Life without tension made me sick

I had not been travelling abroad for a while.

Taking advantage of the New Year’s break, my wife and I went to the United States and then to the Caribbean to dive. I wish I had not, brother.

Whenever I visit continents such as Europe and America for a short while, my psychology is disrupted. My chemistry is upside down. The first couple of days pass easily, however, the illness strikes afterward starting with headaches. When I stroll around, talk to people and read their papers, watch their TVs, then the situation gets worse.

How can it not?

Before anything else, people on the streets are very kind to each other. If they accidentally bump into you, they apologize. When they enter or exit a place, they do not leave the door to slam into the face of those walking behind; on the contrary, they hold the door. You can frequently hear people thank each other. Anybody stepping inside an elevator, regardless of whether they know you or not, says hello and wishes you a good day. In general, they are smiling. They are clean.

Would you not find all of these things odd? Would you not be irritated?

Especially during moving traffic, there is nobody who has mounted sirens or blinking lights on his/her vehicle. I asked a policeman; it took me quite a while to explain what I was talking about. The guy could not possibly understand why private vehicles would be equipped with sirens and blinking lights except for police cars and ambulances. Occupying the emergency lane without authorization, on the other hand, is considered a practice only insane people would resort to. Traveling in a vehicle without putting on a seat belt is regarded equivalent to “attempted suicide.”

How strange, isn’t it?

Sure, there are stories of homicide. Of course there are, but families do not kill their children in the name of “honor.” A woman is not beaten or shot in the middle of the street almost every day.

As I said, this is an annoying situation. Even while I was writing these words, I kind of started sweating all over, really.

Not possible: leaders do not insult each other
What about the politicians, the leaders?

We have an abundance of tough statements, and politicians and leaders who accuse each other. However, during all of my vacation, I had the pain of not coming across leaders yelling at each other on the T.V., insulting each other every day. Can you imagine; they even apologize when they go too far. There is no tension. When there is a dispute, they immediately find a formula for compromise and solve the issue. They try not to make life miserable for each other.

Well, that’s a bit too much, isn’t it?

I visited universities also, to see a few fights with stones and sticks and maybe chains, so that I could come to my senses…to no avail. Nothing came from there either. They assemble in amphitheaters to figure out who is more right. What a shame.

Don’t they ever have any evil, dirty souls, murderers and vulgar people among them?

There are, indeed, how can there not be? I am talking about the general situation, about a perception, the majority of society.

Especially in the Caribbean, I was going to have a fit.

It is worse there; it is calmer than America. Not only in that they lack fights; they have music and smiles.

Anyway, I was back home and immediately back to my own self.

As soon as I boarded my return flight, I opened my dear papers. I got it all together with plenty of fights and murder stories, as well as Erdoğan-Kılıçdaroğlu disputes and traffic accidents.

I decided not to visit civilized countries again for a long time.

That’s it; such an easy, calm, polite and conciliatory life does not suit us. I guess we chill out by fighting each other and making life miserable for each other.