My Radiant Mother, My Everything

My mother, who thinks of me as her child,

My mother, who never dreams for herself.

My mother, who trusts in me more than the world,

My radiant mother, my everything.

—

When I am sad, she calls me to her side,

She strokes my hair and takes away my pain.

Only she gives help without asking anything in return,

My radiant mother, my everything.

—

The fragrance of Paradise surrounds her,

Wherever I walk, she lights my way like the moon.

Her words are like a balm that heals my pain,

My radiant mother, my everything.

Babel

In the beginning, the world was a belt, all of it connected, a horizon without high or low, independent, without rank. Then the people, bored with roads that had no uphill, came to a wide plain and said,

“Come, let us bake bricks and build a tower that reaches the top of heaven, so that our name may be known throughout the world. In the name of God, let us conquer the world.”*

They raised a vertical tower and crammed the long, outstretched belt inside it. The running horses had their limbs severed, and the horses that cried out were bridled. Their screams entered those gentle, wounded eyes and became wordless. The horses once left to graze scattered into the air and have yet to return.

That was when every thought existing on earth came crashing down with the thunder of hoofbeats.

Look at this chaos— a war of words, words thrown like bombs, quarrels raging everywhere, words biting off their own tongues. Do you see?

From the moment the wounded earth opened its mouth, the history of war began.

Imagine a lake that has become a desert, a vast silence that has swallowed every sound, the immeasurable sorrow of those who have lost their words.

Isn’t it like a blank manuscript abandoned by its poet?

In the desert where sandstorms rage, there is a plain where black horses run wild. From the boiling mouths of horses wearing black masks rises a black, burning tongue.

“Tell me. Who is the god you believe in?”

I can still hear the voice bellowing at the words hidden behind your lips.

Shhh… That is the entrance to Babel.

They are still building the tower, even now—

now, when the whole world speaks different languages and uses different words.

Genesis 11:4

Others

Africa may not be Africa to everyone, but you wanted to lean your shoulder against someone as though you had come from Africa.

And so you leaned your shoulder.

You always wore the same face and longed for a warm wall, but the living room, with its firewood burning, could not become a wall.

You crossed the room with a face half-burned away.

Paprika may not be paprika to everyone, but you wanted to set down your gaze like someone choosing paprika.

And so you lowered your gaze.

You always carried the same inner self and longed for a light embrace, but even inside the same bag the colors were different:

red, yellow, green. You, whose expressions were all different, returned to the plastic bag.

Like paprika from Africa, half-burned silence sits around the table.

Silence does not want to be protected.

Marie’s Story

Marie, the six-year-old girl-dog
who lives in our home,

has waiting
in her transparent eyes.

Woof—woof—woof.
That is all she can say,

yet there is no arrogance,
no prejudice
in Marie’s language.

In a face
where language cannot reach,

Marie and I
fall silent.

A place where instinct
recognizes instinct—

as though that were
the center of the world.

Like creatures of consciousness and the unconscious,
paired as one,

Marie and I lean into drowsiness
and drift into an afternoon nap.

The deeper our nap becomes,
our backs turned to the world,

the farther Marie and I
move from humankind.

In a time
when nothing happens,

in the weightless space of time,

Marie and I
touch one another.

Suddenly, we might meet

Did you search for me in the east and far away,
Did you think of me in the burning distance?
If so, one day surely, God
Will show me the path to you suddenly.

Your thoughts seem like the sky and heavens,
Your sorrows linger inside like a crucible.
Did you search for me from the sky above,
Why haven’t you found me yet?

I know you can’t find me,
Because you don’t know me yet.
Perhaps one day we will meet suddenly,
Maybe on that day in a bookstore, destiny.

Egamnazarova Shahina Shaxriyor qizi was born on November 28, 2006, in the Qashqadaryo region. She is currently studying at Turon University in Philology: Teaching Languages (Uzbek) program. She works as the deputy director at the Qarshi Medical College. She is the recipient of the National Hope chest badge. Several of her articles have been published in international journals. Her articles have appeared in Turkey’s “Bilgi çeşmesi” and Germany’s “GERMAN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL”.

THE WORLD THROUGH THE WRITTEN WORD

If we were all to pause for a moment,

write down what we see around us,

in this world, in this day,

in this moment,

words would say so much.

We would write down what we see with our eyes,

what we feel with our heart,

what our soul is telling us

because the soul never lies.

If we were to confess everything

to a sheet of paper,

reveal to it all the secrets we know,

seal it with the trace of our heart,

would we be satisfied with what we read?

Most likely not.

But not because the world isn’t perfect,

because our words and feelings aren’t perfect,

because the paper to which we laid bare our soul

endures all our emotions and views of the world.

Rather, because deep down inside we know

that it can be better,

that our soul can suffer less,

our heart ache less,

the paper with our words can

have greater power,

if only our words

would reach those who look

but do not see,

who listen

but do not hear,

who can

but do not want to.

Our written word has great power

to influence this world,

as long as it is written with the heart,

read with the soul and not just with the eyes,

as long as it lives in our thoughts.

