The eternal child in İnönü
Closely acquainted with İsmet İnönü, Necdet Uğur, who later wrote a book on his anecdotes with and ideas on İnönü, characterizes the unending energy the Pasha had until the final days of his life as follows:
Andre Maurois says, “Old age is far more than white hair, wrinkles, the feeling that it is too late and the game finished, that the stage belongs to the rising generations. The true evil is not the weakening of the body, but the indifference of the soul.”
I always thought of these words as I watched İnönü, this great Turk, as he neared his nineties. For him, the game was never finished. He remained on that stage until the end.
Some do not even understand the game of their own generation, thus tumble, and fall in the first act. Others grow old the instant they step on the stage, for they try to play the game of other generations. Then, one man emerges and stays on that stage for more than half a century, for generations to come. He is always playing the lead roles.
Uğur summarizes the secret behind this under several headings. Yet, the foremost and most important one of these is the feeling of dedication instigated by “the task to save the country,” in İnönü’s own words:
The concern that a great empire is about to collapse and that we are charged with the task of saving the nation is the most unforgettable memory of our youth. Sixty years have elapsed in the thrills, desperations, and victory days of these sentiments…
