Why are we always pessimistic?

I recall from my youth, at the time of the demirel governments in the 1960s we were complaining of annual inflation rates floating around 10 percent. We kept on complaining about annual 60-70 percent inflation rates of the Ozal years and the consequent annual 80-90 percent rates as well.

We were complaining at first of the righ-left terror of the 1970s, then of the PKK terrorism in the 1980s, 1990s. Then terrorism ended, but we still continue making complaints about somethings.

After every government change we complained of buraucracy being subjected to a massacre, talking about the dangers of governing parties appointing their cadres to high government offices. I still hear the same complaints.

This country had governments from the extreme right to the extreme left and each and every time we kept on hearing the literature of "The country is being sold out. We have lost our independence. Foreign powers are ruling us." We still hear the same songs.

That’s enough….

No other society can torture itself so much. We cannot always see the empty part of a half full glass.

I am not a member of the Justice and Development Party (AKP). I didn’t vote for the AKP. I do not share the world view of the AKP either. But I cannot just ignore the correct applications of this government either.

And, I do this not out of a concern to be on good terms with the AKP administration, but for my own health, tranquility of my family and people around me, to see the improvements in our living conditions.

No one can claim that everything is perfect in a country like Turkey, where distrubution of wealth is not well balanced, foreign investments that could take down unemployment to the lowest possible level has not yet been achieved — that is in a country that has not yet become rich.

Today, even visiting countries with per capita income of $15-20,000, you would see that the peoples there as well have complaints. But, unlike in our country, in those countries you don’t see grossly exagerrated criticisms in a manner hurting themselves or distrupting peace.

We should not exaggerate. It will be enough to place in front of us newspapers from a few years ago.

Just think of what we have gone through. Just try to remember the nightmare-like economic-political crisis and social upheveals.

Remember the years with terrorism. Have you forgotten the killing of scores of people every day; villages being burned down; people forced to flee their habitats?

What would you say for the years during which work places were folding down one after the other, unemployment was rampant, hunger was spreading?

And, just look at the situation today…

A country whose economy is still fragile but has risen from its ill bed.

A society that has reached a point to take under control terrorism and events that could distrupt social peace.

A country which from a phase of constant criticism and being pushed around has reached the phase of opening accession talks with Europe.

The AKP government has not achieved all these alone. It made substantive contributions after it came to power. The previous administrations as well sometimes made contributions, sometimes devastated previous accomplishments. We cannot ignore their contributions either.

What I am trying to say is as a society we must realize that the country has changed and must accomodate our own internal peace.

We should not always talk about the bad things, complain, express our disullisionments, but at the same time by looking back we must make comparisons with our present state and appreciate the advances made.

In our daily talks as much as the cliches such as "Nothing can be done with us… These people are pulling us to devastation," we must as well make the evaluations of "from where to where have we come" The world is fastly changing. Though perhaps not with the same speed, our Turkey as well is changing. Terminologies, politics, daily affairs all are becoming different. We no longer have the Turkey of the 1980s and 1990s.

We should realize the changes in our daily living as well and express our appreciation (at least a little bit) accordingly.

Let’s stop this self torture.

Let’s smile a little bit.

Even just for once, let’s be relieved.

Let’s not spend every day with catasthropic scenarios.

We may make our own lives gloomy, but we should at least try not to be bad examples to our children.