Page 46 - KTUDELL E-LIT | Issue 4 - January 2025

ARTICLES 2025

dis curse

by Batuhan KALINBACAK

Did humanity create language by mastering the random The hardest part in life is breaking this resistance, daring
sounds it made, or did language create humanity after it to move beyond those familiar boundaries. Every
was discovered? morning, learning something new, chatting with a
It may not be easy to find an answer to this question in different person, perhaps walking down a road you’ve
the first place. As humanity, we tend to think that we never been on… Even when you start with small changes,
shape life by what we constantly produce, discover or you can feel the quiet resistance breaking. Stepping out
invent. What if we have been driven by what we have of the rhythm of routines is stepping into a new path,
encountered since our existence? In one of his quotes, and with this courage, every innovation you bring into
Harari says: “We did not domesticate wheat. It domesticated your life leads you to a deeper, richer version of yourself.
us”. His words give us a point of view. Once we found Just like a caterpillar emerging from its cocoon, a person
wheat, we stopped hunting deer and started to cultivate must sometimes leave behind their shell to renew, grow,
the land and wait for the harvest.This situation could be and develop. Yet, this is often a frightening process. The
the same for the language as well. anxiety that comes with the unknown pushes us to stay
The origin of language is described as a curse on in familiar waters. However, the seas of the soul are
humanity in the legend of the Tower of Babel. God was meant to be explored, and life’s most beautiful surprises
very angry at the Babylonians' attempt to reach God by await us in these unknown waters. The key is to have the
building a tower and made them speak in different courage to embark on this journey of discovery.
languages. Is language then a curse that lies at the root of “As you move outside of your comfort zone, what was once the
today's conflicts and the civilisation we have built? unknown and frightening becomes your new normal.” says
In fact, even when we speak the same language, there Robin S. Sharma. Remember, life is a journey, and the
are occasions when we are far from understanding each most beautiful moments of this journey occur when we
other. As far as I am concerned, what remains is not step off the familiar paths and head toward the
agreement, but compromise, even if we use the same unknown.
words. As a result of compromise, we avoid conflict and In this case, all the messages we receive or send
even make things easier for ourselves by working ultimately depend on the perspective from which we
together. This gives us perhaps our most basic survival evaluate the event. In light of this, let us reflect on
skills: danger avoidance and co-operation. In short, everything we share in the flow of our lives: secrets,
whether language is a curse or not, it clearly provides us conversations, humor. Where does it all land in the mind
with continuity. of our interlocutor? How does it gain meaning, and what
On the other hand, let us try to think by accepting that compromises does it make us a part of?
language exists in nature. Was life more efficient,
simpler and easier before humans discovered it? Suggested Readings
In addition to these questions, we are now engaged in Harari, Y. N. (2014). Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind.
another struggle with language. Each narrative brings Random House.
construction and deconstruction, and the
reconstructions are built from the parts/remnants of the
previous deconstructions. From the moment we start to
communicate, each word gains new meaning and is
reproduced in the mind it reaches.
In addition to these questions, we are now engaged in
another struggle with language. Each narrative involves
construction and deconstruction, with reconstructions
built from the remnants of previous deconstructions.
From the moment we begin to communicate, each word
acquires new meaning and is reproduced in the mind it
reaches.
Moreover, the question from which point of view the
narrator conveys the situation to us is also important. Let
me illustrate this point with a short story.
“If you followed a lion all day long and witnessed the lion's
struggle to survive, you would be happy that at the end of the
day the lion caught and ate a gazelle. If you started the same
story by following a gazelle and witnessed the gazelle's struggle
to survive, you would be angry that at the end of the day the
gazelle was eaten by a lion.”

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