INVITATION

Ayşe stumbled upon a street interview on her way home from school.

A small crowd had gathered ahead, listening intently to the people being handed the microphone. The question of the day was: “What are you most curious about in this world?” The answers were fascinatingly diverse.

One person said they were curious about space, another about the ocean. Some declared they were curious about women, while others said they wanted to understand the male mind. From “how to make money” to “how to spend it,” the list of answers went on and on.

But one final response stole the show.

A sweet elderly lady, who said she was a retired teacher, spoke with such grace that her words sounded like pearls falling from her lips:

“I am curious about the creature called human.”

Just like the crowd, Ayşe couldn’t help but think about that striking answer. After all, she too had been telling herself lately, “You’re not the same as before… What’s happening to me?”

It was as if some invisible hand were controlling her. She would suddenly find herself watching videos online without even realizing how she got there. Every time she noticed, she felt ashamed—only to fall right back into the same loop again.

The hours she spent online “to learn something new” had begun to take a dangerous turn. She felt trapped, running to digital platforms for every little need. She had even grown too lazy to go to the corner shop, losing herself among endless options online just to buy a carton of milk—and then forgetting why she’d gone online in the first place.

Technology was no longer helping her—it was simply distracting her. She’d tell herself, “Just a quick look,” but once she entered, she couldn’t get out. She was like a fly caught inside a carnivorous plant—struggling, yet unable to escape.

A small dose of pleasure was followed by a touch of guilt. Then came the effort to quit, then a hint of restlessness, then another craving for comfort.

She looked at her screen when she woke up, and again before she fell asleep.

She felt numb, as if under the influence of a mild anesthetic.

She was lost in that black hole called social media. And she needed a beginning.

That morning, she woke up early and decided not to use her phone for the internet. The first few hours of the day went surprisingly well. Organizing the closet she’d been avoiding for months, going out for a walk, picking up breakfast items from the local shop—it wasn’t as dreadful as she had imagined. In fact, though she hesitated to admit it, she quite enjoyed fitting all those things into the first half of the day.

Her eyes still drifted toward her phone whenever a notification popped up, but she ignored those faint invitations.

While cooking dinner, the music playing from the radio suddenly transported her back to her old self. Even on the first day, the distance she’d put between herself and the virtual world was showing positive effects. The long-forgotten television had suddenly regained its value—how else was she supposed to keep up with the news?

That evening, the family’s usual tea time was accompanied by the nightly news.

The world’s headlines were bleak—filled with sorrow. Innocent people, children, were being killed. War crimes were happening before everyone’s eyes.

Her mind refused to accept it. This must be a nightmare, she thought. It felt like those dreams where you wake up but can’t move, you scream but no sound comes out. She wanted to change what she saw on the screen—to swipe it away—but couldn’t.

She rushed outside. For the first time in ages, she was out without her phone. It felt like an umbilical cord had been cut between her and a child.

After walking for a bit, she was about to step into her favorite coffee shop when someone handed her a piece of paper.

“Every cup of coffee you buy becomes a bullet that strikes a child.”

There was also a picture. BOYCOTT. PROTEST.

Someone else was handed the same paper. A woman glanced at it while staring at her phone, crumpled it, and threw it away.

“Mind your own business. It’s my choice,” she said.

Ayşe thought, How can some people fight with everything they have, while others remain in such deep sleep?

How can someone trip the one who’s running to help?

Her shoulders slumped. She felt sad.

We need to free ourselves from these addictions, she thought. From phones, from computers, from shopping, from cigarettes. We must stay away from what’s useless.

It was as if hearts had been lost in entertainment—unable to find their way out of the emptiness they’d fallen into.

But where to begin?

So many distractions. So many amusements. So many temptations stealing one’s mind.

We must learn restraint, she thought.

And then—master it.

Since the beginning of humanity, Our greatest friend and enemy has remained the same: The person in the mirror...

"Experiential Design Teaching" is dedicated to help humans discover their true purpose. It guides people toward open consciousness to make better decisions and choices. It offers strategies for real solutions to real problems.

The programs that begin with “Who’s Who,” followed by “Mastery in Relationships” and “The Psychology of Success,” aim to help people become happier and more successful compared to their past selves.