"WHAT IF...?"

"I think 'What if...?' questions regarding our personal lives often don't make much sense. Of course, it also depends on the reason we are asking this question. For example, if we want to analyze a past situation where we feel we could have done something differently—perhaps better—and we want to think through the possibilities of 'what if' we had acted differently, what the outcome of the event would have been, or how we or others involved would have felt, then it might make sense. Especially if we ask this question with the intention of learning or improving something (say, ourselves 😊).

However, if we ask this question out of self-pity, we won't get anywhere, except that we will feel very sorry for ourselves or resent others who were involved in the situation. This way, we only maintain the unfortunate state we are suffering in. So, I think if this question comes up, it's worth looking at why we are asking it right now, and it would be really good if we could answer ourselves honestly. Then we could spare ourselves, and probably others too, a lot of suffering. I've noticed that this question often stems from resentment, guilt, and an inability to accept something. In such cases, it can take us to very dark places.

But there are times, for instance—and no one will ever be able to tell us this, or rather, many might try, but it's best to listen to our own inner voice—when we don't know if we are doing the right thing or not. We don't know whether to do what we want to do the most, yet we don't do it for many reasons, and suddenly this question pops up: 'What if... I do it? Or what would happen if I did it?'

Let me give you a very mundane example from my own life. I'm walking home from grocery shopping, and a man (probably a very poor man) is begging, sitting on the ground. As I pass by, he asks me for money. Usually, I just give him a kind smile (with a bit of pity, because I don't have too much to give either) and keep walking. But! Today, as I walk on, the question crosses my mind: 'What if I gave him some little thing after all?' 

And I'm still slowly moving forward, walking away from the man, thinking, yes, why couldn't I give him something, since I have a little change today that I'd gladly give away. So I turn around, take a little money out of my wallet, go up to the man sitting on the ground, and give it to him. And I walk home. And I don't even think about it anymore. I gave it because I wanted to give it, and I no longer dwell on 'What if I had given it to him (because I hadn't)?' or what he will use the money for. That's it, it's done, I gave it. I am okay with myself.

Now, however, it occurred to me that sometimes it's better to focus on 'What is?' rather than 'What if...?'. Yes, there are a lot of things right here in front of us that are. So how much more interesting it is to deal with those, instead of daydreaming about what isn't. Because, you see, 'What would happen if...?' and 'What if...?' are all conditional modes... meaning something that isn't, wasn't, or won't even be... etc. 

But still, as I mentioned earlier, sometimes it makes sense to ask these questions too, if we feel they help us move forward. For example, imagining difficult situations to train ourselves to step out—at least in our imagination—of the fear that stops us from acting the way we truly want to deep down. I think that makes sense. 

 SUMAC (magyarul: szömörce 😊) 

Another interesting herb I got to know here in Turkey is 'sumac.'

We often use it at home in Istanbul, especially when making salads. I mostly use it to season raw onions that I put in the salad, because it has the beneficial property of taking away the 'harsh' onion flavor, making it a bit sour in return.

Sometimes we make a salad out of onions only, which can be made from red or purple onions and is excellent for kebab, döner, or other grilled meats.

But I don't only make onion salad with sumac; I also make potato salad and kısır and lahmacun. 

By the way, the spice is made from the dried plant by grinding it and then adding salt, resulting in a slightly coarse spice. It is not 'powdery' like pepper or paprika.

As I found out, throughout history it was not only used as a spice but was also widespread in traditional medicine.

'Sumac is a plant that is frequently grown in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions, known for its small, usually red or dark purple berries. 

It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties, aids digestion, helps balance blood sugar levels, supports heart health, strengthens the immune system, and improves skin health.

 Additionally, it relieves stomach discomfort, reduces inflammation, protects oral health, and has a natural detoxifying effect.'"

https://www.acibadem.com.tr/hayat/sumak-nedir-faydalari/

 TO BE SMART VS. TO BE WISE / THE MOST DANGEROUS WAYS TO SCHOOL

There is a difference between being smart and being wise. But it is not that simple to define exactly what that difference is. I think one thing is that smartness can be acquired and increased through learning, but wisdom is not found in books. As Silo, the Master, said in his first public speech, 'wisdom lies within human consciousness.' More precisely, he says: '...true wisdom can be passed on neither through books nor through speeches. True wisdom lies deep within your consciousness, just as true love is found deep within your heart.' And everyone has access to this. For free. 😊

But access to education, for instance, is not available to everyone, and certainly not for free. I once watched a series on YouTube showing how children in different countries around the world get to elementary school. And every single one of them was an incredible struggle. They had to battle the elements. Overcoming water, snow, cold, and loneliness just to get to school in the mornings from remote areas, sometimes setting off in the dark before dawn, and then to make it back home, or to return to their parents at the end of the school year.

In many places, basic education is free and compulsory. However, beyond that, in many places you have to pay and the costs associated with education are so high that families can no longer afford them. It also happens—unfortunately, and I stress this very much and find it unacceptable—that children cannot be sent to school because they have to work so that the family can somehow survive. 

This is unacceptable, outrageous, and it breaks my heart to think about children waking up at dawn to go to a quarry or to the fields to work in terrible heat or cold, hunching over all day; very young children who have only just learned to talk. My God, why is this still allowed to happen in the world?????? Young children need care, love, and protection, and the opportunity to learn and grow healthily, both physically and mentally.              

