Shepherd and Flock

Written by Halide Edib Adıvar, translated into English by Aysel K. Basci 

The following newspaper article was published in the Akşam Gazetesi newspaper on October 31, 1949.

– For Vâ–Nû– 

Due to illness, I could not be present at the ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of Ziya Gökalp’s (1) death. Nevertheless, I participated in his remembrance and paid tribute to him with all my heart. I clearly recalled the first days after I met him all those years ago, when he departed from Ankara in a tumbrel to Diyarbakır to pursue his intellectual activity. In life, he radiated light everywhere; may he rest in peace!

Later, I read what was written and what reached me about that ceremony. I focused especially on Vâ–Nû’s (2) article because I see his generation as torch bearers and beacons lighting the way for future generations. In this context, I regard it as my moral duty to speak openly about some ideas that will guide the younger generation after we are long gone.

I sensed that Vâ–Nû’s emphasis on the great poet and thinker’s paraphrased words, “Where is your flock, where is the shepherd?” (3) may reflect a spiritual longing for a shepherd, a leader, or an absolute chief. Mind you, under different names and at different times, this longing has never been absent. No doubt, the expression of this longing by our young colleague and son, Vâ–Nû, reflects his respect for the memory of a great man. I do, of course, admire his loyalty. But… 

Nobody can deny the need for political, intellectual, and even moral leaders in the past or in the future. However, I believe that after the long and sometimes painful experiences the East and Near East have experienced, referring to leaders – even if only symbolically – as “shepherd” and people as a “flock” is a sign of danger. This thinking, especially as it relates to the physical realm, is dangerous. (*)

When it comes to the spiritual realm, not one but many leaders are needed, along with a clear and transparent life philosophy, to provide salvation to the next generation from various dangerous materialistic inclinations that are currently engulfing our generation. However, this problem is not only our problem; Western thinkers and intellectuals are also confronting it. One example of this is the American Senate’s recent decision to erect a monument in honor of the late Mahatma Gandhi, who, not too long ago, was an object of ridicule because of his attire and his goat. I believe Gandhi’s love of humanity and his dedication to those who are suffering will always be remembered with respect and admiration. However, having recently – almost yesterday – witnessed instances of political shepherds or dictators dragging the world down, wouldn’t it be dangerous in the spiritual arena too, to be longing for an absolute leader or prophet? Wouldn’t such longing once again create the same sects and the same sheiks? And among these sheiks, just like the truly blessed ones, wouldn’t there be examples of “Nur Baba?” (4)

It is true that in the past, religious sects have played an important role in human civilization, both in the Eastern and Western worlds. During the Middle Ages and soon afterwards, such sects contributed greatly to the development of science, morality, social order, human relations, and even to the arts and poetry. But they also caused harm. Most importantly, they caused individuals to delegate certain responsibilities to sheiks, and to develop a “none-of-my-business” attitude. While many well-respected members of these sects were busy trying to secure a spot in heaven, the societies in which they lived were deprived of all their potential services and contributions. Furthermore, while there are truly blessed ones among the sheiks, some “Hasan Sabbahs” (5) have also emerged who caused a lot of needless bloodshed and acted immorally and badly, all in the name of being the absolute leader of others’ conscience. With this in mind, it is unclear where we may end up, if – like robots – we continue to follow our leaders not only in the physical realm but also in the spiritual realm, see them as absolute chiefs of our conscience, and approve all their actions without questioning them.

As we enter the new, nuclear age, without knowing its future consequences, every wise individual and especially every nation must carefully examine the choices we have in both the physical and spiritual arenas. Accordingly, before deciding on the matter, I believe the time has come to very carefully and honestly scrutinize the two proverbs frequently cited by Ziya Gökalp (6), which are broadly based on Durkheim’s (7) philosophy, and have both positive and negative aspects. 

 (*) During the truce, shortly before he was exiled to Malta, one of our famous citizens [Ziya Gökalp] met with Sultan Vahidettin (8) and told him about the need for a national liberation movement to free the nation from foreign occupation. The Sultan interrupted him and said, “Mister, Mister, I am the shepherd, and the nation is my flock,” [referring to Gökalp’s famous poem]. Unfortunately, unlimited power tempts a leader to see himself as a “shepherd” and his people as his “flock.”

* * *

Supplemental Notes: (These were added during translation, for clarity.)

 (1) Ziya Gökalp (1876-1924): Sociologist, writer, poet, and political activist. He is widely accepted as the founder of Turkish Sociology. He held nationalistic ideals, and his work influenced Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s civil reforms. 

(2) Vâ–Nû is one of several pen names used by Vâlâ Nûreddin (1901-1967), a Turkish journalist and writer best known for his book, Nazım Passed from this World. As a young writer, Nûreddin was an admirer of Ziya Gökalp. Later, he became close friends with the renowned Turkish poet, Nazım Hikmet. 

(3) A paraphrase on the first verse, below, of Ziya Gökalp’s poem, Shepherd and Nightingale.

Shepherd played the flute, asked a nightingale:

“Where is my flock, where is my meadow?”

Nightingale asked a sorrowful rose:

“Where are my songs, where is my nest?”

(4) Nur Baba (1922): Title of a controversial novel written by Turkish author Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu (1889-1974). It depicts a debauched Sufi lodge in turn-of-the-century Istanbul, where drug use, alcoholism, and illicit amorous liaisons ran amok. 

(5) Hasan Sabbah (1050-1124): A Persian missionary who lived in Northern Iran during the 11thcentury. He is the founder of the Nizari Ismailis doctrine and a notorious military group known as the Order of Assassins. His doctrine required ‘absolute faith,’ and he is famous for being “so devout that he even had one of his sons executed after he was accused of drunkenness.”

(6) Refers to two proverbs made famous by Ziya Gökalp: “There is no individual, only society.” and “There is no right, only duty.”

(7) Émile Durkheim (1858-1917): The French sociologist who formally established the academic discipline of sociology. He is credited with inventing the term ‘collective unconsciousness.’ Ziya Gökalp was highly influenced by Durkheim’s philosophy. 

(8) Sultan Vahidettin (Mehmet VI, 1861-1926): The 36thand last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He reigned from 1918 to 1922 when the empire dissolved after World War I and became the nation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923. In 1922, Sultan Vahidettin escaped to Malta in a British warship. Later, he moved to Italy where he died in 1926.

Halide Edib Adıvar (1884-1964) is a prominent Turkish author, nationalist, scholar and political leader for women’s rights. She is best known for her novels criticizing the low social status of Turkish women and what she regarded as women’s lack of interest in changing their situation. She remains one of the most exalted figures in Turkish history.

Aysel K. Basci is a new writer and translator. She was born and raised in Cyprus and moved to the United Sates at age 19. Aysel is now retired and lives in Washington DC area. Her essays recently appeared in the Adelaide Magazine, the Entropy Magazine and the Bosphorus Review of Books.