CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
There have always been narrow-minded people throughout history. These people commit quite a bit effort, energy and time into finding things that could be the topic of discussion for a good amount of time depending on the type of society they live in. They take full advantage of opportunities that sometimes are provided to them, but more often than not, they are actively looking for them. They enjoy the fact that they have the power to be able to create chaos, sensation and turmoil among others. These were the people who frowned upon a girl wearing a skirt above her knees back in the day. These were the people gossiped about a boy who pierced his ears. These were the people who held our societies back from advancing throughout history and continue to do so today with the support of people who possess a similar mentality. More progressive and advanced the society, less power such people have.
Modern technology provides us with many amazing experiences. People can fly drones across the landscape and take photos of some of the most beautiful scenes nature has to offer. Their cameras can record with impeccable clarity, can zoom in on tiny details, and some even have night vision. I watch breathtaking landscape videos from various countries on YouTube thanks to drones. But in the wrong hands, drones can be used for malicious and terrible purposes.
A few years ago, one of our neighbors from down the street, a guy I shared drinks with while our kids played together at their Christmas party, told me he had noticed a drone flying around his house. He said he was very upset and disturbed seeing it by the bathroom window, as well as while they were out in their backyard as a family, enjoying their pool.
A few days later, after my kids went to sleep, I was relaxing in my backyard, looking at the stars and the moon, surrounded by walls, shrubs, and soothing greenery. It was a beautiful, quiet night without mosquitoes for a change — but all of a sudden, I heard a buzzing sound and saw a drone rise up slowly, right over the roof of my house, seeming to stare right at me. After a few seconds of us staring at each other, it flew away toward a home that I knew wasn't the responsible party. The owner of this drone was simply trying to put the blame on a family down the street. I wondered if this was the same drone my neighbor down the street had been talking about. I was really unsettled by this experience.
After recalling several other equally creepy experiences and connecting the dots, I felt that our privacy had actually been invaded for a few years, and I suspected our household conversations were also being listened to. This feeling made me very uneasy, as our home was our castle — the one place where we were supposed to be able to relax. Years of hard work had gone into our house, a place where I was supposed to be able to put away all my worries and enjoy a cold beer with friends and family.
Think for a minute about all of the conversations you have at your house. Imagine talking on the phone, providing personal information to businesses and agencies. Imagine discussing health problems with a doctor. Imagine just talking about your day, your current and future plans. Imagine every single conversation you have when you believe yourself to be in private. To this day, this is the most disturbing event I have ever experienced. It was such a serious violation of our privacy.
Were my neighbor and I the only victims of this surveillance, or were there other people too? If so, to what extent? If I was the only one targeted, would people in the neighborhood be as outraged as if this had happened to any other person?
Why was it that I had absolutely zero interest in other people’s lives, while others would go to extreme lengths to gain information about me? If somebody got a new car, bought a new house, or won the lottery, I was genuinely happy for them. When somebody drove a fancy car past my house, the only thoughts that went through my mind were for them to enjoy it and drive safely. During my early years in this country, when I got to spend time inside beautiful homes while I was barely surviving, I had zero jealousy toward the homeowners. If someone had something I wished I had, I always wondered how I could achieve the same. Many of these people had worked hard for many years, and I was always interested in their success stories. I have been inspired by so many people in my life and their hard work, dedication, and perseverance has given me hope that it was possible to achieve my dreams. Their happiness put a smile on my face.
Nosy people can be extremely annoying, but more importantly they can be very dangerous. With advanced technology, they can go undetected and feed their hunger and thirst to gain information about others.
Why are some people so nosy? Are they jealous of others? Do they want others to fail and suffer? Are their lives so miserable that they feel a level of satisfaction from awareness of other people’s hard times and shortcomings? Imagine the power one has over others by knowing all of the details of their lives: their joys, troubles, challenges, etc. You might ask, “Who has time for such a thing?” I have asked myself the very same question many times.
I believe such acts are committed for the same reasons any criminal commits a crime. They are sure they will not be caught. They take careful steps to hide their tracks. I wish this person could be forced to take a lie detector test, because I definitely have a few questions to ask. These cyberbullies hide behind their devices, monitoring other people’s lives, doing so much damage to others without a care, unnoticed by the good members of their community while good-hearted, free-spirited people who wear their hearts on their sleeves and have been dealing with personal difficulties in their lives for so many years can be their targets. These cowards would never dare to target others with strong protections in this town. Under the right circumstances and in a different society they would do this to any one of you. One of the things these cowards enjoy the most is causing chaos and sitting back and watching others in conflict. They only regret their evil actions when it backfires on them and they pay a heavy price for their jealousy and cowardice. By invading other people's privacy and having evil intentions to do harm to them who have done absolutely nothing to them, these people pose one of the biggest threats to free and advanced societies. It is worrisome to know that these people are well-blended within our societies.
Once they are caught, these people change strategies and go from being bullies to playing the victims. They go from shooting air guns and making automatic weapon sounds in an effort to intimate and disturb you, to becoming passive and quiet. They figure now that they are caught, it might be a smarter and more convenient strategy to play the victim. After all it might be easier to convince the community to believe their stories against a barbaric Turk.
I once was walking my dog and one of these pellets whizzed right by my head. Once confronted, this bully apologized. I still have the text from that incident. This same person also added me on Facebook out of the blue around the time he had started to invade my privacy. The motive? He wanted to see my friend list which included many good friends and family members. I accepted his request, but what he could see on my account was very limited. Shortly after, I deleted him and also blocked him on my phone. I also told him that I blocked him on my phone. Despite this person doing serious harm to me, I never retaliated.
They start falsely accusing you of things and use their networks to spread false stories and portray you as a bad person in an effort to justify the seriously harmful things they have done to you. I am not present during those discussions to defend myself while these stories are being told. As a Turkish person without representation in this town, I am at a disadvantage. But I count on good-hearted, rational and fair-minded people.
I have crossed paths with people who, if they can, will do serious damage to others with no regard to the collateral damage their children might feel. There are people in this life who seem to hope deep inside that others’ children do not succeed in life, and they have every intention to negatively impact their future. These dark souls, often bitter, jealous, and extremely competitive, are terrified that other people’s kids will succeed in music, arts, or sports. There are people who wish and hope to make it harder for others’ kids to be accepted by their peers, keeping them from achieving their full potential at their school. But such people are cowards, and they pick and choose their victims carefully. Sometimes I think their biggest punishment is their own lack of inner happiness. I will do anything within my power to make sure my kids are treated equally and fairly in this world.
I know deep down in my heart there is somebody out there with a good heart who knows the very details of the harm this person has done to me. I hope this person eventually will do the right thing. Every penny won from this lawsuit will go directly to Valley Children's Hospital.
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