Being the Man of Tomorrow

Mustafa Kemal went to the village east of Kutaytara, where Circassians lived. The Circassians did not welcome him and his companions, thinking that they were robbers. After a while, they realized that they had come to listen to their problems and to do themselves a favor, and they agreed immediately. One of the village elders said:

"We'll do whatever you say. But we do not do what the state that oppresses us wants.”

One day, the villagers surrounded their forces with a kolaga attacking this village, and they were about to kill them. Mustafa Kemal was a little behind. He arrived just in time. When the villagers saw him, they surrounded him and donated his kolagak to him.

The leaders of the unit had again collected a lot of money. They wanted to give a share to Mustafa Kemal as well. For him, it was either to ascend to glorious future times or to be tainted at that age for the sake of money. It does not grow bigger than those who shrink in the face of material interests. Mustafa Kemal had made his decision. He asked a friend who was hesitant about getting a share of the highlight:

-“Do you want to be the man of today or tomorrow?”

"Of course I want to be the man of tomorrow."

"Then you can't buy shares, neither did I and I can't."

He also addressed those in his regiment at that time:

-“Friends, I am an honest soldier. Those who want to be friends with me must also be honest.” ¹

¹ Falih Rıfkı Atay, Babamız Atatürk, 2. Baskı, İstanbul 1966, s.18-19

Kaynak: Atatürk’ten Gençliğe Unutulmaz Anılar, Ahmet Gürel, Mayıs 2009