I Don’t Know If This Is Right, But I’m Writing It Anyway -08/25

This article is an independent version of the article published in this issue of DOK Architecture Magazine. You can access the entire magazine via this link:

This is an old post I wrote about why I started doing this.

When I started at DOK, I was captivated by the beauty and raw emotion of architecture. It all began with admiration. The harsh, sharp edges of raw concrete and its character made me feel the need to share what I felt inside with everyone who cared. This mission drove me to create this platform while juggling between architectural periods and later failed life paths.

The inner need I felt to share this tension I experience toward architecture—as the art of creating spaces and environments that embody logic—has led me to develop this platform into what it is today, available in seven languages and attracting growing interest from countries around the world. However, just as everything eventually transforms into something beyond its original plan, this platform has evolved into a space where general topics are published daily, akin to a mainstream platform that seeks to appease its “gods” with sacrifices. All of this has taken me further away from my core mission, the reason I embarked on this journey, and how I position DOK differently from all the other “already successful” platforms.

Söylediklerimden, bir platform olarak DOK‘ün artık ana hedefimle uyumlu olmadığı anlaşılabilir, ancak bu tam olarak doğru değil. Asıl amacım bir binadan veya mimari bir eserden duyduğum heyecanı paylaşmak olsa da, çok dilli olmak ve farklı alanlarda ve konularda yazılar yazmak fikirlerimin, görüşlerimin ve duygularımın sizin gibi daha fazla insan tarafından görülmesini sağladı.

Currently, 75% of our traffic is in languages other than Turkish. A single language, Japanese, is helping us maintain this high percentage. This is because our catalog has recently expanded with translations, and it is clear that Japanese people conduct research during the summer months.

This multilingual approach has enabled me to reach every country in the world. It has also enabled me to reach those who have not been able to read similar articles in their own languages without compromising on the original quality or content.

As someone who was born into the world of computers, I believe that over the past 20 years, the internet has enabled each and every one of us to access information not only from the elite or the wealthy, but also from anyone who seeks it. However, the real problem during this period was that English became the “language of the world,” and those who couldn’t speak it were missing out on a lot—and still are.

However, our Internet is not only for those who know English. When the Internet made information more widely available, it became clear that it had not yet succeeded in promoting the learning of native languages.

At this point, translation programs such as Google Translate and DeepL have entered our lives, enabling us to read and understand articles written in other languages. Many of us have worked hard to learn English because we couldn’t find the depth we wanted in our native language. But what about other languages? Japanese? Not only do we struggle to learn or understand an article, but we don’t even know the alphabet to pronounce the words correctly.

This is the long explanation of why I created this site to publish articles in seven languages. To summarize briefly,

This site is dedicated to making information more widely available by explaining the essence of articles or topics using the natural native language.

But at its core, there is a belief that we have. And that is the lost art of really trying to believe and create. It’s a challenge in terms of scale. It is a commitment to see how far I can go for this task. In my view, the main goal is visibility. It is about being present with the words you want to say and making them unique in order to reach people. It is the quest of someone who wants to learn something in their own language through my words and perspective.

If we want to take into account different worldviews and examples that may arise depending on the reader’s location or culture, we cannot go beyond making predictions. Education or, to be more modest, knowledge sharing, if the search for knowledge is universal, must be universal.

And even in days filled with despair or when searching for meaning in emptiness, believing that the world is worth living, fighting, and teaching for has always been a choice. Even if following what is written in textbooks does not guarantee a lifetime of peace, believing that it is still valuable to be genuinely interested in something and to do it is a source of hope.

That’s why I’m so passionate about this platform. Because every day I choose to hope for a better future, just like you choose to visit this site every day to gain knowledge, see photos, find inspiration, or simply observe how people today help one another.

Or consciously deciding every day to truly value something. This is not a passive pursuit, especially in today’s world, which is full of false and misleading information. While our parents struggled to find information, we now face the challenge of determining what is real and true through choices and research.

As I write this final section, I would like to emphasize once again that every effort and initiative we make to create a life worth living is a conscious choice, not a passive effect. Logically, our success and happiness in life should stem from making the right choices. However, it is crucial to remember that we always have the freedom to choose not to play the “rigged” game if there is no choice that will fulfill our mission.