We lost our beloved Şükran Soner on September 1. This is a great loss for both Cumhuriyet newspaper, Türkiye's working class, the labor struggle and the 68 generation.
A MOOD
I think 68 was, first of all, a "mood". The generation called "68s" had some common characteristics: They had a true love of humanity and homeland; They were determined to throw away all ties with the order, without caring about themselves, for the sake of a transcendent purpose; they were independent, anti-imperialist; They believed that a better world could be built for the working class and labor, and they made countless sacrifices. At a young age, they rejected the opportunities that life offered them and took the risk of paying the price and stepped forward to make their country a more livable, more humane place in their own natural way.
The reason behind the fact that 68 is still not forgotten despite the past 60 years, and why people still look back on it, is this self-sacrifice, this careless, innocent boldness that puts the common good first, not oneself.
OUR 68'S
Dear Şükran was one of the people who embodied this "mood" and he always lived like this.
His book "Our 68s", in which he tells his testimonies as a journalist who actually lived through the period and lived there by actually being there, begins with the following lines: "Events that leave their mark on the lives of societies, cause-effect relationships in social explosions are articulated on each other in such a complex way that even when those who take part in the event, the observers, convey what they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, what they perceive and think, without prejudice or interpretation, stories with very different meanings emerge..."
Various factors may play a role in the differentiation of stories that convey the past. The most important thing is probably the "time" that intervenes with the difference in the "place" where one stands and looks. It is not natural that the perspectives and stories they tell of those watching from the stands and those running on the field are different. Another factor that inevitably affects the perspective is the "place" where the person stands at the time of the events described, as well as the extent to which this "place" has changed over the intervening "time".
THE UNCHANGING STORY
Dear Şükran's story did not change over time, she did not compromise her values, she did not bend or bend, she never remained a spectator to the pain and struggles for rights. He always maintained his “mood”.
With his great sense of responsibility, he undertook so many burdens without putting himself forward, and existed so selflessly that he occupied a huge place both in Cumhuriyet newspaper and in the struggle of the working class and labor. Looking at what was written after his loss, it becomes clear that he had an irreplaceable place in people's lives and left a mark. Some people are like this, they occupy such a huge space while they are alive, without making themselves known, without shouting "I am here", that their space will not be filled after they leave.
