Life in the Village During my Childhood

(1950's AND 1960's)

Although what I will write in this section is generally related to my childhood, I will sometimes go back further. I will make generalizations and occasionally go outside the village, that is, to the cities. Sometimes similar topics will be intertwined.  On one occasion or another, I will talk about our memories. I will also make inferences about our lives from time to time. In short, we will have a little chat with you, dear readers.

Life in the village in summer was another hardship. There was snow and cold in winter, but preparations for the whole year were made in summer. The coming of spring would make all of us - but especially our animals - very happy. Because our friends, who had been indoors all winter, would feel very comfortable when they could finally go out again in this season. Moreover, they would hang out in the village, even if for a short time. Later on, daily 5-10 kilometer plateau tours would start for them.

 With the arrival of spring, edible herbs that grew spontaneously in some locations on the land used to help us shake off the weight of winter. My late mother knew these herbs, of which there were two or three kinds, and she used to cook delicious dishes with them. Among the ones I can remember are Ehrida, Lateriza, Gadamide, Kantaran grass and Zun zuna. In the summer, white currant, a seasonal fruit, was very valuable for the children. Even though many fruits grow in our village now, I could not forget Mr. Hüsnü and Mr. Karamemet who used to bring fruits from Mescitli village, because without them I would not have been able to taste wild apricots, cherries, sour cherries and mulberries. Towards the end of the summer, plums, pears, apples, wild pears and ayranmilo, which we call wild apples, would come into play. My uncle's/grandfather's apple in Yerantlı is a true legend that still exists. Although its age is unknown, it must be over a hundred years old. The fact that it is still bearing fruit at this age despite no maintenance support should be studied by botanists. Another beauty of spring is the colorful flowers that bloom in our village/mountains. The ones whose names I can remember are Tutiye and Maranda. Yellow, purple and lilac colors covered the entire landscape in some areas. At slightly higher elevations, snowdrops, which replace the vargit flowers that bloom in the fall, are welcoming the spring and us.

The arrival of spring was a relief for us too. Because our work of feeding and drinking our animals in the barn morning and evening was over. At that time, there was no water even in our houses, let alone in our barns. For this reason, we used to feed our animals twice, once in the morning and once in the evening, with the grass we brought from the merek (structure/building where weed is placed in, hereinafter referred to as  “building”), and once a day we used to take them to the fountain to drink water. If we could not take our animals to the fountain because of the heavy snow, we would carry the water to the barn. Another job in winter was cleaning the barns. The fact that the animals could not go out increased the intensity of this work compared to the summer.

I would like to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about the water and fountain problem. Karauçı's fountain was in front of Rasim Karakullukçu's house and Sarandar's fountain was in Galos. The water from the fountain in Karauçı was preferred for drinking rather than the water from the fountain in Galos. The whole neighborhood would come to this fountain. The fountain was there even before Rasim Karakullukcu built his house. In Emir, all water needs were met from the fountain in front of Mahmut Öztürk's house. The water in Kuri was never preferred. Back then, the water flowing from the waterway could also be used and drunk, although it was not recommended. The water was carried on the back with wooden buckets so called Kufas (qufas) or by hand in copper buckets. At the heads of the fountains, there were platforms to put the qufa's on. The water boiled in sufficient quantity for bathing was placed in a large copper cauldron (100-150 liters) and then warmed with cold water. Copper mugs were used for pouring water. Small children were washed in wooden laundry tubs. Dirty water was given underground through places called suluk- waterer. Due to the laborious nature of this process, bathing was usually done once a week or at longer intervals instead of every day. The situation was not very different in the cities during this period. In places where there was no heating system or where it was not widespread, the boiler in the bathroom, called a thermosyphon, would be lit with wood or coal once a week and then the whole household would bathe in turn. Fountains were a socializing space, especially for women.  On the one hand, the water needs of the house were met, and on the other hand, if neighbors were met, they would talk and share their joys. Since large pots and pans were usually washed at the fountains, encounters with neighbors were commonplace. Ash was used for washing instead of detergent.

Another task in the spring was the planting of gardens. It was especially important to plant potato and onion fields. Because these were the two most important foodstuffs for those who would spend the whole winter in the village. In addition, beans, black and white cabbage, spinach, chard and some other vegetables that could be grown in our village were planted in the gardens.

