Recently I was forced to answer, “What has Great Britain got?” by a supposed Turkish friend of mine…

When I was recently harshly forced to answer the question, “What came from Great Britain?” “What has Great Britain got?” Strangely, I didn’t have much to say and because I am not an historian and never had any interest in history, I couldn’t really come up with much, apart from flushing toilets and the television. There are many more inventions that came from Great Britain (UK) - England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales but maybe because of the fact that I was always fucking around in my history lesson, I never learnt any of it. Or if I did, it is floating around in the back part of my brain somewhere with no intentions of coming out into the light of day. I am aware that the UK does have a rich culture when it comes to invention, sport and the arts but it was always lost on me. I suppose I should have paid a little more attention in those history lessons. The obvious fact that most people know of the UK as either hooligan central, a place to come as an illegal immigrant or just pure rudeness from the youth of UK was not helping much.

Turns out that now I do have a keen interest in history and also sports (Hope my Dad forgives me for being sick just before the big match he wanted to take me too when I was young). Never got interested after that.

Anyhow, getting back to the original point of this particular post. My supposed friend who had been fairly nice to me all day, like a two face on the Batman films changed his tact from a previously charming individual to a rattle snake and forced me to answer the question in the title. As I said, I am not as clued up as I should be on everything British and why he was pushing so much I do not know. With relish in his eyes like he himself had won his own personal medal against me, he gloated and said your country has brought nothing to the world. If I was in the UK, I would be deeply offended but I am not. I was never a patriotic person even when I was in the UK but I don’t know what it is about someone taking a crap on your birth country, it just makes you feel sad that in this day and age people in any country can still hold a grudge and be a near on racist. I am proud of having my Turkish citizenship but I am equally proud of my birth country since without some of the innovation from the UK and even from many English speaking countries what would we have today. Every country has their own pride in sports, history and many other areas. Isn’t it about time that the people of the world realise that we all work together to make the world what it is today. Don’t dirty your world, keep it clean, don’t make war with people, especially your own people (Syria), and most of all keep love in your heart. Competition is for keeping the mind and body working, not for making war with individual persons or countries.

I am proud that I was born in a democratic country and I am also proud that my countrymen gave back to the world the inventions that were discovered and the innovations that were had. Who knows where we would be without any of these inventions or innovatıons? All I know is, I do have great Turkish friends, and as well as sharing what great things their countrymen have done, (for one Atatürk, who was really a great man, a leader, a warrior and an inspirational thinker), we share with each other, without taunting each other, like we are kids in a playground fight.

All countries should have pride whether they give to the world, win at sports, or even if they don’t do anything, they should still have pride because together we are the human race, and together we make this world work. So let’s put aside any over emotion about any one country and try to be as one. We are all good people and if we see ourselves without boundaries and without differences then this world and the human race will survive a lot longer than we think is possible.

Still a beautıful song and still occasionally I meet people who just don’t get on with each other. So, I ask anyone who hates somebody in the world or who has no respect for anyone or any country that is not their own to watch this and think. Humans can be very evil, but humans can also be very good, let’s try and be only good.

 

Look at the Olympics as a model for how competitors and people should stand side by side in life. Even in times of loss they still have sportsmanship. The world needs this in every day life rather than gloating at others because we can’t think what good they have brought to the world.