Sometimes we need to stop and ask ourselves:
What are we doing, and what are we actually serving?
When we carry on with our profession, or the task we’ve taken on without questioning it, we can unwittingly become part of the system. Moreover, we’re living in a time when that boundary is becoming a little more blurred with each passing day.
Sometimes, a person cannot distinguish when they have taken on a role and when that role has begun to dictate them.
That is precisely why being vigilant is no longer a choice, but a necessity.
Yet, perhaps what we need today is not to make grand political statements, or construct lofty phrases.
We need to pause for a moment.
We need to stand still for a moment amidst the swirling winds.
And to look at ourselves in all honesty.
What are we doing?
What are we serving?
Because when we forget this, we don’t just lose ground.
We slowly erode.
That invisible darkness seeping into us takes hold of our minds and begins to mold us in its own image.
That’s why…
If we want to build a decent future, we must recognize the traps early on.
Yes, it’s hard to see the truth amidst so much manipulation.
But perhaps in such moments, during the toughest times, we need to look at the stories of those who achieve great things through small steps.
Because growth is often possible through small steps.
And often, those ‘small steps’…
Are what keep us standing.
Everything we ignore, postpone, or deem ‘insignificant’ actually shapes who we are.
They form the foundation of our existence.
The evil wants exactly this:
It wants us to think those ‘small steps’ are insignificant.
To erode our values.
Yet no matter how contentious reality becomes, values remain clear.
Yes, methods change.
In fact, some methods have run their course in this era.
But values endure.
And perhaps that is why the thing we must constantly remind ourselves of is very simple:
It is not what we do, but how and why we do it that determines everything.
As Baba Zula sing in their song “The Ballad of Resistance” [Direniş Destanı]:
“Never forget, always remember:
To defend courage, unity, and beauty…”
Sometimes a single sentence is enough.
As long as we truly remember.
This article was originally published on 23.03.2026
