The State’s Embrace of Its Citizens
The State’s Embrace of Its Citizens
Every person harbors a deepest desire in life—one that is never openly expressed, yet never absent: to be embraced, to be acknowledged. This sense of being “owned” begins in a mother’s arms, continues under a father’s shadow, and evolves over time, changing and taking on new forms. From childhood to youth, and onward into life’s journey, one pursues this feeling. In moments of loneliness amid crowds, one seeks a shoulder to lean on, and even if unable to voice it, hopes that someone hears them. The state must answer this silent, unspoken, yet deeply rooted longing. A state does not exist through institutions alone; it gains meaning through the care it shows its people.
The state is not merely a structure that draws borders, collects taxes, or enacts laws. A true state is one that can embrace its people, making them feel they are not alone. This embrace is not just a reflex that appears in times of crisis; it is knowing how to stand by an individual even in life’s ordinary moments. This care should be felt not only when rescuing someone from disaster debris but also in the small details—like a sidewalk built so a child’s feet won’t get wet on the way to school. When a person senses that they are valued, that thought has been given to them, they feel the state just behind their shoulder. Just as a mother watches over her child, the state must watch over its people. You cannot claim a state exists in a country where children go to bed hungry. When a young person feels inadequate and finds no refuge, the state has already left them alone. When an elderly person cries not because they cannot see their grandchildren, but because there is no one to take them to the hospital, the state has not stepped across that threshold. To embrace is not merely to provide resources; it is to turn to an individual and say, “I am here.”
For a state to embrace its citizens means looking them in the eye. It may not be possible to attend to every citizen’s story, but it is possible to recognize every citizen’s existence. If a person feels their existence matters, the state is there. To be embraced is to see a glimmer of trust in the individual’s eyes. Without that light, people alienate themselves from the state. They feel isolated. When left alone with their problems, they do not turn to the state—they turn to fate. Yet the state must be the alternative to fate. It must tell people, “You are not alone. I see you.”
Being embraced often begins with small gestures: a civil servant’s warm smile, a teacher listening to a student, a doctor reaching out to a patient. Behind all these acts, the individual sees the state. Because the state is not only large institutions; it lives in the conscience of the people working within them. That conscience belongs to the state. That hand is not just an extension of personal compassion—it is also an expression of public responsibility. The state must be a mechanism with a heart. Laws may be flawless, buildings may be solid, but if there is no life in them, the state is nothing more than a shadow.
The state embracing its citizens does not merely protect their rights; it carries their emotions. It carries their fears, hopes, anxieties, and dreams. When a young person fears the future, the state should respond not only with job postings but with an atmosphere of hope. To embrace is not merely to solve problems; it is to build trust. The state must not only heal wounds but also prevent them from forming. This preventive embrace constitutes genuine protection.
If a child feels different in the school cafeteria, if a young woman fears walking alone at night, if an elderly man is utterly alone in the city, the state is absent. To be embraced provides not only legal security but emotional security as well. When a person does not feel alone, when they think, “This country has cared for me,” the state has fulfilled its duty.
Being embraced is the foundation of belonging. When an individual feels they are part of this country, they become a citizen not only in official documents but in spirit as well. A person measures their debt to their homeland by how much they feel embraced. They pay their taxes willingly, do not evade military service, and vote thoughtfully. Because an individual who does not feel abandoned has learned to take care of their state.
The state’s embrace is not limited to economic or social aid. It also means making space for an individual’s thoughts, voice, and objections. When a person can speak without fear, knowing they will be heard, the state’s compassion is present. To embrace is not to silence but to listen; not to ignore but to give an ear. If an individual feels silenced, then there is no state there—only loneliness prevails.
Being embraced does not only mean arriving by helicopter in a disaster. Sometimes it is responding to a petition, rectifying an injustice, or attending to an ordinary need. If a child goes to school with torn shoes, the state must see that child. Those shoes do not just symbolize poverty—they signify invisibility. When that child thinks, “No one notices me,” their faith in the state is shaken. The state, however, begins by seeing.
The state must stand behind its citizens not only as a strong force but also as a calm, reassuring voice. A voice that says, “I am with you.” Sometimes that voice is found in a teacher, a gendarme, or a postal worker. To be embraced is not only about being a friend in bad times—it is to be present in moments of joy as well. Even if a single state representative attends a wedding in a village, that wedding becomes a memory not just for two people but for an entire community. Citizens need their state not only in crises but in everyday life.
To embrace also means defending an individual’s right to live with dignity. If a person cannot protect their own honor, their faith in the state is shaken. It is not about giving alms to the beggar but creating a system in which begging is unnecessary. It is not about sheltering the homeless but making life on the streets no longer a fate. To embrace is to take responsibility for an individual’s destiny—to chart a path for them. The state’s embrace links the past and the future: learning from past suffering and opening arms to future hope. A person grows up shaped by the state they see as a child. What the state shows them as they grow, they remember when they are older. If they were belittled, marginalized, or made to feel worthless, they will always feel a wall where the state should be. But if they have felt loved, heard, and protected, the state lives within them like a home.
The state’s embrace often carries great meaning in small acts: a scholarship for the child of a martyr, a health clinic built in a village, a regulation that facilitates a woman’s participation in the workforce… All of these shape an individual’s perception of the state. When a person sees effort made for their sake, they believe in the state. And to believe is as precious as being embraced.
Being embraced sometimes happens without words. When a mother’s eyes fill with tears, when a healthcare worker sits beside her, when a teacher visits a home, when a municipal worker trudges through the mud… The state does not always arrive in uniform. Sometimes it comes in muddy boots, sometimes in a thermos of tea. And when the individual drinks that tea, they realize they are not alone.
Being embraced is so human that no one can look down on it. Every individual needs it—not only the poor but also the wealthy, not only the oppressed but also the strong. Being embraced reminds people of their sense of belonging. Beyond being citizens of this land, it makes them feel like children of this nation.
And to embrace is the state’s greatest moral duty. People are bound to their state not only by laws but by compassion. If the state cannot show compassion, the individual fears. And a fearful person neither loves nor trusts. They do not embrace a state they do not love or trust. This is a cycle. An individual takes care of their state only as much as they feel taken care of.
That is why the state must recognize not only its citizens’ needs but also their emotions. It must touch their hearts, not merely solve problems, but show presence. A state that acknowledges each citizen’s life, looks them in the eyes, and places a hand on their shoulder is strong. It is a true state. And a true state does not merely stand—it keeps its people standing.
HASAN YİĞİT