BEYOND NORMAL, proiect cofinanțat de Consiliul Județean Brașov.

When the World Comes As a Feeling

An article by Fevzi Taș

Occasionally the speed of time slows down and the world becomes more touchable, more perceivable. Like Jean Luc Nancy said in such times the world comes as a sensation not as an object. What our eyes see and what our ears hear becomes clearer. We watch things going on around us in slow motion. Times like this are precious. Because the current hustle and bustle of life forces us to live fast, that is why we do not see, or we ignore, many beautiful details. Here I will describe our activities with exceptional people who resist ignoring life. Our walk into the forest depths at the beginning of July was an extraordinary therapy. In his book A Philosophy of Walking, Frédéric Gros says that the act of 'walking' is not about getting from one place to another. Going for a walk is a temporal phenomenon in itself. It is to move in time and to dominate it. The antagonistic sensitivity of our participants to time caused us to have an experience that seemed to confirm and justify the author of this book. So while everyone was trying to move fast in time, we slowed time down. This antagonism is the most crucial detail that makes the experience special. We played games, laughed, and felt that we were not isolated from the world while on our walk. We felt like we were joining the world. The slogan of the project, 'Beyond normal', was a slogan describing us, the participants. Because, unlike modern man's compressed time, we slowed down and went beyond that, which was an incredible experience.

When the trip to Sighișoara was announced, the sparkle in the eyes of the participants was worth seeing. The idea of changing cities together means adventure for them. Furthermore, free-spirited people love adventure. At 5:45, everyone was waiting and prepared in front of Braşov Station. It was very early in the morning, adding a different beauty to this trip. Walter Benjamin has this to say about waking up early: the person who watches the sunrise awake and dressed stands before the others with the superiority of the one who wears an invisible crown all day long. We awoke before the Sun with our invisible crowns on our heads and watched its rise dressed in our most delicate clothes. We were the most colorful and different passengers. Some brought umbrellas with them; some came with sunglasses. Some were dreaming of sleeping on the train, while others were eagerly waiting for the delicious sights of the train journey and Romania. The participants silently agreed; we can control the time, not the weather. Those who cannot control the time and cannot go 'beyond normal' watched us in amazement at seeing the sunglasses and umbrellas, the participant in the coat, and the participant in the shorts together. Yes, we have also realized another feature of ours, 'be the center of interest'. When we arrived in Sighișoara, the warmth of the Sun was felt more. Thus, those with sunglasses could protect their eyes from the Sun. Those with umbrellas were happy because they could create shade with an umbrella. It was possible to see from the happiness on their faces that this trip was perfect for their souls and feelings.

On July 20, 2022, when we gathered for the horse riding event, it was the first time I saw the participants act so impatiently. It was not an irritating impatience. It is the first time I have seen them try to speed up time. Nevertheless, this did not last long because when we got in the car at 15:00, there was magnificent weather in Braşov.

Clouds and mountains danced with each other, and the wind sang to them.

It did not take long for the attendees to notice this.

When we arrived at the place where we were going to do the horse riding activity, it was as if nature had spent all its energy looking beautiful. The participants were telling themselves that the beautiful weather was related to the beauty of the horses. We gathered in the area where the horses are, and the staff helping us to ride gave us a briefing and informed us that they are harmless, calm, and docile animals. Staff said not to rush into getting on and off the horse. We were introduced to the horses to be used for this activity, and they suggested meeting and getting to know the horses for the participants who wanted to. Some participants considered this suggestion and got acquainted with the horses.

Franz Kafka writes the allegory for The Wish to Be a Red Indian: "If one were only an Indian, instantly alert, and on a racing horse, leaning against the wind, kept on quivering jerkily over the quivering ground, until one shed one's spurs, for there needed no spurs, threw away the reins, for there needed no reins, and hardly saw that the land before one was smoothly shorn heath when horse's neck and head would be already gone". Although the story is about being an Indian, it also talks about the liberating side of horse riding. However, the horse has historically been a tool of emotional therapy for and with humans. When a man rides a horse, he integrates himself with the horse, so he begins to feel uncomfortable with the things the horse is uncomfortable with. That is why he wants us to forget that there are spurs and tangible materials about the horse. The importance of this story for us is that we observe that this emotional bond is established for the participants. In this respect, it can be said that the horse riding activity is an important activity of this project.

Another activity involving the idea of ​​creativity, 'creating household items with lids', also made it possible to increase dexterity and control of one's behavioral functions. This event also applied very well to acting together and being a part of a whole towards a common goal. In this respect, it is among the special activities of the project.

As a result, the 'Beyond normal' project has been eye-opening for the participants. Many tools such as the intended socialization, self-confidence, and social activities were implemented through this project. What the project creators care most about and take great pleasure in realizing is the participants' progress in self-awareness. They will continue to do everything possible to ensure that this progress continues. Being self-aware causes us to be more sensitive to other people, nature, and other living things. In other words, self-awareness makes us aware of ourselves and the events happening around us.