People think, "I wish we could do this," but it's true; As we face that this 'if only' is very difficult, we turn around and cling to hope, our most important motivation and consolation tool. However, hope without taking responsibility and taking action is as deadly as despair.
New Year's wishes are automated thinking patterns and behavior rituals that reflect people's tendency to enter each new year with renewed hope. When we look at the concept of time from the point of view of physical science, we know that there cannot be a "new" year and that dividing time into slices such as days, months and years is an "illusion" invented by man. Like the drops drifting through time, which is an endless river flowing to infinity, we are creating “branches” to hold on to ourselves in this uninterrupted and endless flow by determining “time cycles” such as months and years.
Likewise, with end times Except for limited works, events that affect our lives significantly, just like time, take place without listening to "new year" or "cycle". For example; We cannot stop a natural disaster, an accident, illness, death, or even a hunger problem, collective or individual violence, even though they are caused by man, by closing the year cycle. One thinks, "I wish we could do this," but it's true; As we face that this 'if only' is very difficult, we turn to hope, which is our most important motivation and consolation tool.
We are in the 100th year of our Republic. What kind of psychological atmosphere are we entering into 2023, which we have been waiting for years? When we look at it, unfortunately, we cannot see that the "new year cycle" we opened is full of hope. It is understood that many of the problems that the river of time dragged from the previous years and left to the shores of 2023 will continue to affect our lives and psychology negatively by adding to the new problems waiting on this shore. By looking at these problems in the light of some data, we can at least increase our awareness and think about the possibilities of taking some precautions and producing solutions for ourselves, our country and humanity.
GLOBAL EVENTS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS
Studies around the world reveals that the widespread psychological state is not very encouraging for humanity in general, especially for young people and women.
The research organization Gallup's broadly participated research titled “The Blind Spot: The Global Rise of Unhappiness and Leaders Missed It” published in 2022. It reveals that the level of unhappiness has increased significantly all over the world due to reasons such as poverty, deepening differences in income distribution, living in “bad communities”, hunger, loneliness caused by the pandemic, and undesirable working conditions. The research suggests that leaders overlook the increased stress, anger, sadness, and general unhappiness in people, and they don't pay enough attention to the psychological effects people experience. Do you think this thesis is inconsistent with the facts?
In the World Economic Forum's 2023 Global Risks Report, the pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war, energy, inflation, food and security issues created global risks that will mark the next two years. is expressed. These risks include the rising cost of living crisis, social polarization due to disinformation, natural disasters and extreme climate events, unsuccessful global economic wars, escalating cybercrime and widespread refugee problems. It is emphasized that these risks will continue to increase in the next 10 years unless steps are taken to improve climatic and biological diversity in the world.
Many local or global-scale studies, especially in the USA, that reveal findings parallel to the Gallup research and the World Economic Forum Report. It reveals that suicide rates, violence against women, use of psychiatric drugs and psychiatric disorders are gradually increasing in many countries of the world, and that young people are extremely unhappy due to many socio-economic factors, especially unemployment and future uncertainty.
TURKEY'S GENERAL PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTLOOK
Can Turkey be expected to be in a better situation when the world is in such a state? Unfortunately, we cannot say that we are better in any of the parameters that we talk about affecting the world, and we regret that we are at the bottom of the country rankings in most subjects. Base The conditions that we are in and that upset our psychology are not only of global origin, but also due to country conditions.
According to Gallup's “World Happiness Index”, Turkey ranks 112th among 146 countries in Uganda and Zimbabwe. According to the United Nations World Happiness Report published in 2021, Turkey ranks 104th among 149 countries. Similar studies show that Turkey is falling backwards day by day.
There is not enough idea about the level of happiness or unhappiness, brain drain, psychiatric drug use, violence, substance use and the serious increase in unemployment rates, impoverishment and cost of living. gives. Research data on these issues also support the negative picture.
Let's take a look at the main reasons for migration, which leads to the decrease of qualified and young manpower in our country, especially doctors and engineers. There are social, psychological, economic and political reasons such as anxiety about the future, unhappiness caused by overwork despite the economic gain that is below expectations, and a decrease in the expectations of living in accordance with one's own lifestyle. It is no secret that the refugee problem in Turkey also creates a serious social stress.
The leading causes of suicides, which have experienced alarming increases in some years in our country, as in the rest of the world, are relief from psychological or physical pain and financial difficulties. In the research conducted at Üsküdar University (2019), it is emphasized that the tendency of violence in the society can reach up to 67%. This rate shows why the violence against women and children, which is frequently reported to the public, is not surprising. For hope is a source of motivation and the belief that things can get better; is the light at the end of the tunnel. But hope without responsibility and action is just as deadly as despair.
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