or even a mother. To the politicians’ anger. To women-haters. I had no energy left in me. To those who cannot dream. To those who do not dare. To live life I wish to spare myself. To the greedy. To the needy. To the ones who do not dare to dream, yet still dare to scream!
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To all the versions I once were;

 To all the versions I once was; To the saddest of me, the one who suffered a lot, experienced many emotions for the first time The first time, I couldn’t handle a rejection The first time I was sad about living The first time I experienced loss and death When my grandma passed away, I went to the kitchen to bake a cake, and my mom hit me and told me I was disrespectful! But I was 11 back then, and I didn’t know how to deal with it. No one taught me because no one could. To the first fear, when I first lost my mom at the shops, no one was holding my hand I was scared to death, to feel left behind, to feel the fear in every inch That fear comes with madness, and a lot of crying, you look around like crazy But my 4-year-old me didn’t know better Didn’t know how to come up with ideas beyond imagination, and then I was terrified. To the happy one, once. When I was elected in a competition, and my grandpa cried with happiness He gave me my first phone. And I remember the first time when...
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