Sword Of Damocles

Do you know the famous story of Damocles? According to the story, a man named Damocles, who lived in today's Sicily in the 4th century BC, during the reign of King Dionysus, was constantly talking to the king about the happiness of being a king, endless possibilities and wealth. One day, Dionysus got fed up with this situation and decided to teach Damocles a lesson. “I want you to taste this happiness too!” He had a great feast prepared and left his crown and throne to Damocles. Damocles was happily dressed in royal robes, crowned and seated on the throne. Enjoying the feast, Damocles saw a horse-haired sword hanging over his head in the middle of the feast. After some thought, he understood what this meant; Although things such as power, wealth and rank are pleasing to the eye, they also bring a great burden and risk. This was the conclusion Damocles drew, so what are we to understand from this?

The recycling issue, which is closely related to the society, is just like the Sword of Damocles. We all have an opinion about recycling yes; So, do we ever think about how applicable what is? Or what kind of bureaucratic barriers did the decisions taken into practice bypass, that some commercially unprofitable initiatives are carried out just for the sake of “goodness”, and what great gains are made by nature and people in need? Unfortunately, most of us don't think much. If we thought, do you think we would find a handle for these well-intentioned projects by saying “the stalk of the pear, the garbage of the grape”?

There is a campaign that everyone knows from 7 to 70 years old in Turkey, which had a great impact and raised awareness in the name of recycling: the blue cover campaign. You can buy a wheelchair with 30 thousand carboy caps or 200 thousand small bottle caps. This campaign has delighted thousands of people in need and has given hope to those who have no condition. Perhaps even more important than that, it raised a great awareness of people with disabilities and etched concepts such as recycling and sustainability into the minds of people from all walks of life. Indeed, we cannot count the beauties that this campaign has brought about. So what should we say to those who squint? What is the purpose of those who belittle this campaign? Maybe they say; “Are we going to collect all these caps for one car?” . It should be said that every step taken in the name of recycling is valuable. If it touches people's lives, it is more valuable than even the greatest treasures.

Those who believe that they can do much better if they are given the authority should be reminded of the sword of Damocles. Those who believe that they can do much more, we must say that the goose's foot is not quite like that when empowered. As a matter of fact, it is not for every brave man to carry out large-scale projects that will cover the whole country and touch people's lives!