Dr. Salar Othman
Since the beginning of human existence, people have always wanted to discover the truth: the truth about existence, life, and the world around them. This process of searching for truth has never been possible through isolation or by relying only on oneself. Instead, people have needed to engage with life itself. In other words, it is a search within life to understand life, discover its mysteries, and reach the truth.
In the beginning, human beings knew nothing, but today they know a great deal. They continue to make efforts to learn more and more. Therefore, this process is ongoing: the process of gaining knowledge and understanding until we reach the truth. Because outside the truth, life becomes like vapor. It is true that vapor itself is part of reality. We can see it, it exists, and the reasons for its existence and the moments in which it appears are clear. Yet, despite all this, it cannot be held or preserved. That is why we cannot build our dreams and realities upon it.
I would like you to spend a moment with me between truth and vapor, between life and vapor, and between the ideas and understandings that separate truth from vapor. Perhaps in the second part of this discussion, we can replace vapor with illusion. However, I still do not want our discussion to be too simple, because simplicity alone does not take us to the highest levels of truth. Of course, we are not interested in discussing simple truths. Instead, we want to explore deeper and higher truths, those that emerge through dialogue, mutual understanding, and bringing different perspectives together. Before being a cultural or political process, this is essentially a social process.
This process becomes possible and moves in the right direction when there is social openness. In this sense, social openness means asking questions, engaging in dialogue, understanding one another, and bringing different views together to reach the truth. It means moving beyond illusions and discovering higher truths, the kind of truths that help societies progress and reach a more dignified and meaningful life. A life that overcomes illusions and brings us closer to reality. A life in which critical thinking does not turn brothers against one another but instead helps the country move forward and strengthens social reconciliation.
To put it more simply, social openness leads people toward progress, dignity, and a better life. In contrast, social isolation and closed-mindedness bring countless problems, diseases, disasters, ignorance, darkness, backwardness, and social illusions. They also destroy the spirit of creativity and innovation.
Open societies are creative. People laugh, enjoy life, and embrace future generations. No one fears another person, and no one invents lies about others. Everyone works together, building the foundations of their country and singing together in harmony.
My final words in this article are these: It is true that Kurdish society has begun moving toward social openness, but this process has come with problems, difficulties, and a certain degree of ignorance. This is because the necessary plans, approaches, ways of thinking, and conditions were not properly prepared to support such openness. As a result, the process faces serious challenges and needs to be improved through knowledge, careful planning, and well-designed programs.