"This is a moment of truth"

October 28, 2023

"This is a moment of truth"

I was a child in 1990s Turkey. In my household, the TV was always on, and no one was worried about what was suitable for kids to watch. The news, reality shows, horror films... Among all the scary things I saw, one scene never left me. It was of a woman running with despair and fear on her face while bombings were happening in the background. I can't remember if this was my imagination or if it was real, but she might have been holding a baby. The look on her face was ingrained in me. I didn't understand. This place called Bosnia sounded terrifying, which shocked me because I remembered seeing a photo of it in the Balkans Encyclopedia which included a massive photo of each country, and my favorite one was called Cennet Bosna (Heaven Bosnia)

Years later, when I was old enough to find out what had happened in Bosnia at that time, I was left speechless. The pain that I felt but couldn't comprehend came back. I was terrified, horrified, and disgusted as I consumed the news. I couldn't believe that a massacre had happened in the middle of Europe, and no one had stopped it. A massacre happened in front of everyone's eyes, and the whole of Europe, the entire world, witnessed it. My heart still aches.

I'm not the kid in the 1990s, and we aren't in the 1990s anymore. But I'm witnessing the same story again, this time with my adult eyes. I can't bear it. Before being able to give attention to the devastating earthquake that happened in Afghanistan and other disasters caused by climate change, I've been watching in horror as widespread killing and destruction are being caused not by nature but by man in the Middle East.

I'm at a loss for words. I feel deep sympathy for those who lost their lives during the attacks by Hamas, and I'm also deeply concerned for those who are enduring relentless bombardment and lack access to aid.

Will humanity have the wisdom to learn lessons? Will humanity respect international law for the sake of everybody? Will humanity fail again? What's this? How's that? I don't understand.

The war crimes in Bosnia were unspeakable. I still can't comprehend how such atrocities could take place. I still can't fathom how, in this era of technology where we have live footage and stories of what's happening in Palestine, even when the Secretary-General of the UN is calling for a ceasefire, a UN member Israel doesn't stop.

THIS HAS TO STOP. PLEASE STOP.