Wheat, rye and barley were sown in the fields as soon as the snow disappeared. Some of these sowings were done in the fall. The tool we used for sowing was the plow and the oxen that pulled it. As always, there were people at the controls as labor force.

Another activity of the summer was the tinning of the pots and pans from the winter. Romanians (back then they were usually called Gypsies) would come as tinsmiths. Since they came in the summer and only once or twice a year maximum, all the copper pots were collected and taken away. The place of tinning was usually the threshing floor of Kasimoğullari, next to Astradios.

Although our work decreased with the spring and we could relax a little, with the arrival of summer, the mowing season would begin, which would exhaust us all. Apart from being tired while working, the sweltering heat was unbearable. On the way to the mowing, everyone would put food in their bags and at noon we would eat together at a pond, by a stream and, if possible, under a tree. The indispensable items on the menu were boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, butter, salty cheese and bread. Kaygana and oily kete were in the luxury class. Because there was no time to make them. Also, those who were tired would take a nap for half or an hour after the meal, during the lunch break. For biçin(Reap/mowe), women used a sickle and men used a scythe.  For the scythe, scythesmiths from neighboring villages were hired. Likewise, women were employed for the sickle on a daily wage. The burden of summer was a lot. Everyone was responsible for providing meals for the personnel they employed. Since there were no restaurants, the women of the house, or grandmothers and grandmothers if they had children, would cook. The work didn't end when they cooked. Because the next step was to take the food back to the workplace. And you can't just return with empty containers. Although you had pots and pans in your hands, you would come back with the brushwood collected on your back for burning or you would come back with weed. The mowed grass would be bundled and left to dry. It was a big handicap if it rained while the grass was drying. Because the rain would both prevent the grass from drying and rot it. Then these mowed, bundled and tied grasses would be carried to the Merek on human backs, donkeys or horses. In order to carry the grass, it was necessary to tie it up. Tying was done with long-stemmed plants called "zavluk". Zavluks were soaked in water beforehand to prevent them from breaking and snapping. On horses, 10 bundles of grass were tied to each side of the saddle, usually five on each side.   Both harvesting and transportation started as early as possible.  Because you could harvest comfortably before the humidity lifted. Towards the end of the growing season, the threshing would begin. Sown wheat, barley and rye would be harvested. The harvested grain would be beaten with a threshing board and then the crop would be separated from the straw with a threshing machine. Although sitting on the threshing board was fun for us children, after a while it would get tiresome. Because someone had to supervise this process all day long. Also, the feces of the oxen pulling the threshing board had to be monitored. It would be noticed while the animal was still in the process and prevented from mixing with the wheat, barley or rye by means of a shovel. A piece of stone was placed on the threshing board to weigh it down. Since there was no electricity yet, the labor force in the threshing was oxen and men, and only men in the threshing machine. The threshing machine was sometimes operated in the evening under lux light. Because the summer season was short and there was a lot of work. While the threshing was going on, neighbors would help each other. 

As always, children were not left idle and were employed in all kinds of farming jobs. The children/young people of that day, who now come to the village with pleasure, did not want to come to the village during the summer vacation when the middle-aged/elderly people of today were students.  Because the working part of the time spent in the village was much more than the vacation part. Despite this, the friendships formed in those days were very valuable. We can liken this to the friendships established in summer houses by the sea. Due to the migration from the village to the city, we could only meet some of our friends and relatives during summer vacations. Here a unique feature of the Black Sea comes into play. Every Black Sea person, whether he or his father or grandfather was born here, does not forget his hometown, his connection with the land and comes here. This is a sense of belonging. It is this feeling that makes people strong in society. The bond of belonging is the antidote to loneliness. This is what makes friendships and fellowships meaningful. Since I have been living in Ankara since my childhood years, I had the opportunity to get to know some of our villagers who migrated to the city only during these vacations.

The wheat and rye were taken to the water mill and ground to make bread. The barley was stored for horse and donkey food, to be mixed with hay. The last thing collected for the animals was dittany from the forests. Gazel was packed in large linen or hair sacks called harers and transported. If the winters were long, both the dittany and the grain dug out of the ground in the fall would be used. Wild liquorice is essentially a plant with high nutritional value and calories. The thorns of the ghee should be pounded/burned and cut into pieces before giving it to the animals. Water can also be sprinkled on it to soften it. The transportation and placement of the mowed grass in the building was a separate task that had to be done carefully in order to tighten the building's corners and the surrounding of the poles. For children, jumping from the happen(Happen is a one sq mt opening on the top of the building) on the building onto the grass and helping with this procedure was both work and fun.

