These 4 basic fears lead to depression...

President of Üsküdar University Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan met with the managers of the institutions within the scope of the conference titled "Spiritual Diseases of the Age and Jerusalem" organized by the İstanbul Provincial Directorate of the Ministry of Family and Social Services. Making important remarks under the title of "6 Troubles and 6 Cures in the Spiritual Life of the Age", Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated that people have four basic fears, and if they cannot solve these four fears, the person may become depressed.

At the program held at the Bağlarbaşı Cultural Center, Tarhan emphasized that the two fields that deal with the dimension of meaning the most are the fields of philosophy and religion, and Prof. Nevzat Tarhan drew attention to the need to synthesize different perspectives in his speech.

"After quantum dynamics, the spiritual dimension emerged"

Stating that human beings have biological, psychological, and social dimensions, Tarhan said that "In the definition of psychiatry, the Biopsychosocial model is mentioned. Human beings have a biological dimension, a psychological dimension, and a social dimension. Now, there is a the newly added dimension, especially after quantum dynamics. The spiritual dimension has emerged. A human being is no longer only a biological, psychological, and social being, but also a spiritual being. After quantum dynamics, it seems, everything is now digital that instead of digital being everything. Einstein proved the relativity of time, and now the relativity of matter, which was registered with the Nobel in 2022, has been proven. In other words, what we call matter is actually an energy, a wave function. What we call the universe is now a digital simulation. This has been proven. In fact, what we call matter is purely a perception. In other words, we live entirely in the wave function. For example, dialectical materialism says that there was a substance first, and that meaning emerges as a reflection of matter. At the moment, quantum physics says that before there is knowledge, there is a universal database. The equivalent of this in the Qur'an is referred to as Levh-i Mahfûz (main book)."

“Human beings have four basic fears..."

Explaining why people need spirituality, Prof. Tarhan stated that "Human beings search for meaning. Human beings have four basic fears. The first is one's search for meaning, the fear of meaninglessness. The second is the fear of loneliness, the third is the fear of death, and the fourth is the fear of uncertainty. If a person cannot solve these four fears, one becomes depressed. This is a view that is also confirmed neurobiologically. In other words, when a person thinks of information, one has to make sense of it. An individual needs to clear it from uncertainty. If a person puts it in a logical framework, that person accepts that information as sound knowledge. The accumulation of files in the cache memory on the computer slows down the computer, and if the unsolved files multiply in the human brain, the person's brain slows down and mental health deteriorates. In Eastern societies, we immediately take refuge in faith and relax. It is a good thing to believe in this time because it gives people peace. A person needs to believe and needs to be consoled. However, there must be reasonable beliefs.”

"Among the 4 thousand 300 religions, the most reasonable is the belief in monotheism"

Stating that there are 4 thousand 300 religions in the world and none of them meet the need for consolation, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized the importance of monotheism. Tarhan said that "There is one of them that just as the need to eat is proof of the existence of food, man's need for eternity, or man's need to believe in a higher power and be a part of a great meaning, such as the concept of God, is proof that there is a creator of the universe. The belief in monotheism, which is the most reasonable among the 4 thousand 300 religions that explains it best. However, this universe will be balanced and systematic if there is only one God. It can be understood by reasoning that if there are two gods, it will not be balanced and systematic. Of course, this is a separate topic for discussion; however, then we need to question our conception of religion and God. There is such a tradition. As a changing world, let's elaborate a little more on what kind of Islam emerges in this changing world.

- There is capitalist religiosity, and even though a person prays, they can easily lie.

- A person does not give zakat even though they give alms.

- Although a person eats food with their right hand, they also behave unlawfully according to Islam.

- People do not keep promises, even though they fast.

- Even though one goes to the mosque, one is not sensitive of bribery and the rightful due.

- There is such capitalist religiosity. It is like a showpiece.”

"We need to educate them with a hierarchy of importance by teaching a hierarchy of emotions"

Stating that the most talked about, most valued and most important issue in the family is the sacred of that family, Tarhan said that "If money is spoken, property is spoken, or office or position is discussed, it is your sacred. We must create a hierarchy of importance and priority for the issues we talk about with the child in the family. If the importance and priority is to be a good person, to be a moral and honest person, if we raise them with these principles, when that child encounters something wrong after a while, a guard is formed, a cell is formed in the child’s brain. The child can say no to that. While raising the child, we need to teach them the hierarchy of emotion and raise them with the hierarchy of importance."

"If we expect infinite mercy from the Creator, it is necessary to obey his just prohibition..."

Stating that justice and mercy are very similar in spiritual life, Prof. Tarhan expressed that "Just as it is possible to raise a good child by making them follow the rules, there is a lot of love in the family. However, a spoiled child grows up when discipline is loose. If there is no love and discipline in the family, an antisocial, criminal, and unconscientious child grows up. If there is no love and a lot of discipline, a child with low self-confidence grows up. Thus, this balance of love and discipline is very important because discipline teaches the rules of life, and love gives life energy in life. Love is like the engine of a car. There is a good engine and there is a driver behind the wheel. Some of them have a very skillful driver; however, the engine is weak. Both must be balanced. Logic and emotion are in such a balance. Therefore, the balance of logic and emotion in people, love and discipline in the family, and justice and compassion in life... Therefore, if we expect infinite mercy from the creator in the spiritual life, it is necessary to obey his just prohibition. We can only wait for it if we abide by its fair prohibition. We need to know that if we follow the balance of mercy and justice in the relationship with the creator, just as there is a balance of love and discipline in the family between these two, we can ask for his mercy."

Social conscience is related to one's individual conscience."

