If you give authority to clowns, they will turn Malatya into a circus

History Awareness:

When I was thinking about what to write today, I realized that for a long time I have neglected to talk about historical figures and events. In fact, history is like a flashlight in our hands when we are in the dark. It is the best guide for us to find the right path. History renews itself over time even if you don't want it to, and sheds light on the future.

The only being that leaves a written document for the future is the human being. Because the only difference from other beings is that humans have a value such as reason, which is endowed to creatures called human beings. Where there is reason, there is intellectual freedom, and where there is intellectual freedom, there is knowledge and, accordingly, development and new inventions. When we examine the saying "history repeats itself", we see that change is a dimension of time that is valid only in space and eternity. Only those who blend the path of reason with knowledge can understand the secret of recurring events. Ibn Khaldun has explained these issues in a very simple way in his muqaddam. It is only a matter of reading and putting the events in their place in time. Let's explain this with an example from history.

Court Jesters:

Some of you may say that the phenomenon of "court jesters" continues today, changing places and disguises. Perhaps you are right, only the actors change in this journey called time. I would like to tell you about the function of court jesters in Ottoman social life. If you wish to do so, I leave it to you to comment on the present day or not.

Court jester was once an important profession. Jesters would make the monarchs laugh even in their most troubled times, ease the tensions on the high floor and, of course, get plenty of tips. It is rumored that the tradition of having jesters in the Ottoman palace was started by Yıldırım Bayezid. At first, dwarfs, hunchbacks and eunuchs were the most popular jesters at the Ottoman Court. This tradition, which continued until the Tanzimat period, was forgotten with the westernization efforts of the Ottoman Empire.

Many jesters played important roles throughout history. Our court jesters were mostly Arabs or Abyssinians. These people were either bought from slave markets or sent to the palace as gifts. In order for a jester to be valued by the sultan, he really had to have ten talents in his ten fingers. When the sultan was angry, they were expected to make him laugh, and when necessary, they were expected to make him think with their stories and actions.

Since they were so close to the sultan, care was taken to ensure that the jesters were chosen from trustworthy people. In the Ottoman Empire, as the state institutions became increasingly corrupt from the late 16th century onwards, it became a daily habit to get things done illegally, and jesters were included in the wheel. The most prominent of these jesters were Murad III's dwarfs named Nasuh and Cûhud.

Nasuh the Dwarf and Cûhud the Dwarf had Murad III, who rarely left the palace, in the palm of their hands, and their influence in the state increased as they became influential even in the appointments to important positions in the country. Both clowns had amassed a large fortune through illegitimate means. When they were disgraced and imprisoned in the following years, an investigation revealed a huge bribery network established by the jesters. Many state officials who had obtained the state positions they occupied with the bribes they gave to the jesters had to be dismissed.

Peçevi, one of the leading names of Ottoman historiography, tells a strange story about Murad III's jesters in his eponymous history book and describes the incident in today's Turkish as follows:

"When the sultan was about to bestow a favor, a fool said, 'No, Your Majesty, I don't want gold today, I want 100 wands. When he was asked why, he replied, "Let fifty of them be struck and then ask questions". The sultan ordered, "Let him be hit" and after the jester had received fifty sticks, he shouted, "Wait, I have a partner, hit him with fifty more". When he was asked who his partner was, he said, "The gardener who invites me to my sultan's presence every day says, 'I brought you, half of your tip is mine,' and takes half of my money from me. Therefore, half of the beating I received today is also the right of the gardener". Murad III was amused by this jester's jest and increased his bounty, and after having the gardener be beaten with fifty sticks, he warned him "not to do such things again". The jester managed to get rid of the gardener, who had confiscated the money he had earned through his antics, by using his wit.

Conclusion:

Jesters will always find a place for themselves as long as the world exists. The number of jesters in each country will increase or decrease in proportion to the playing field opened to them by the high authorities of that country and the value they will be given because of this. The choice is the society's, or rather the ruler of the society, as in the Ottoman example, the palace.

In states governed by the principles and institutions of democracy, positions and personalities who make clowning their profession cannot find a place for themselves. Because the system does not give clowns the right to life.

Because reason and logic question these role-players. In questioning societies, is there room for clowns? Who can accept this? But let's not forget this. If left idle, these clowns know very well how to be ready and available everywhere at any time. However, if the politicians, who temporarily take power on behalf of the people with the votes of the people, do not put a premium on clowning, clowning and clowns will not find a living space for themselves. Likewise, noble governance cannot be expected from those who put a premium on buffoonery.

As the saying goes, "You have to wait until the circus is over to see the face of the clowns!" In other words, it is not always possible to identify the clowns, it is necessary to see the end of the game.