September 26, 2009

Gift or Punishment

In a butterfly life, every second has a vital importance. Minutes are like months and days are like years for them. If there isn't any emergency, we don't care much seconds or minutes, we generally deal with years and centuries. But, in nations life, centuries are like days which are not thought to be long. Beginnings and endings are always incredibly long considering the avarage human life. Nations are never born in a day or die in a week. Sometimes nations death last more than two – three centuries. Nations history are a collection of milions of individual (short) lives. Individual life ends in 70 – 100 years old, but nations life go on its way with the fear of waiting the last individual life ending. So, the last individual ending of a nation is also the ending of a whole nation.

In holly books, the sudden endings of nations generally caused by disasters are described deeply. Most of them are represented as a punishment of the Creator. They did something wrong, and as a punishment the whole nation sentenced to death. So, our community members are oftenly (“oftenly” shows the urgency and importance of the matter) mentioning about the ending of Circassian nation. Then we must think and talk about what the possible reason of us to be punished by the Creator if this is a punishment!?

“Always tell the truth, never tell a lie”, “be helpful”, “be respectful to each other and yourself especially to the olds”, “save the environment”, “take care of your neighbours”, “be hospitable”, “don't gossip”, “save your country and fight for it if needed”, “be honorable”, “be clean”, .... these are the general qualities of an ordinary Circassian men or woman, and desired as quality of a perfect person mainly in all religions. In Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism without any exception they are all advised to maintain a perfect community. If you gossip, you commit a sin in these four main religions. If you don't tell the truth and tell a lie, you are a sinner. If you disobey the Circassian tradition rules oftenly, you are excluded by your family members and you are not protected anymore by your relatives which means you have no way except than leaving that place.

Our ancestors never told a lie (may be as a individual but never as a whole nation), they were always helpfull to their neighbours during the peace and war times, if needed they fought and died for their neighbours, they were respectful to each other and themselves and especially to the olds that is why they created probably the most important council consisted of the olds in the world, the olds were always the last speakers of our nation, who were listened carefully and never protested, they saved the environment, the traditional Circassian villages are famous for fruit trees and gardens, their best old friends were always trees which never betrayed them (not only the Circassian people in Circassia but also the trees are looking forward for their old friends), and also our ancestors never betrayed them and in the last war, in the last moment one of our famous 100 years old warrior was killed mercilessly while trying to defend an apple tree, they were always hospitable even when they saw the Russian soldiers on the cost of Black Sea, they said “Welcome!” at first to their visitors who later they learned they were just not visiting, they tried to save their country for thousands of years heroically, they had honorable lives, they never chose dishonorable ways to survive more, they lived, killed and died in an honorable way, some of the Circassian families were rich and some others were poor but their houses, gardens, clothes ... were always as clean as possible, you could see a Circassian man in old clothes but it was impossible to able to see any of them in dirty clothes, not only their ownings but also their thoughts were as clean as them.

So why did the creator punish us? Why were we exciled? Why did we have to go on our lives in different parts of the world? I will say you something different now. MAY BE it was a gift!

It was a gift for us. You can say what kind of a gift it was! May be the Creator didn't want this perfect community to be disappeared forever, so the Creator wanted us to live in a foreign country for a short time. This was the only choice of our ancestors to survive, and went on their struggle. Although they were defeated and exiled, in the countries where they went they welcomed as the heroes and heroines of the high mountains, especially by the Ottomans. They never thought to be as a minority but they were thought to be as an important part of their countries. This was a great honour (in my opinion although some thinks it as a way of assimilation).

It was a gift for Diaspora countries. May be the Creator wanted the other people to learn their struggle and their life styles. Nearly all the Diaspora countries indebted to Circassian people for their contributions. They did whatever they could do to make perfect the places wherever they went. Their perfect life styles were presented as a model for other nations. Our life styles were always a point of curiosity. Nearly all the places where the Circassian villages were settled are green. They changed the environment and the culture of Diaspora countries which have caused a total progress. Moreover, although they had the same origin, they always thought to be the guardian of the unity and indepence of Diaspora countries.

Nobody can know the Creator's real ideas, opinions, gifts, punishment ... etc. But, we can only try to understand or comment the Creator's sayings with the view of the religions we belong to. But, I don't think that our ancestors were punished (because I couldn't find any logical reason of their being punished), new generation can understand this well if we are able to come back homeland. Although we have been abroad for more than 150 years, we are still alive as a Circassian (of course we have some cultural losings, but not only us but also all cultures lost something in the last century) and still had the dreams of the coming back to homeland! And today new generation is more eager to learn this history and culture! At least they still have Circassian spirit! Now it must be time to be united and independent in our homeland to prove that it was a gift not a punishment!

May be it was a gift for us to understand the value of our culture and homeland.

The one who never meets the bad does not understand what is good.
(Circassian Proverb)

With best regards!
Kenugi J. UBYKH