THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE HEART

The heart has its geography. When a person doesn’t know its climate, they either burn or freeze

Jakhongir NOMOZOV

Once upon a time, in a distant land, there was a young man named Mehmet who could never quite understand the emotions within him. His heart was like a constantly changing climate—sometimes calm, sometimes stormy. He could never figure out where these feelings came from or why they changed. Whenever he found peace, it would suddenly fade, and whenever he felt warmth, it would turn into burning fire. In his heart, there was a kind of unknown geography—one direction was uncertain, and another was unexpectedly dark.

One day, he decided to venture deep into the forest outside his village. He believed that only nature could help him find peace. As he walked slowly, he felt the vastness of the forest with just a glance. The trees seemed to want to tell him something. With each step, as he walked through the trees, the voices within him grew deeper.

After a while, he reached the edge of a stream. The water flowed clearly and calmly. Mehmet sat by a tree and closed his eyes. At that moment, he felt the storm inside him. His heart was in chaos again. But this time, there was something else. A deep sense of peace. The water seemed to reflect not just the outside world but also his inner world. He sat there for a while, looking at the water, and thought:

“The heart has its geography. When a person doesn’t know its climate, they either burn or freeze.”

These words sank into his soul like a secret. He realized that without understanding the climate of his heart and making peace with it, he could never find true tranquility. No matter how much a person searches for peace in the outer world, as long as they don’t change the climate within, nothing will be permanent. If the sea inside is not calm, no ocean can bring peace. If the mountains inside are dark, no sun can provide warmth.

Mehmet opened his eyes and looked up at the sky. At that moment, a bird flew over him. He followed it with his eyes, and just before the bird disappeared, another voice within him said:

“Everything has its own path, my child. You will learn this too. When you discover the geography inside yourself, the outside world will give meaning to your life.”

Mehmet sat there for a while longer. The storms he once felt inside his heart were now replaced with peace. When he discovered the climate within, he realized that everything in the outer world had meaning. Every thought, every feeling, though it may pass like the wind, becomes patient and peaceful when a person learns to stay balanced within.

Finally, accepting all the uncertainties within himself, he left the forest. Knowing the climate of his heart had granted him great wisdom. Now, the rain falling outside illuminated the dark storms inside him even more. There was peace in his heart, because that peace had not come from the outside world but from discovering the geography within himself.

And one day, Mehmet truly understood: Knowing the climate of your heart is like understanding the world. All it takes is patience and inner peace to continue the journey.

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Jakhongir NOMOZOV, Member of the Journalists’ Union of Azerbaijan.

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