I believe in the power of the written word,

in its strength,

its brilliance, and I do not want everything to be perfect,

I want it to be enough for

a person to recognize themselves in that very word

and to do good.

I want someone to see light, hope, faith

even in my word on paper,

and not to read only with their eyes

but with their heart.

And perhaps, there is still hope

that this world is becoming a better

place to live,

if it is created by those who see not only with their eyes,

but with their soul as well.

And the written word written with the soul is the best creator of the story of a better world.

Everything Is Fine

You walk around smiling at everyone,

Only you know what you have been through.

They think that everything is fine,

That yours is the most beautiful pattern of life.

Even the one you loved passes by without a care,

There are those who never value your worth.

So they think that everything is fine,

That yours is the most beautiful pattern of life.

Perhaps he has forgotten the vows he once made,

The unfaithful ones who made you cry through the nights.

They think that everything is fine,

That yours is the most beautiful pattern of life.

The fire burning inside you will not go out,

The wounds left behind by you have not yet healed.

They say that everything is fine,

That yours is the most beautiful pattern of life.

Knowingly or unknowingly, we mistook friends for beloved ones,

And failed to notice their betrayal.

Looking into your eyes, they say, “Everything is fine,”

That now your life is at its most beautiful.

Diyorova Zuhra Bobonazar qizi

Why Do We Compare Ourselves to Others?

Why do we constantly compare ourselves to other people? Why does someone else’s achievement sometimes make our own accomplishments suddenly seem insignificant?

Why do we look at another person’s life and feel as though something is missing from ours? Perhaps the most interesting part is that, in many cases, no one actually asks us to compete. Yet we still find ourselves feeling as though we are falling behind.
As human beings, we naturally look to those around us as we try to understand ourselves. We may evaluate our abilities, opinions, and possibilities by observing the experiences of others.

Psychologist Leon Festinger introduced Social Comparison Theory in 1954, suggesting that people have a tendency to evaluate themselves through comparison with others. Therefore, comparing ourselves with other people is not simply a habit created by modern society; it is also connected to a natural part of how people
evaluate themselves.

However, the way we compare ourselves matters. Sometimes we look at people whom we consider more successful and measure ourselves against them. Such comparisons can inspire us to grow, but they can also make us feel inadequate. The problem begins
when another person’s achievement becomes the standard by which we determine our own worth.

These patterns can sometimes begin in childhood. Statements such as “Look at how well they are doing” or “Why can’t you be like them?” may teach a child, consciously or unconsciously, to evaluate personal worth through comparison. Over time, external
comparisons can become an internal habit. Instead of asking, “What do I want?” we may begin asking, “Where are others, and where am I?”

In today’s world, social media can make this process even more complicated. We often see carefully selected moments of other people’s lives: achievements, celebrations, travels, awards, and other positive experiences. What we usually do not see are their
failures, doubts, disappointments, or difficult moments. As a result, we may end up comparing our entire lives with the most positive moments that someone else chooses to show.

Research suggests that the effects of social comparison on social media are not simple or identical for everyone. Some studies have associated upward social comparison—the tendency to compare oneself with people perceived as more successful—with negative
self-evaluation and lower well-being. At the same time, research also indicates that the effects can vary depending on the individual, the situation, and the way social media is used.

This means that comparison itself is not necessarily harmful. Another person’s success can inspire us and encourage us to set new goals. The important question is what we do with that comparison. If someone’s achievement makes us think, “I can work toward
something similar,” comparison can become a source of motivation. If it makes us think, “I will never be good enough,” it can become unfair judgment against ourselves.

For this reason, perhaps our goal should not be to eliminate comparison completely, but to learn how to manage it. Instead of asking, “Why am I not like them?” we can ask, “What kind of person do I want to become?” Instead of thinking, “Why are they ahead of me?” we can ask, “What have I done today to move closer to my own goals?”

One of the healthiest ways to measure progress is to compare ourselves with who we were yesterday. If we know something today that we did not know yesterday, accomplish something we once struggled with, or take a step we were previously afraid
to take, that is also progress. Growth does not always come in dramatic or visible forms.

Life is not a race. Every person has a different starting point, different opportunities, different experiences, and a different path. Someone reaching a particular goal before us does not mean that their life is better than ours. Likewise, reaching our goals later does not mean that we have failed. So, the next time you look at someone else’s life and feel that you are behind, pause for a moment. You do not know their entire story, just as they do not know yours.

Do not measure yourself against someone else’s today. Measure yourself against your own yesterday. Because real growth is not about getting ahead of everyone else. It is about moving forward, even if only one step, on your own path.

Perhaps the greatest achievement is not becoming like someone else, but growing without losing yourself.

References

1. Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117–140.
   DOI: 10.1177/001872675400700202.
2. Meier, A., & Johnson, B. K. (2022). Social comparison and envy on social media: A critical review.
   Current Opinion in Psychology, 45, 101302.
3. Valkenburg, P. M. (2022). Social media use and well-being: What we know and what we need to know. Current Opinion in Psychology, 45, 101294.
4. McCarthy, P. A., & Morina, N. (2020). Exploring the association of social comparison with depression and anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 27(5), 640–671