Postscript Turkey.
On the last day of my driving adventure in Turkey, experiencing as much as I could of the 560 miles between Cappadocia and the Mediterranean Sea, I battled my way through the traffic of the magnificent city of Konya in search of the Mevlana Museum. I had known a few things about the 13th Century Sufi Muslim mystic, Jelaluddin Rumi, for many years. But of late I had been turning to him more and more as I sought to understand the soul of Islam.
Rumi is said to have said:
“The past has vanished.
Everything that was uttered belongs there.
Now is the time to speak of new things.”
These are simple and beautiful words and they are also wise and hopeful words. Something different is needed in our world than the thoughts and actions of the past. Looking only to the past we will likely find plenty of reason for fear and mistrust. A future of prosperity and peace requires that we strive together to find every possible good reason to believe in each other and to respect what the other believes.
Did I find such good reasons in Turkey, which was after all my primary goal for traveling there? Absolutely! The first day to the last my month in Turkey were filled with experiences and people and insights that declare loudly that we can COEXIST with our Abrahamic brothers and sisters. I learned that the people of Turkey can and desire to have a very significant role in the future we are building together.
Also, and very important, I have discovered in the past ten days back in the states that my interest in Turkey and its people and its role in the world, and my interest in Islam have not declined since my return. I have continued writing to friends in Turkey and I have continued reading books.
My new favorite book on Turkey is entitled, Crescent and Star; Turkey Between Two Worlds, by Stephen Kinzer, who for five years was the bureau chief for the New York Times in Istanbul. Do you recall how many people asked me, “Why go to Turkey?” This is KInzer’s answer to that question:
“When the first edition of this book appeared in 2001, Turkey was the most fascinating country in the world. It still is. Other than that, almost everything about Turkey has changed.”
Kinzer believes that the future of the world is as much in the hands of the people of Turkey as any other people.
“For centuries they shaped world history and the not so distant memory of Ottoman glory allows them to believe they can do so again.”
Among many meanings of this affirmation are that Turkey and its people are probably the strongest force in the world for illuminating the way for Muslims who hope to be both faithful and democratic.
Will I return to Turkey? It’s certainly possible and I would love to do so, but on the other hand the answers to questions like this—question about the purpose of our lives and our destinies—are hidden in the stars, only to be revealed at exactly the right time. One thing I do know, if I do return to Turkey and if I do value my life I had better take my wife, Kathy, with me to be overwhelmed by the sights of Cappadocia. Some things do not take a lot of insight to understand.
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