With the arrival of autumn, intensive preparations for winter would begin. Because some years the snow would stay for 6 months. This was very difficult for those who were caught unprepared. Apart from vegetables and fruits, the most important preparation was the need for winter meat. At least one animal would be slaughtered, some of the meat would be roasted and some salted. This meat would then be used little by little throughout the winter. Fresh beans were dried, which we called zuluf, and dried beans were a must. We would also make as many pickles as we could from beans and cabbage, because it was a healthy food that we could consume all winter instead of salads. Likewise, pickles were also made from winter pears and wild apples. Apples, pears, plums and all other fruits were dried. The drying process could be done by laying them out in the open air, but it was easier to dry them in bread ovens. These fruits were eaten dried or used as dessert in the making of sweet desserts. I would like to remind you that even today, summer fruits are dried and sold in luxury markets and bazaars. Other herbs collected in the fall include rose hips, sage and St. John's wort. In the absence of black tea, green teas, which we usually call village tea, were consumed summer and winter. Another winter preparation was pastries. Noodles and siron were made for the winter and then dried. Another preparation was drying some fatty cheese in wire or wooden cages. Fatty, low-fat cheeses and butter were salted for the winter. In the past, not much daily bread was baked. Especially before winter came, a bakery would bake bread, some would be shared with neighbors and the rest would be dried in the same oven to be eaten for months. If possible, these dried breads were stored in crates in a place where mice could not enter. Children were also not forgotten in bread making. For them, small breads called Golot were made and usually eggs were placed inside, and a few washed/cleaned coins were placed inside. The child who found the coin would be very lucky.  We were very privileged with the white bread that our elders who worked in the city brought to the village or sent with a visitor. At that time, we did not know how high the nutritional value of the bread made from buckwheat was. Happily for us, Turkey's first factory producing flour from buckwheat was opened in Kelkit, Gümüşhane in 2019.

In the fall, materials that were not produced in the village had to be bought from the city for the winter. When my brother Yılmaz was recounting his childhood/youth memories, he said that this was his responsibility while he was in the village. The surplus production in the village, especially butter and cheese, would be packaged and when it reached a donkey load, it would be sent to the city to sell. They would leave the village in the morning with the donkey and arrive in Gümüşhane in the afternoon. That day the goods would be sold and the overnight stay would be at a relative's house or a hotel. The next morning, the money from the sale would be used to buy items such as granulated sugar, sugar cubes, tea, rice, olives, kerosene, soap, etc. that were not produced in the village. In addition, materials such as chintz, flannel, needle and thread, especially those produced by Sümerbank, were also bought for clothing.

Another preparation for winter was the procurement of dung and firewood to be used as fuel. There were many methods of making dung. It was glued to the wall and allowed to dry, but mostly it was laid on the threshing floor, flattened with log stones and left to dry. After it had dried a little, it was cut into diamonds and arranged in a pyramid shape to dry it thoroughly. Another method of procurement was thrust dung. In the communes, the feces of sheep and goats were not cleaned but left for them to chew. If the humidity was a bit high, straw was spread to prevent the animals from being disturbed. When this mixture accumulated at the bottom reached a sufficient thickness, it was cut like a diamond slice. They were leaned against each other like dominoes and left to dry. There was another method of utilizing sheep and goat manure. The manure swept from the commune daily or every other day would be stored in semi-enclosed spaces so that the top would not get wet (there may be areas that we call coverings) and laid under the cattle in winter. Fertilizer used in this form is locally called kuşk. Wood was mostly obtained by cutting dried trees and pruning their branches. The trees with the highest caloric content were what we call Pelit (Oak) and Ispendam (Maple). Pine, poplar and govoksilo (hollow/rotten) trees were low in calories and produced smoke/soot when burning. In the winters, the barns would be warm enough by themselves against the coldness of the houses. There were two factors for this. First, usually one or two walls of the barn were level with the floor. The second was the warmth of the breath of the cattle. When my brother Yılmaz was recounting his childhood memories, he said that on long winter nights, when I was angry with the people at home, I would go and sleep in the barn.

