The Holy Month

This year, I have decided to take Ramazan (aka Ramadan) seriously. In fact the most seriously in my entire life. In the past, I did not understand the gravity behind it and up until last week, that lack of understanding persisted. My parents were never religious, but my mother occasionally asked me to pray for the good of all and for people. To be religious in the Turkish community in any country was in fact a political statement that the current Republic should be overthrown and replaced by an Islamic State. This is my family's view on the situation, though I know now that people can be religious for personal reasons, definitely being completely oblivious to what political they may convey.

But putting political views aside, I decided to take this Holy Month seriously because of an incident last week that taught me the true essence of tribute.

It was about 1900 hours on a Wednesday evening when I got home from hospital, "starving". Luckily I went to the local shops and bought myself some vegetables to steam and a nice piece of steak, which I was going to prepare that night.

After preparing my meal, I sat down with my plate of steak and veggies to watch the news as I do when I eat dinner. All was well until the reporter talked about the Famine in Sudan. Thousands of people left without food, clean water and walking days on end to receive aid from Charity. It was absolutely awful. There I was, sitting there eating my steak and vegetables, watching these poor people walk, collapse and die from malnutrition and dehydration.

I felt sick. I wished I could do something there and then for them. But in my current state of play, I knew there wasn't much at all I could do for these poor people.

It occurred to me that Ramazan was the best tribute to these people. My personal choice and spiritual message to them and to those around me that there are people out there in the world that I've never met and might not ever meet, who lived days and weeks without food, drink and the basics of life.

To fast means to wake up in the early hours of the morning and to eat breakfast and drink water, to pray for those without the basics and to halt food and water intake for anywhere between 12-16 hours, depending on the Lunar Calendar this year.

I am going to do every day of the 28 days. I am going to pay respect and tribute to these poor people around the world, some living here in this beautiful country that I call home.

I will remember how amazingly lucky I am to have access to a wardrobe, bed, sheets, a roof and a window. A shower, toilet and toilet paper. A towel, soap and a sink with running water... hot and cold.
I have access to a computer with internet, a chair, a desk to study and electrical lighting. I can listen to music, borrow textbooks and write with pens of different colours on many different types of paper. There's many more to be grateful for.

We are so very lucky. And if I remember these basics, like I do now every day without food and drink, I feel incredibly relieved, happy and essentially at peace that I do not take any of it for granted. That is how I pay my tribute to these people all around the world, regardless of their religion, race and gender, or any other dimension of racial differentiation.

Hopefully when the time is right, I will do more than fast to help those in need.