By: Camiël Kesser 
Normally this ends in a laugh. You know, when you bend just far enough and rip your pants. This time, the stretched distance was nothing to laugh at. The dismembered space created by the earthquake in Turkey took everything with it, without any concern, caution or attention. The depth was immense. The suffering and loss will not only remain on the surface.

The vibrations were not felt until then. Time passed, day by day. News and insight into an area where so much has changed in no time came to light. By change I mean the shock wave that was felt far beyond the disaster area. Even in my office! The realization that the distance I had from the disaster is much smaller than I could imagine made a big impression. Muscles contracted, sweat and an uneasy feeling surfaced about the well-being of my colleagues. Would she be okay? What is happening? I don't remember feeling this way during the terrible war that broke out in Ukraine. Why do these images touch me so?

Most likely because this disaster is not caused by a human decision. The moment, the area where those affected are located transcends all logic. This is an earthly intervention, a commotion of unprecedented magnitude. We, as a whole civilization, cannot cope with this. What we can reap together is connection and togetherness. After my muscles relaxed and the conversation with my Turkish colleague calmed me down, probably more me than her, another brother came to mind.

My first meeting with him was brief. A sweet man with many headaches. He is an activist journalist in the Netherlands in which he often encounters the abrasion of the West towards dissenters. His position in it? No shine without abrasion. However, his attitude also hinted that it is all a lot heavier than he liked. We agreed to do our legs a favor by walking in the park.

The walk connected the initial distance and, through talking, a cord emerged that organically swallowed up the space. So many interfaces became clear, from familiar situations ranging from experiences within our cultural group to the jokes we can make to our significant others. As our four legs become more and more in sync, I'm reminded of a web. Our stories artfully intertwined.

Large cracks provide the opportunity for connection. In a common web contact is created where distances are linked together. However, our 4 legs may not be enough to accomplish all that. We may need 8, or 16, or more. We'd love to see you join!