Dear friends and family,

These words are coming from deep within my heart, I love you all.

I would like to share with you some conclusions I have reached in the past couple of months when I woke up to the fact that tomorrow I might no longer be. This incredibly strong realization was felt by my entire being and I remember my heart skipping a beat. Acceptance of this fact that most of us would do anything to ignore opened up new frontiers in front of me that I have never thought were possible. 

I invite you to take a minute and really let this sink, please.

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We live in exponential times. Every single day brings new uncertainties into our lives. People are suffering all around the planet. With the standard of living that we have, we are in the 17% bracket. The other 83% of all the people on earth are either hungry, homeless, malnourished, or earning less than a dollar a day.

It is only logical to assume that we are the happiest and luckiest on earth, however, depression and stress rates are also highest in most developed countries. It is time to wake up to the facts of our times for change is possible and happening all around the world.

Please take a minute and feel me on this.

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It is now time, more than ever before, to find your passion if you haven't done so. Think about what makes you happiest and what makes you most upset. Make a list and make up your mind. Realize that tomorrow might very well be your last. Expand your heart and all resources you are blessed with and realize your deepest dreams and aspirations, for these cannot be material.

The deepest is never material.

My passion is meditation and I am leaving very soon. Find your own way of helping yourselves and helping others. Make no compromise for you have only one life to live.

Close your eyes and look deep into your selves.

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In our hearts we know that the current system is not sustainable and crumbling beneath our feet. Watch your own thoughts and actions that keep you attached to the way things are and soon you will realize that there is fear behind the attachments. Free your selves by acknowledging this and move beyond destructive thought patterns into love for and empathy towards all beings.

Knowingly or unknowingly I have harmed so many beings during my life time. If you are one of them now I wish more than anything that you forgive me.

If you think you might have harmed me knowingly or unknowingly, know deep in your heart that you are already forgiven. 

Goodbye.

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Sevgili dostlar ve degerli ailem,

Bu sozler kalbimin en derin yerinden size ulasmakta, hepinizi cok seviyorum.

Sizinle paylasmak istedigim bazi seyler var. Gecen son bir kac ay boyunca derinden farkettim ki yarin burda olmayabilirim. Bu cok kuvvetli ama bir o kadar da hepimizin gozardi etmek icin herseyi verebilecegi gercege kendimi teslim ettim. Bu gercegi kabul ettigimde onceden hayal bile edemeyecegim yeni doruklar ve secenekler onume serildi.

Lutfen bir iki dakika bu satirlari dusunun.

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Degisimlerin cok hizli yasanmakta oldugu bir donemden geciyoruz. Her gecen gun hayatimiza daha da fazla belirsizlikler getiriyor. Dunyanin her tarafinda insanlar feci sekilde aci cekiyorlar. Su anda yasadigimiz standartlara dunyanin sadece %17si sahip. Geri kalan 5 milyara yakin insan ac, evsiz, ve cogu gunde 1 dolardan daha az kazaniyor.

Bu durumda mantikli olan bizim sahip olduklarimizdan oturu kendimizi cok sansli hissetmemiz ve dunyadaki en mutlu insanlar olmamizdir. Ama ne yazik ki depresyon ve stres hastaliklari en cok en "gelismis" devletlerde yasaniyor. Simdi zamanimizin gerceklerine uyanma vaktidir. Degisim mumkundur ve suanda tum Dunya'da yasanmaktadir.

Lutfen yavaslayin ve bunlari biraz dusunun.

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Su anda hic olmadigi kadar hayatta asil yapmak istediklerinize karar verme zamanidir, eger hala bilmiyorsaniz veya bir nedenden dolayi yapamiyorsaniz. Sizi en cok mutlu eden seyleri dusunun ve en cok uzen seyleri. Bir liste yapin ve kararinizi verin. Yarin sizin de son gununuz olabilir. Kalbinizi acin ve elinizdeki imkanlari degerlendirip en derin isteklerinizi gerceklestirin, bunlar elle tutulacak istekler degildir.

En derin istekler hic bir zaman materyal istekler degildir.

Benim tutkum meditasyon ve yakinda gidiyorum. Kendinize ve baskalarina yardim etme yolunuzu secin. Hic bir sekilde taviz vermeyin, hepimizin sadece 1 hayati var.

Gozlerinizi kapatin ve kendinizi anlamaya, duymaya calisin.

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Kalbimizin derikliklerinde suanki hayat tarzimizin Dunya'ya zarar vermekte oldugunu ve sonsuza kadar surdurulemeyecegini biliyoruz. Sizi suandaki duzene bagli ve bagimli tutan kendi duygu ve dusuncelerinizi izleyin ve goruceksiniz ki cogunun arkasinda korku var. Bunu kabul ederek kendinizi ozgurlestirin ve zararli dusunce modellerinizi tum insanliga dogru yonelen sevgi ve anlayisa donusturun.

True, to a certain extent! One needs to have some self-esteem to be a healthy member of the society, but there is no need to push it to the extremes that many parents go to.  Many think when it comes to their kids’ healthy psychological development, “the more they have the better” while they continuously bombard them with more toys, clothes, cars, etc.  And this is how the seeds of mindless consumption are being planted into young minds.  

We live in a society where the profit-hungry few dictate our likes and desires while the big brands continually brainwash us (1). They have converted us into total believers of their system: if you don’t “have it”, you are a lesser human being. So we strive and strive to achieve while suffering at the same time from mediocre relationships with both others and life itself and a constant feeling of inadequateness, anxiety and depression. They have made us worshippers and we have no other source of information to counter-attack their views.

But not anymore!  

Call it the spiritual movement, new age, call it Buddhism, call it psychological growth, call it another hippie wave; something is indeed happening here and now, for me and for you.