In summer, even though the days were long, we went to bed early. In winter, on the contrary, there was less to do, so we went to bed later. Except for religious holidays, most of the entertainment days coincided with the winter season. New Year was celebrated on December 31/January 1, Kalandar on January 13/14, Nowruz on March 22/23 and Hıdırellez on May 5/6. During the long winter nights, we would sit by the light of lampions or kerosene lamps, and later by the light of lux lamps, and eat meals, chat, and do handicrafts. Since it was not possible to heat all parts of the house at the same time, these conversations and meals were held in the part of the house called Hayat (life). Since our houses were made of stone, the wall thickness was 70 to 100 centimeters. In the evenings, potatoes would be buried in the embers in the floor hearth or in the stove. When the potatoes were about to cook, the meat salted in summer would be placed on the embers and eaten with the potatoes. I remember very well that my hand would get burned while cleaning the pieces of embers sticking to the meat, but I never gave up. Especially for our elders, coffee, which was indispensable after dinner, was made on the barbecue or spirit stove. Another reality of the village was our chickens. Both our chickens and their eggs were, in today's terms, fully organic. The taste of the egg broken into butter was a legend. I remember our elders cracking and eating 5-6 eggs at a time. Chicken meat could only be eaten when the chickens were slaughtered from the eggs. Because chicken was an important means of production. The meat of the slaughtered chickens would be tough, and the chickens that roamed the field for years and all day for their nutrition would build good muscles.

Since there were no street lamps, one would go back and forth between houses with a sailor's lantern. Likewise, when necessary, a ship's lantern was used to go to the barn and Merek.

Ironing, the women's ordeal, was done by placing wood embers from the stove or stove into the iron and using the heat generated by the iron. The iron would be shaken frequently and the air coming in through the holes in its sides would keep it from going out.

As can be understood from the above, like an ant, they worked in the summer and consumed in the winter. One of the difficulties in winter was shoveling the snow from the Bacas (Flat & earthen roof). Because the houses had no normal roofs. The houses had plain & earthen roofs, so it was not allowed to accumulate too much snow on the Bacas of the house. On some nights and days when there was a blizzard, the houses would be covered with snow all the way to the door. When you woke up in the morning, you had to clear the snow before you could go out.  For this purpose, there was a wooden pitchfork just behind the gate.

Since it is always below zero in the winter in the village, you should not handle the iron axle with bare hands. My brother Cevat, who also lived in the village in the winters during his childhood, has experienced this in his memories. He said that he could never forget the skin of my hand sticking to the iron hook I was holding to open the door.

The real hardship of winter was borne by the children who came from Aşağıköy to study. Education was first in a single room next to the mosque with five mixed classes, and then in the new school building built in Enavli, again with five mixed classes in a single room. The school stove was lit with dung and firewood brought by the students.

Apart from home visits in summer and winter, I can list the following as social activities. There was no radio in the village, let alone television. I think the radio was bought in our house in 1945, ten years before I was born. Orhan (Karakullukcu) said that the first radio in the village was the one in your house. Since there was no electricity in the village, the radio had two huge batteries, one shaped like a cylinder and the other like a rectangular prism. Since they were the size of batteries, they could be used as the power source of the radio for a long time. Those who did not have a radio at home would get together and listen to the news. It is among my memories that Yılmaz and Zeki (from the Tufans) and their friends used to listen to the football matches broadcast on the radio on Saturday and Sunday at the gate of the house (in the courtyard/covering).

In winter, the greatest pleasure of the children was sledding. If you couldn't find a sled, you would slide on whatever you could find. I remember I used to slide down Kuri in our neighborhood. Of course, it was a longer distance and more enjoyable to slide down Emir. In the summers, as children, we used to play games such as pentestones, triangle, steel javelin, spinning top, leapfrog, marbles and hopscotch. Among my childhood friends, I can count Alaattin, Eşref, Turgay from Karauçi; İbrahim, Hayati, Sedat, Mustafa, Resul, Nuri and Fahri from Emir.

By the way, I would like to talk about some of our rituals that became commonplace in my childhood years, although I don't know when they started. It was the duty of us children to take the calves to the stream, behind the stone, every morning by the Zinbonlar. Everyone in the village had to work hard. So the children also had a lot of work to do. For example, it was the children's job to hold the sheep and goats while they were milked in the morning and evening. The milked sheep/goat would be put in the other compartment in the commune so that it would not mix with the unmilked ones. To avoid wasting time, while one was being milked, another one would be ready.

