Starting with a clean slate...

Is it possible to start with a clean slate ? Does life give one the chance to forget the bitter experiences and start all over again ? How many of us get such chances and how many of us make use of the chances given to us ?

As an expat, living in a foreign land and trying to "start all over again", I often question myself. The answer is both yes and no. One cannot undo what time and circumstances have done, but can definitely re-construct our version of reality to ensure that this vision is not clouded by this past.

The past of every individual’s life, like the history of a nation is important. It defines who he/she is. Without a historical memory, we are nothing but beasts, going through the motions of living.

While this past defines us, it shapes us and in most cases shapes our future; it need not be a baggage that we carry around. If it has not been pleasant, one must be strong and brave enough to move on with one’s life; while putting the past behind.

Some nations have been able to put their past behind quite literally. Take Japan post WWII. The nation and its people conceded defeat after the war and put themselves heart and soul into re-constructing themselves. Their efforts were rewarded in a few years, Japan emerged as a vibrant economy known for its technological prowess. Japan to this day continues to be a leading Asian country among the developed nations of the world.

Turkey tried to do the same, but I am not sure how successful this process of erasing the past has been. Ataturk tried to do away with everything that was Islamic and often with disastrous consequences. While Turkey today is seen as a progressive country, the people seem to be asserting themselves and their identity, contrary to what one would expect. I saw more women in hijabs across Turkey than perhaps in India ( with the second largest muslim population in the world). The ruling AK party in Ankara is very conservative and seems to have the full support of the majority. Perhaps there is a message here that Ataturk wasnt totally right in his reading of the situation. He was a visionary, but he also mis-read how people would react to this forced secularisation.

Like nations, even individuals have to make a conscious choices to interpret their own history in a way that will best prepare them to move forward. Move with confidence, pride and compassion.

While we may not have had a perfect past, there is no reason why our future cannot be aligned towards an orderly life. A life of balance, order, discipline, love and above all, compassion.