I visited Istanbul recently.  The images of the great city in its medieval context were very fascinating and evocative of many thoughts and reflections. More so when I was reading about the scenario of the fall of Constantinople.

Sultan Mahomet 2 had seized the golden horn, which is a strategic landmass and the Constantinople fort in a daring and unconventional military move. It is one of the cardinal events in human history, militarily and historically. At least in modern human history. It marked the beginning of the glory and expansion of the ottomans, and for the other side, it was the end of everything as it existed earlier.

I was wondering and meditating on that point of history, where one among them is the victor and the other was vanquished. There was joy and elation which might have scaled to the sky; and for the other side, depression and despondency which was plumbing the depth of the abyss.

When we see some event and a phenomenon there are two ways of looking at it. One way is, seeing it intellectually and strategically and the other emotionally.

When we see both of them together, we might fathom the depths of the phenomenon in all its facets and contours. It will give you a physical scale and the perceived scale when the collective human emotion was attached to the event. Byzantines felt that it was the end of the time and world for them and all their gods had left.

When not seen in the siloed time domain, past- present and the future, our imagination raptures into a near-absolute understanding. I was trying to see the fall of Constantinople as if it is happening now while stepping into the shoes of the ottomans and Byzantines. If we read the historical material available we could visualise the blood, gore, sweat and emotion at the battle and during the aftermath.

The human condition in civilization, as in nature, is a zero-sum game. Evolution of the human civilization is to move towards Non- Zero-sum game, which we otherwise call as Democracy, consultation, respect or accommodation. The world is moving in that direction slowly but surely.