This section is not written for those planning to continue their education abroad, but for those who believe that a life abroad will be an antidote to the anxiety stemming from uncertainty in their youth.
When I’m with young people today, I witness how unhappy they are and how they feel part of a pandemic of unhappiness around them, and I hear them say that they are the unluckiest generation in history. As I listen to them, I acknowledge that they have valid reasons for being unhappy from their perspective, but I find the assessment that they are the unluckiest generation in history very naive. I see that this belief, sharing it, and constantly repeating and amplifying it, increases unhappiness and helplessness. Because I think three of the six main causes of unhappiness reinforce this perception. The first cause of unhappiness is living in an environment surrounded by unhappy people. In social settings, everyone contributes to increasing each other’s unhappiness. The second cause is the gap between expectations and reality, and the third is comparison. Social media creates a leverage effect on these three factors, amplifying general dissatisfaction.
As a result of sharing posts about the country’s difficulties, young people begin to believe that their unhappiness can be solved by going abroad, and in this situation, the desire to live abroad is seen as the only way out. This trend is partly fueled by conversations within the family, and plans to put it into practice begin in the early years of high school. The influence of peer group interactions transforms the idea of planning a future outside of Turkey into a life goal.
Geography is destiny, but so is history…
Ibni Haldun wrote 650 years ago that geography is destiny. However, those who paid a heavy price in their time know that history is also a part of destiny. Young people born in Ottoman lands between 1880 and 1900 experienced the Balkan Wars, the Great War, and the War of Independence. Western Anatolia was filled with villages without men. Young people born with an Ottoman identity at that time found themselves landless and without identity in 1918. Therefore, some took refuge in the ideal of Turan, some in the Ummah, and a small group in communism. Those of these young people who survived gained a new identity with the proclamation of the Republic in 1923. Regardless of their ethnic origins, they were poor but hopeful and experienced the pride of saying, “I am proud to be a Turk.” This generation became the guardians of the Republic’s revolutions and dedicated their lives to repaying the knowledge and status they gained through the opportunities provided by the state. Until recently, the oath recited every morning in primary schools, ending with the phrase “May my existence be a gift to the Turkish nation,” held profound meaning. Mustafa Kemal bid farewell to the young people he sent abroad for education, saying, “You are going as a spark, and I expect you to return as an ember,” and all of them did return.
I believe the main reason why young people see themselves as the unluckiest generation in history is their belief that history began with them. Therefore, I recommend books that will help them learn about recent history. For those who find this challenging, I suggest that at least starting with the First Constitutional Era in 1876, or if that’s too much, beginning with the Balkan Wars of 1912, will broaden their perspective on the world, life, and their country. Only then can they understand that it was a miracle that the borders drawn by the Treaty of Sèvres were not implemented, and they would know that if Sèvres had been implemented, they would have been left landless and without identity. They would learn that what we possess is thanks to Mustafa Kemal’s military and strategic genius and the Anatolian peasants who defended these lands at the cost of their lives. Furthermore, learning that two conjunctural events contributed to this miracle would increase their interest in history: the Bolshevik Revolution and the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1920. In the Great War, 25 million people died, and in the pandemic, 55 million people died. British Prime Minister Lloyd George was unable to get the Parliament to approve sending troops to support Greece and resigned. As a result, the National Forces managed to stop the Greek Army 30 kilometers from Ankara, enabling Turkey to escape the fate imposed on it by the West. Today’s youth have a responsibility to this land and to the sacrifices made by past generations. Families and teachers need to guide young people to ensure they feel this responsibility.
After the struggle for the War of Independence, poor but hopeful and proud children established a state free of debt and with a budget surplus. The next generation experienced the hardships of the Second World War, fought for democracy, and witnessed changes in power. The 1960 coup purged the administrative cadres, and various injustices occurred. In relatively more recent history, young people born between 1947 and 1960, who naturally had an interest in politics, were crushed by the coups of March 12, 1971, and September 12, 1980, paying a heavy price, and their experiences have been the subject of numerous books. Turkey lived with an average inflation of 71% between 1979 and 2002. The events of February 28, 1997, and the economic crisis and banking system collapse of 2001 are now behind us. Those born after 2000 have had the fate of experiencing the July 15, 2016 coup attempt and the subsequent transition to a presidential system, the 2020 pandemic, hyperinflation, societal polarization, the wars surrounding Turkey, and their consequences.
Hope sustains people
In every generation, the dissatisfaction and demand for change among young people are perfectly natural. Hope is crucial in the process of demanding change. Hope is having positive expectations about the future. However, for this expectation and idealism to go beyond the passive understanding of “let’s think positively and things will be positive,” three conditions are necessary: a goal, a strategy, and for this strategy to involve action. Therefore, my suggestion to young people is to express their demands for change within a civil society organization that aligns with their worldview.
Roots are important
No plant can reach its full potential outside of its own soil. Wherever a person lives, they seek their roots. If you talk to people living abroad, you’ll hear that they live in an organized society, but their minds are always on their homeland. Because roots aren’t just where a person is born, but also living with the people who witnessed their growth and development. Knowing that there are people to turn to when they are in trouble and need something allows them to experience the most basic human need: security. A person only realizes the value of this when they are in an environment where they cannot experience this feeling.
The results of the “Brain Drain” research conducted by the Istanbul Boys’ High School Business People Foundation with Futurbright, concerning young people living abroad or who have lived abroad for a period and returned, are very thought-provoking. This research revealed that the desire of young people to go abroad is based on three main reasons: The first reason is autonomy, representing a sense of control over their lives and decisions. The second is competence, meaning receiving the reward for their labor and qualifications, and the third reason is belonging, meaning establishing meaningful connections with the environment and experiencing a sense of belonging to a community.
Living as an Immigrant
First of all, it’s important to know that, with one or two exceptions, the Turkish passport is not a passport that is readily accepted worldwide. This was the case in the past, and today, due to rising nationalist movements and the resulting phobia against foreigners and, additionally, Islam, this dissatisfaction has intensified. Therefore, living abroad means having an unchanging second-class immigrant status.
Those who begin living abroad initially face serious problems immediately after their honeymoon. These problems primarily include housing, official procedures, adapting to a new social environment, feeling like a foreigner, adapting to the culture, finding a job, and longing for family. The need for connections, one of the most basic human needs, is met through relationships established with immigrants from Turkey, alumni associations, and other immigrants. Information about developments in Turkey is obtained through social media, family members and friends, YouTube channels, and Turkish news websites.
A significant finding of the research is that the biggest problem for young people going abroad is the loss of their social status. No matter how bright they are in their own country, they become ordinary immigrants in their new location. This and other difficulties lead a large number of young people to use antidepressants, but they hide this and tell their friends and family in Turkey that their lives are wonderful.
For those who have lived abroad for a while and experienced the problems of migration, both those listed above and those not listed, the most important question becomes “to stay or to return?” Because the difficulties of cultural integration and the inability to reconnect with their homeland as before create a state of limbo and trigger existential questions. The perception of returning as a defeat and failure psychologically closes the door to going back.
Conclusion
The conclusion I expect from all this is not to discourage young people from pursuing their dreams of going abroad. I would strongly recommend that young people who have the opportunity and means to study abroad should definitely take advantage of this opportunity, but only on the condition that they go as a spark and return as a burning ember, conscious of their debt to this country.