Watching the arrival of the cows and sheep in the evenings from in front of Zeynep's (Gelin Yenge) house or from the flat and earthen roofs was a great pleasure for both the elders and us children. I/we used to liken it to the tadat ceremonies in the military. Another ritual was the pleasure of traveling to Aymarina in a truck coming to the village in our childhood years when there was very little vehicle traffic. There were also gasoline-powered trucks back then. As the vehicles coming to the village were coming from Salih's café towards Ayaser, the smell of gasoline would reach the village with the effect of the wind. It would take another 45 minutes to an hour for the truck/car to reach the village.

The arrival of the cars in the village, or rather the people who came to the village, was a source of joy for everyone. Because there was probably a neighbor or a relative who had come from abroad. During these arrivals, a loaf of bread or the smallest gift brought from the city had a great meaning for those who stayed. Of course, another gift was newspapers, even if they were read and old dated. In the old days, the meaning of expatriation was different, even more sadness and longing. Family members who went abroad to work or study would always think of those they left behind. Since there were few opportunities to earn money and make a living in the village, someone from each house would always be an expatriate. Expatriation was even more difficult for those who went to Germany to work. Since transportation was very difficult and time-consuming, expatriates could not come often. They would plan their visits in such a way that they could make maximum contribution to the work in the village. Another reality was that some families would spend the winter in various cities such as Gümüşhane, Trabzon, Istanbul and Ankara and return in the spring. These departures and arrivals, but especially the departures, had their own ritual. When autumn came, the preparations for returning from the village to the city would begin. Horses and donkeys were prepared when roads were not built and cars and trucks were not likely to arrive. Horses and donkeys would be loaded, but everyone, except the elderly who could not walk, would walk to the Zigana mountain pass or Hamsiköy. Because on the backs of the animals there would be mostly village produced materials prepared to be taken from the village to the city. The most important of these materials were dairy products such as kurut(a kind of dry yogurt), cream, cheese, butter and vegetables such as potatoes and onions. Salted and roasted meats were also among the items taken. As a result, since these people who went to the city had once lived here, they would take as many ingredients as they could prepare here.

We can also include noodles and siron(a kind of macaroni). There was an emotional aspect as well as an economic one. I remember from my mother that she would want to feel herself in the village with the materials from here. For her, the six months she spent in Ankara was like a never-ending period. The farewell was organized from Zironi for those going to Trabzon via Karakaban and from Hanzara (Ispele) for those going through the Zigana strait. In a photograph taken at the beginning of the forties, probably in 1942, on the way to Trabzon, Orhan (Karakullukcu) is seen on the back of a horse. These departures were very difficult for both those who left and those who stayed. Everyone would cry and say goodbye to each other.

By the way, I would like to talk a little bit about neighborly relations. There is no doubt that life is not only full of beauty. But humanity should remember the beautiful. There are always beauties in my memories. Now I would like to share with you some of the ones I cannot forget.

For example, I cannot forget the rose puddings made by Mrs. Memduha in my childhood years and she never forgot us.

I cannot forget Mr. İhsan (Karakullukcu) who translated/read the documents and books left by my father to me without getting tired because he knew the old Turkish language well.

When my father went to Ankara with my mother in the fall of 1961 due to his illness, I cannot forget Mrs. Rahime who rang the bell by pulling a rope from their house to our house to wake up my fasting sister Mediha (February 1962) at sahur (meal before dawn during ramadan).

 I can't forget Mr. Mahmut (Öztürk) who would come to our house or any neighbor's house for coffee with his horse loaded with materials (usually grass) and engage in conversation and keep the loaded animal waiting with its load for a long time.

I can't forget Mr. Mahmut (Öztürk) who drank raki at my sister Neriman's wedding dinner (1960) and demolished the saddles of the house and the fence of the neighborhood.

I can't forget the now anonymous story of Mr. Mahmut (Öztürk) coming from the lower village to Emir with his loaded horse at night, meeting a bear on the road, looking at each other and continuing on their way (one of these encounters was in the forest area in Mehelle; the other was at a fountain);

From the narratives of my brother Yılmaz: Mr. Mahmut (Öztürk) who tried to break down the door of our house with an axe to get back my Miss Lütfiye (in the first half of the 1940s) who ran away to Uncle Süleyman (Lütfiye was the daughter of his aunt, he made this visit at the request of his aunt. Our neighbor Mrs. Vecihe said Mr. Mahmut what are you talking about, I know Lütfiye kidnapped Süleyman...);

