In The Summer Of Lıfe

IN THE SUMMER OF LIFE

She was in the summer of her life. It was 4 o'clock, the perfect time to tan. She applied sunscreen and laid back on the lounge chair. As she sipped her juice, she observed her surroundings. It was wonderful to be on the beach, where the green met the sea, with music drifting from the cafe. She loved summer, loved the water, and of course, loved holidays. “If the whole year or even a lifetime passed like this, if my life was always like summer.” thought the young girl.

But was it really possible?

A life solely consisting of summer, of abundance, free from cold and hardship? Would people long for summer if winter didn’t exist? Probably not, because in this life, everything gains meaning through its opposite. Just as a world made up solely of women or solely of men is impossible, so is a life only of leisure, consumption, and entertainment. Rest has meaning only if one has worked, for it is work that makes rest desirable. Could someone who is constantly resting, always on vacation, truly appreciate its value? It’s difficult to grasp, because just as life isn’t only about summer, it isn’t possible to live only by consuming.

These were the best times of her life. If she didn’t travel now, when would she? Especially in summer, studying seemed utterly absurd to her. Her friends had already started attending prep courses for the university exam they would take this year. Even though her teachers recommended that she study, she couldn’t bring herself to accept the idea. She preferred to go on vacation with her family and have fun. She felt suffocated, and there was nothing she could do about it, and her family didn’t want to push her. They fulfilled her every wish. She was their precious daughter, so naturally, they wouldn’t deny her anything.

 They believed it was normal. “University and work will sort themselves out,” they said. She thought the same way as her parents. After all, she was in the summer season, in the prime of her life, and winter seemed far away. Surely, she would work eventually…

But when would she start working? When she lost her parents, when she ran out of money, when she faced the harsh realities of life? In her thirties? Or maybe in her forties? Time was passing, but she assumed her financial resources, youth, and beauty would last forever. Would she be able to study when she reached thirty? Would it be easy to get into university and find a job at that age? She wanted to get married, to have children. All these things were possible, assuming there were no illnesses and everything went smoothly. But was there any guarantee? Was there a guarantee that our family, the opportunities they provided, our beauty, and our health would stay with us for life?

 

Of course, there wasn’t…

The Experiential Design Teaching says:

“Everything in life exists with its opposite,

After every scarcity comes abundance,

After every abundance comes scarcity…

Every advantage has a disadvantage.”

And after every summer, winter inevitably comes…

But some people’s winters are more apparent than their summers; they come as harsh winters. The winters of those who consumed the abundance of summer as if it would never end... The winter of those who are like this young girl will be stormy and very cold. Hunger and scarcity will be added on top. Because they have exhausted all their rights in the summer.

Even animals store their winter food, not deceived by the abundance of summer. The cautious among us have prepared their preserves, their tomatoes, their eggplants... Some have saved money while working, in case of illness or tough times. These are the people who, in abundance, think of scarcity. And that’s why their winters are different. It’s a gentle winter, almost like spring…

I wish to be one of those who realize that this is temporary in the summer of their lives and turn their winter into spring…

Experiential Design Teaching is a knowledge community that produces strategies for designing our future based on past experiences.

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"There is only one thing in life that never can be discovered; The better one..."

Yahya Hamurcu