This Delicious Life
Sometimes I surprise myself
For enjoying wine
I ask myself
Why fear rules the earth
I worship freedom
Dancing naked at midnight
The moon my friend
This delicious life
I cherish so much
Symphony of crickets
Whispering waves and wind
Let me sip coffee
Thinking and thinking
This delicious world
Smart thieves in charge
Thieves or no thieves
Love this marvelous life
Mountain of Love
In loving memory of Zerrin Bolukbasi
This fabulous mountain
Far away and nearby
Like loving emotions
Stretching till they snap
But you want to find love
Not hear mountain tales
Not ancient love
Here and now
Not tomorrow or yesterday
Fresh raw fire
Some say
Only time can measure
No simple bonding test
Gifts flowers pledges say little
Like the mountain
When snow comes
Watch the mountain
Let snow come
Blizzards of white beauty
Ice Age talking
No pillow chats
No fireplace or hot ashes
You will know
Does the mountain change?
I did a survey about Hagia Sophia.
I was curious to find out whether there, would be enough public interest to promote organized efforts to maintain Hagia Sophia as a museum . Out of 98 people who received the survey only three people responded.
In essence this mini survey suggests ,in general people don’t care about what happens to Hagia Sophia and whether it is a mosque or a museum.
Does Hagia Sophia Matter ?
Should we be concerned about the recent conversion of Hagia Sophia to a mosque in Istanbul in July 2020?
The answer I suppose may prompt other questions ; Should we respect diversity, be sensitive to differences and promote tolerance and equal opportunities of all people?
Should we respect the beliefs of all humans and suggest nothing which might imply that one individual is superior to another on the grounds of age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, sexual orientation, disability or health condition?
Should we promote public expressions free from bias, stereotypes, slang, reference to dominant culture and/or cultural assumptions?
History suggests, selective forced conversion of minority populations to Islam, selective forced castration of African slaves to work as servants at the palace harem, were common operational practices in the Ottoman era that lasted six centuries until the establishment of modern Turkey in 1923.
In essence if respect and tolerance of all human lives, believes and cultures matter, conversion of Hagia Sophia to a mosque is not good for humanity.