From new advancements in the third-force positivistic psychology (2) about what makes life worth living to the findings of top brain researchers all over the world, recent news look very promising and needless to say, astonishing!

A new understanding of the human inner world is emerging. The gap between religion, spirituality and healthy psychological growth is disappearing as a result of research lab findings. What is called a psychological need to believe is being redefined. The war between science and religion which has been paralyzing any growth of both as a result is slowly coming to an end (3). More and more people on earth are losing faith in the dogmatic religious views which are consistently failing the test of time.

The two terms where all these disciplines cross paths are: awareness and integration. Researchers on awareness suddenly find themselves giving talks beside the Dalai Lama and discussing about meditation and other contemplative practices (4). Environmentalists, economists, human resources departments all over the world are slowly but surely finding themselves interested in the ancient teachings and their applications in the work place, and in their daily lives.

Those who can afford it both financially and psychologically are starting to calm down for a few hours every day. They start enjoying the simpler pleasures of life. Spending quality time is becoming more popular than doing more. Awareness is being explored like never before. People all around the world are realizing the madness we have been living in and are not willing to die like this. They want to get the most out of their lives by slowing down and becoming more “aware,” more “in the moment”. They want to observe things like they are seeing them for the first time.  They want to appreciate the sun when they walk out the door. They also want increased awareness of loved one’s lives, such as their children’s on-goings.  But above all, they want the complete realization of life itself:  to connect with themselves and their ever-changing yet ever-present surroundings to the full extent.

Yet to feel and to connect requires a calm mind. 

Never fear, science is here!

We now know that awareness of simple uncontrolled breathing promotes the integration of differentiated brain parts, hence creating a balanced chemical and neural structure that in turn results in a calm, balanced, energized and inspired individual. Well, there! I said it! Or rather, we made it; we have all finally rescued ourselves from our own trapped minds that were flying in auto-pilot.

While it is indeed true that we have been machines for the past few hundred years, we must now break the cycle.  No more will we tolerate being slaves to the destructive mind patterns which have resulted in the current unbalanced state of the world and the depletion of all its resources.  

But then the obvious question arises: how to achieve all this? 

It happens, believe it or not, as a natural result of changing one’s own habits.  A “woken up” individual does not fall prey to brain washing.  One does not derive their self-esteem from what one “has” . One is much less likely to be a victim of destructive thoughts that cause negativity to arise: depression, anxiety, suicidal attempts, blindly accusing others, ego wars, stealing, killing, over-eating and over-drinking are only a few of myriad examples of these ubiquitous negativities.

You might be asking to yourself at this point: Well... if we will no longer have these problems in our society as a result of increased integration of differentiated brain parts which in turn will make us happier, calmer and more compassionate individuals, then what will we do? In other words, with the time that is left to us, what are we going to do every day?

Great question! We currently spend so much time thinking about what others think of us, trying to fit in, shopping endlessly, going to therapies, holding grudges against others, etc. the list goes on. 

My answer is this: I have no idea, but I do know that millions of people need help in this world.  It seems like we will never run out of things to do for the benefit of fellow human beings.

I truly do not know what will be in store for us if we end up successfully “waking up” as a family of human beings, harmoniously living in the same house called ‘planet earth’. It might be quite an adventure, that’s for sure! As one of my favourite authors of all times put it eloquently: “Suffering is an old story; wisdom is a new adventure. Quite remarkable if we are truly descended through tribolites and lemurs. We have only just begun.” (5)

It truly all starts with you.

 1) For more on the current state of our world, you can watch the Oscar winning documentary Inside Job, the HOME documentary and Zeitgeist Moving Forward

 2) For more on positive psychology, you can watch former President of American Psychological Association’s talk here 

 3) For more on science and religion as dichotomized pathologies, you can read Dr. Abraham Maslow’s famous book Religions Values and Peak Experiences here

4) For more on integration, you can watch Dr. Daniel Siegel's talk here

5) For more on peace, you can read Dr. Paul Fleischman’s book “Cultivating Inner Peace”

6) For more peace in your life, you can use mind training methods such as observing your own breathing as described here

**For world peace, please spread the message**

Everyday I sit comfortably for 1 hour and observe my natural breathing. This practice calms me down like nothing else and helps me face the difficulties of life with a clear and balanced mind.

Here is what I do in detail:

I usually sit either before eating or about an hour after a light meal. I find that a cross-legged position suits me the best. I try to keep my back as straight as possible so that I don't fall asleep. As I keep my eyes and mouth gently closed, my body and mind are completely relaxed yet totally awake and alert.

I start observing my breathing without trying to control it in any way. I try to be aware of the natural flow of air; into and out from my nostrils. I don't follow the breath down into my lungs. I keep my attention at the entrance of the nostrils all the time.

I silently witness my mind getting filled with random thoughts. They take me away; into the past and in the future again and again. I don't choose to go with them nor do I elaborate on my thoughts. I simply acknowledge their existence and smilingly go back to observing my breathing only until I am one more time swept away with another storm of random thoughts.

During my sits, cultivating inner peace becomes a quest as my mind is continuously pulled back and forth between awareness and observation and the old habit pattern of my mind (never wanting what is happening in that moment). After a while I notice a strange tranquility as I witness my mind calming down and my breath becoming subtler and subtler. I am finally at peace with "what is".

Then my alarm clock goes off and I am beamed back into the real world where the fruits of inner peace are shared and turned into positive actions and useful empathy. Returning to peace everyday is essential for a steady deepening of tranquility and joy in daily life. Since I have started to sit 1 hour everyday, I've been realizing more and more that continuity truly is the key to success. 

Love yourself and observe; today, tomorrow, always..