                   

It is a huge loss if those who wish to pursue further studies are unable to do so. It is a loss for the person experiencing it (being deprived of the joy of learning), for the family, and for society, which loses with every single person who is not allowed to study. How wonderful it would be to have a world where those who want to learn could study, accumulate as much knowledge as they want, and use it for something good.

I think wise people are not concerned with money or the idea of 'utility'; they are connected to something else. And this allows something to constantly grow and be present around them. It manifests in the way they live and how they connect with other people. People love to be in the same place as them, to be near them, even when they are not talking. In my opinion, wise people do not cling to things because they are aware of the changing and transient nature of everything. They are much more concerned with creating something and somehow contributing to the well-being of others, but without depending on these things. I find this very appealing, by the way. This kind of freedom 😊 and goodness 😊

I also believe that wise people are very peaceful, cheerful, and have a 'big heart.' There is a quiet peace, joy, and a kind of humility in them.

Anyway, I think neither consciousness nor the heart is that easy to access. Perhaps that is why there aren't that many wise people 😊 I cannot decide, by the way, whether it is harder to access consciousness, the heart, or free and high-quality education these days. And I am not joking.

The Wonderful Bay Leaf

Another very interesting plant found all around here (and what luck 😊!) is the bay leaf. I have been drawn to bay leaves for a long time because it is such a unique plant... and because of the "laurel wreath" 😊. I never understood why poets and emperors wore laurel wreaths on their heads. Why exactly bay leaves? Anyway, here is a brief look at bay leaves from the website:

 https://terebess.hu/tiszaorveny/fuszer/baber.html:

Apollo's revenge turned Daphne into an evergreen laurel tree (in Turkish, the bay leaf is called 'defne'), yet the beautiful nymph continued to haunt the plants. From then on, Apollo and the laurel became inseparable. The tree borrowed all its traits from the god, and the laurel always appeared in the rituals of Apollo's priests. They wore laurel wreaths on their heads and tucked them under their pillows at night, as it helped the future appear in their dreams.

When delivering their prophecies, they held a laurel branch in their hands and chewed on its berries.

To offer a sacrifice pleasing to Apollo, they burned laurel wood. The burning laurel revealed their future destiny. A quiet fire was a bad omen, but its loud, crackling flames foretold happy times.

To truly know the laurel, we must know Apollo. Apollo was the god of the lyre and poetry; this is why laurel wreaths were placed on the heads of poets. Apollo was the god of forgiveness, making the laurel a symbol of absolution. The laurel wreath on a victorious general's head represented a plea for the appeasing mercy of the gods. Roman soldiers wiped their bloody swords with a laurel branch to placate their deities.

The Romans believed that lightning never strikes a laurel tree. Emperor Tiberius weathered storms with a laurel wreath on his head, seemingly with success, as heaven spared him from lightning strikes. Apollo's arrow banished plagues, so the laurel's strong scent could prevent rot and disease, keeping evil spirits away.

The connection between the visionary laurel and artists is not just Apollo's credit. The Greeks viewed writers and poets as special people with rare prophetic powers, which is why the laurel wreath became their symbol. No wonder this talent-enhancing—and sometimes talent-substituting—wreath remained a favorite accessory for artists over the centuries. Eating bay leaves enhanced people's prophetic abilities. The famous Pythia, the Oracle of Delphi, wore a laurel wreath not only on her head but also in her mouth during prophecies. With so much laurel around, it was easy to interrogate the spirits.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythia#/media/File:The_Oracle_of_Delphi_Entranced.jpg

In addition to all this, her three-legged chair was adorned with laurels, and the sacred laurel tree bloomed right beside it. The story of Apollo and the nymph lived vividly among the Greek people for a long time. If a laurel tree grew beautifully and luxuriantly anywhere, they whispered that the god had transformed Daphne into a laurel there. Following the Greek model, the Romans also revered it for its miraculous abilities for a time. Then it gradually faded into the background, reappearing much later in the Middle Ages." 

So, besides being a great culinary herb with countless useful properties, bay leaves were used in certain eras to achieve altered or meditative states of consciousness. Similarly, in the same or earlier periods, other plants were believed to induce strange or altered states, though those substances could also cause poisoning. I certainly wouldn't experiment with that 😊.

These effects are not clearly proven by science; they live on through myths and legends, which gives them their alluring charm. In the past, people knew far more about the effects of plants than we do today. Most of us just use them in the kitchen for seasoning and don't give them much thought. However, some people observe plants differently and utilize their healing powers. Formerly, and still today in some rural areas, people became "healers" through tradition. They know plants deeply and understand how to use them as medicine. This is a unique and highly valuable knowledge, even today when we have so many pharmaceuticals available.

Furthermore, plants work naturally without chemicals. Chemicals might worsen health or cause unpleasant side effects. I am not against medicine at all. I am grateful to medical science because many once-serious or fatal diseases are easily curable today. Even so, it is good to know which medicinal herbs grow around us. In milder cases, herbs can truly replace conventional medicine—at least, that is my personal experience. I simply admire plants and their power 😊.

Local Bay Leaves in Istanbul

In this post I was mainly interested in bay leaves because they are incredibly common here in Istanbul. It is wonderful because if you need a little bay leaf for your soup, you just reach out the window or balcony (as I usually do 😊) and pluck a few leaves. You dry them for a few days, and they can go straight into a delicious beef stew or potato stew 😊 yummi 😊