Above: The Scream, Edvard Munch (1893) Saturday 15 February 2025 Eskişehir, Türkiye My friends have a new hobby: Adam baiting. They know that I don’t follow the news, except as an afterthought for my calendar day blog posting. So, they will ask my opinions about world events. Above: The Thinker, August Rodin (1904) And what,… Continue reading Enemy at the gates
Category: identity
What’s love got to do with it?
Thursday 14 February 2025 Eskişehir, Türkiye Where does one find love? Perhaps Rome? Above: Roma (Rome), Italia The Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin is a minor basilican church in Rome, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Located in the rione (neighborhood) of Ripa and constructed first in the 6th century as a diaconia (deaconry) in an area of the city populated by Greek immigrants,… Continue reading What’s love got to do with it?
Truth on trial
Eskişehir, Türkiye Thursday 13 February 2025 A hand, trembling, rests upon the worn leather of a Bible. A voice, heavy with authority, asks: “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?“ A moment of hesitation. A flicker of doubt. The weight of the words… Continue reading Truth on trial
Battle scars
Eskişehir, Türkiye Wednesday 12 February 2025 We tell ourselves war ends when the treaties are signed, when the guns fall silent. But for those who bear its scars, war is never truly over. The fight continues — not on the battlefield, but in the struggle to heal, to be seen, to be whole again. And… Continue reading Battle scars
Home?
Tuesday 11 February 2025 Eskişehir / Ankara, Türkiye The day begins in the embrace of motion — a train bound for Ankara, a city that has become familiar yet remains distant from the rhythms of my daily life. The capital of modern Türkiye has many roles to play. It is the conflicts between these roles… Continue reading Home?
The fog of battle: Town vs. gown
Monday 10 February 2025 Eskişehir, Türkiye The streets of Oxford ran red on 10 February 1355, in what became known as the St. Scholastica Day riot. A quarrel over ale — at least, that is how the story begins. Two university students, unsatisfied with their drinks, threw words like daggers at a tavern keeper. Words… Continue reading The fog of battle: Town vs. gown
Fearless?
Sunday 9 February 2025 Eskişehir, Türkiye “The thing I fear most is fear.“ Michel de Montaigne, Essais Above: French writer Michel de Montaigne (1533 – 1592) Picture him in a tunic, a linen or woolen garment that fell to his knees, dyed in earthy tones like brown, gray, or deep green, reflecting his philosophical practicality. Over… Continue reading Fearless?
The road to Nirvana
Saturday 8 February 2025 Eskişehir, Türkiye Time is a river. Its current carries us through moments of human striving — some triumphant, some tragic. Each event, each life born into history on this day, speaks to a quest: For truth, for escape, for justice, for a world beyond suffering. But where does that journey end?… Continue reading The road to Nirvana
The fire and the pen
Friday 7 February 2025 Eskişehir, Türkiye The blank page is cold before the writer’s touch, a winter’s field before the kindling of thought. But then — ah, then! — the first spark, the strike of flint against stone, and a small ember glows in the mind’s cavern. A phrase, a character, a scene — it… Continue reading The fire and the pen
The Academy of Joy
Thursday 6 February 2025 Eskişehir, Türkiye The former head teacher, dismissed and disillusioned, lay in his restless bed, his limbs heavy with exhaustion, his thoughts a storm of injustice and regret. Losing your job can be a hideous blow, both to the pocket and to the ego. The best way to deal with it is… Continue reading The Academy of Joy