Former TRT announcer Sırrı Er: A Little Common Sense and Conscience Are Enough

Keep Going!

I know. You’re tired of this too.

To be honest, so am I. More than tired, perhaps—I’m worn out.

It is easy to say those words, but think about what they contain.

We have been through difficult times. We have witnessed things that were hard to accept and endured experiences that left deep marks. We are human, after all. We get tired. We lose heart. Sometimes, even hope feels like a burden.

And yet, we cannot afford to stop thinking, questioning, and searching for what is right.

Because intelligence and wisdom are not the same thing.

Intelligence is the capacity to learn, understand, reason, solve problems, and adapt to new circumstances.

Wisdom is knowing how to use that mental capacity properly. It is the ability to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil, justice from injustice—and then act accordingly.

Just look at what is happening in Turkey today.

Do we really need extraordinary intelligence to notice the state of justice, the rule of law, the economy, education, healthcare, freedom of expression, violence against women, the deaths of children, the cries of earthquake survivors, the conditions in prisons, the dismissal of hundreds of thousands of public employees, or the anguish of mothers whose children attended military schools?

Do we need exceptional intelligence to see what farmers and livestock producers are going through?

No.

A little common sense and a little conscience are enough.

And the problem is not limited to those in power.

Those who merely play the role of “opposition” in Parliament, those who say one thing yesterday and its exact opposite today, and those who pursue personal or political calculations instead of honoring the trust placed in them by voters are also part of the same problem.

Political opinions can change.

People can reconsider their views over time. They can encounter new information, reassess events, and reach different conclusions. There is nothing inherently wrong with that.

But when principles change, one cannot help asking:

Was it the idea that changed—or the interest behind it?

That is the real question.

Justice is not justice only when we need it.

The rule of law is not the rule of law only when it protects our own rights.

Freedom is not freedom only when we are the ones allowed to speak.

Democracy does not become meaningful only when we win.

And the state does not cease to be the state simply because it does not serve our interests.

A state belongs to everyone.

Justice must apply to everyone.

The rule of law must protect everyone.

And Turkey belongs to all of us.

You do not need extraordinary intelligence to understand this.

You do not need a remarkable intellect to recognize another person’s suffering, to say “This is wrong” regardless of who the victim is, or to stand by the principle you defended yesterday when circumstances change today.

A little common sense.

A little conscience.

And a little consistency.

We do not need different categories of intelligence.

Let us simply say that even being at the “borderline level of intelligence” should be enough—and leave it at that.

Keep going.