Mrs. Zarife (Şanvar), whose house was in the easternmost part of the village, realized that wolves were hitting the goods in Öküzyatağı in the middle of the night and tried to make her voice heard by the villagers from the flat earthen roof, but no one heard her, so she moved to Öküzyatağı with her gun on her shoulder, but in the meantime, the oxen chased the wolves away;

In the meantime, I would like to share a piece of information that many of our young readers may not know. In summer, cattle and sheep can stay on the plateau. Communes are built for sheep and goats and their safety is ensured under the supervision of shepherds and dogs. Cows and oxen do not need such protection. Oxen and bulls surround the cows lying there.  In the event of a wild animal attack, the oxen/bulls unite and chase the animal(s) away. 

From my father's narration to my brother Yılmaz: My grandfather Hüsnü had been trading silk from Iran with his 27 horses in Kelkit with his father Süleyman Efendi, but after his father Süleyman Efendi fell ill and died, my grandfather Hüsnü left the trade;

Again from what my father told my brother Yılmaz: My grandfather Hüsnü Efendi took over the school and outbuildings in Galost from the Greeks and 39 of the sheep he kept in it were drowned by wolves entering through a broken window;

My grandfather's guesthouse, which he inherited from his father, became unusable after a fire;

Mr. Ziya (son of Osman Karakullukçu) had the pedestrian roads leading to Zega and Cadağa's, which were worn out, reopened every summer,

Those are narratives that I cannot forget in our village.

The people of the village in general like to have fun and enjoy themselves. This has been like this since the Greeks and it has been going on like this. When my mother was reminiscing, she said that they worked hard, but especially on winter nights, they used to have fun until late at night accompanied by the kemancha (small three-stringed violin). In my childhood years, the same pattern continued. Only the organizers of these entertainments changed according to the period. Although the village was a highland village, sometimes we would go to the fountain heads at higher elevations for entertainment. Uncle Cemal (Karakullukcu) said that we used to hire a carrier with a pannier on his back to carry our food, but especially our raki. Similarly, Mahmut Abi (Karakullukcu) loved to have fun and would take every opportunity he could find. The fun would sometimes start in a house, but would continue at the threshing floor to play horon more comfortably. Hasan Karakullukçu's (Tufanlar) playing the kemancha and singing folk songs, including in Greek, would make everyone cheer. Among those who could sing in Greek were Mahmut Öztürk and my father Temel Karakullukcu, although I cannot remember him. Among those who played the kemancha (small three-stringed violin), Hasan Uçar should also be mentioned. There were also very good kemancha (small three-stringed violin) players in Aşağıköy. Mustafa Mutaf (aka Strange Mustafa) and Murat Bıçakçı (aka Murat the Watchman) are among those we cannot forget. Similar entertainments continue in our village today, although not with the same enthusiasm.

In short, this is how life in the village was as I experienced it and as my friends and elders who contributed to it told it.

In the meantime, I can't help but mention another fact of life here. What I will try to do is highlight our differences in standards of living in the 1960s.

As far as I remember, while we were living in these conditions in our village in the 1950s and 1960s, the Russians would send manned vehicles into space; Yuri Gagarin would become the first man to successfully reach the Earth's orbit with his flight on April 12, 1961 with the Vostok 1 vehicle. The Americans would send a manned vehicle to the Moon. Neil Alden Armstrong would go down in history as the first man to set foot on the Moon on July 21, 1969.

In spite of everything, as can be seen from our list of ink-lickeders (means educated people) (Annex-30), our village has had an above-average level of educated human potential.

I would like to analyze this situation a little.  In every part of our world and unfortunately in every time, there have been and will continue to be differences in social life due to income levels. Somewhere in our world there are still people without access to electricity and water. According to United Nations reports, 844 million people do not have access to drinking water. More than a quarter of the world's population, 2.1 billion people, cannot access clean water. It is also stated that there are 1.3 billion people in the world without access to electricity and this figure will not decrease until 2030. It is possible to see these standard differences in the Sumerians, Egyptians, Chinese, Ottomans and today in every geography from the United States of America to Russia. I don't even want to mention the situation in African countries.

I want to dream that maybe one day there will be a fairer world, but as far as I can see, some of our differences are more innate. For this reason, perhaps absolute equality is against creation and will never be realized. I believe that happiness is distributed more fairly, because there is a way of life that will make everyone happy, as long as they want it.