Green Tea, Economy 

The location of my country is on a difficult geography in the triangle of Europe, Asia and Africa continents. In this respect, the wars that have caused pain and tears for years have taken place in the immediate vicinity and have directly affected us.

If I were to exemplify;

It borders Iraq and was directly affected economically during the gulf war.

It has a border with Syria and the war has directly affected us economically.

The war in Syria, which affected the most in this process, has been because there are still more than 7 million Syrian refugees living in our country today.

You cannot ignore the possibility that similar scenarios will inevitably happen to you when the battle takes place near you. In this respect, when you need defensive weapons, you buy them from countries you see as allies.

My country, which has been a NATO country since 1952 and has done almost everything it says as an ally of the USA for years, bought S-400 defense weapons from Russia after the USA and NATO countries turned their backs on the purchase of defense weapons.

We were exposed to the economic sanctions of the ally (!) USA with this excuse. Economic crises caused by wars, global economic crises, economic crises caused by sanctions are at the top of our agenda every 3-4 years on average.

In a country where economic crises are common, it is impossible for people with low income levels to develop. Some money you earn by saving can turn into stamps overnight due to the economic crisis. Purchasing power is falling and your money is not meeting your needs. We have experienced many such instances in the past.

You are just starting to recover yourself economically, you find yourself under the influence of a new war, sanctions, a new crisis originating from the global economy. Years pass, but the result does not change.

The number of people affected is increasing as the economic crises that have been experienced also direct the administrative-based errors in themselves.

When we look at the minimum wage as a percentage of 50,54% at the beginning of 2022, although a very high increase was made, the purchasing power of the money and the raise without any minimum wage increase has eroded.

It is impossible not to be affected by the exchange rate increase in a foreign-dependent country. Economic data, which presents positive indicators when viewed in local currency, does not look positive at all when looking at purchasing power and vital needs.

In this process, there has been an increase in the number of people benefiting from Social Assistance Services and receiving assistance, and unemployment data has reached the highest figures in the country's history.

When the factors that negatively affect the economy I mentioned above are added to the Pandemic process; country / firm / region / city / person based economic indicators have been declining. Measures taken to prevent the spread of the epidemic, some factories, stores, companies, etc. It has caused the closure of places and its employees have become unemployed.

We are also a tourist country. In the first years of the pandemic, the travel restriction has negatively affected both the country and the personal-based economy in the sector, which was negatively affected. Hundreds of thousands of people who make a living from the tourism sector tried to survive only with the support provided by the government in this process.

The ones who turned the economic crisis into an opportunity have always been the rich and the people with a regular upper income. While the poor got poorer, the rich added new ones to their possessions.

The latest increase in fuel prices due to the Russia-Ukraine war is another factor that negatively affects the economy.

Hay, which was sold in the price range of 23 - 25 TRY to farm animal owners last year, is sold in the range of 55 - 60 TRY this year. The prices of expensive transported and purchased straw have also increased the yield of farm animals.

Milk, which was in the price range of 2 – 3 TRY last year, is in the price range of 7 – 8 TRY today.

Increasing price of milk cheese, butter etc. affected other dairy products.

It is an irresistible fact that price increases have a chain reaction on the economy. The increase in any product will trigger the price of the other product obtained from that product.

In the light of all that I have mentioned, my own and family's economic situation has been adversely affected. As the supplier of vegetables, fruits and livestock needs, it has been involved in all negativities, including the climatic factor. The drought experienced in some years affects 100% of the grown product and its quality, triggering the price of the decreasing product.

Our personal and family savings in the past years have been our biggest help in the process that I mentioned and that negatively affected the whole world. Unemployment, high inflation, decrease in purchasing power were felt as little as possible thanks to the savings achieved. Another point of support was my online income.

You know the story between the ant and the cicada. Personally, I don't have the luxury of acting like a cicada, and like an ant, I have to constantly produce, carry, save for hard times. During the 24 Hour period, I must do my job, meet the needs of my home and family, and continue to earn extra online income.

I know that after every difficulty overcome, a new challenge will come. It is my most important duty to keep myself and my family ready for economic difficulties, whether due to local governments, a global economic crisis or economic sanctions. Because I know that we will experience economic crisis again, again, again and again.

That's why I don't have time to scratch my head! I have to evaluate every moment of the passing time.

This post was prepared as a tag contest entry for DCooperation Community on hive blockchain and posted on my ecency account.