Pointing out that there are 3 types of justice, Prof. Tarhan stated that "Judicial justice is determined by law. Social justice, on the other hand, is determined by the environment, traditions, and cultures. Moral justice, on the other hand, is determined by the conscience of man. In other words, justice is the law that regulates the laws, written law, traditions are social norms while conscience is moral norms. Therefore, moral norms are not genetic, and they are learned from society. There may be a genetic predisposition; however, the norms are taught to the person by society. Social conscience is very much related to one's individual conscience. Thus, it is about a teaching. That's why the concept of morality requires accountability, everything, inorganic substances do not hold us accountable. Therefore, if we were created by chance, if we came into existence by chance, if we were made of normal matter, he can hold us accountable."

"All 5 intelligence types are balanced and connected"

Talking about the correct management diagram, Tarhan stated that "Its cerebral equivalent is conscientious intelligence, logical intelligence, social and emotional intelligence. Here, logical intelligence, being idealistic, dreaming, producing thoughts, creating expectations, thinking strategically, planning the future, believing and trusting yourself show the high level of logical intelligence. The high level of emotional intelligence is to be happy, to be optimistic, to be fun, to believe in people, to have passion, to see the positive. Conscientious intelligence, on the other hand, includes listening to one's inner voice, responsibility, accountability, responsibility towards the creator, being respectful to ethical values, and being moral. Social intelligence is also to be open to relationships, to be reassuring, to make risk assessments, to do crisis management, to be an active listener, to make solution-oriented decisions, to consider the emotional needs of others, to strengthen family ties. All 5 of these intelligence types are balanced and work in connection with it."

"The Homoeconomicus model is the model of the capitalist system"

Emphasizing that there are two types of models in decision-making at the meeting, where participation showed great interest, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said that "One is the Homoeconomicus model. This is the model of the capitalist system. Later, this changed. Humans are purely rational actors. They have excellent knowledge. It is produced from microeconomics. The actor weighs the benefits and harms of various actions, and the actor maximizes the greatest benefit, and their option is benefit-oriented. That is, Homoeconomicus, which gave birth to savage capitalism. However, later research show that when people work with a benefit-oriented approach, they do not invest in their basic needs, but invest in the field they love. One marries the person they love. Therefore, the rational actor is not only intellectually motivated, but also acts with their emotions and makes emotional decisions. After that, man began to be called Homopsychological, not Homoeconomicus. For example, a person invests in more appreciation and praise. A person pays a million dollars for a painting. Just to get applause..."

"One has to form a mental jury."

When we think about why people do not act rationally, it is understood that man is homopsychologicus, Tarhan said that "Man is rational in a limited way. The actor does not have perfect knowledge. Human processing is derived from social and cognitive psychology. There are limits to one’s intelligence and behavior. Instead of maximizing utility, one settles for what is good enough. The actor uses a variety of cognitive shortcuts to deal with 'information overload' or 'information scarcity'. Group and broader social pressures can lead the actor to behave in an irrational way, even if it goes against their beliefs and values. The person can act irrationally. Human homopsychologicus can make mistakes even though they suitable in their minds. That is why one must form a mental jury. In our mental jury, there will be a judge first. It will decide whether it is appropriate and valid; however, there will be four members. First, the scientist will determine the rights and wrongs. The scientist will say what is right, wrong, good, bad, as if putting this information into the laboratory. Conscience will question the person, the good, the bad, the trust, the moral values. Emotion will distinguish the person, the beautiful and the ugly. Logical man will determine profit and loss. The capitalist system has reduced man to logic. However, not only logically, but emotionally, human beings are beings with conscientious measures and have a dimension that tests reality. If he decides using all these, he will make a decision using 5 Ws and 1 H."

"What is happening in Gaza is a form of political narcissism"

Drawing attention to the events in Gaza, Tarhan said that the events there are a form of political narcissism. Tarhan stated that "They can be ruthless and merciless for their political interest in the world... This is a serious thing in the world, and in the medium and long term, the consequences of this will be different. I see it as an opportunity to find the good and the right, which will not lead humanity to evil, but will lead humanity to wisdom. I guess people have to go through this process. The important thing is that we stay in the right position and stand by the truth. We are trying to do this as much as we can, both conscientiously and as a country."

The 'goose' model in maintaining the family...

Referring to the importance of teamwork in the age we live in, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said that "They call goose-heads to mean ‘thickheaded’. However, these animals fly in such a strategic way that the goose in front is constantly replaced by the others. When its wings get tired, it is replaced by the one behind. They take turns swapping places, so they fly across continents. The goose in front creates a pressure gap. Those in the back flap their wings less. They change places as they get tired. It is a team effort, but human beings cannot do teamwork. Your mother or my mother, your money, or my money… People can have ego battles. That's why I express it on every platform, the biggest enemy of the family is ego wars, power wars... However, when you look at our culture in the family relationship, it is not called husband and wife, or couple, it is called refik and refika. Refik means companion, refika means female companion. Refik and refika mean that you got married, you went on a journey in life, and you are a companion on the journey of life... Companions complement each other's what they lack. They do not compete with each other. If there is a power relationship in marriage, it is a competitive relationship. The best example of teamwork is family. Even if the supposes are divorced, they should be able to come together and talk for the good of the child. Husband and wife are divorced, but not motherhood and paternity continue. For this reason, let's take the geese as an example by saying that if we aim for teamwork to keep family values alive in the right way, we are in the same boat, we must continue this for the sake of the ship. Geese set a good example for us in terms of teamwork in family life."

At the end of the program, İstanbul Provincial Director of Family and Social Services Ömer Turan presented a certificate of appreciation to Prof. Nevzat Tarhan for his participation and support.

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)