Stating that social memory is as important as individual memory, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, emphasized that historical awareness plays an important role in ensuring social unity. Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that we reached today through a very long journey and by overcoming difficulties, stating that October 29 Republic Day means a holiday of liberation and rebirth. Stating that symbols should be kept alive, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “National holidays, which keep society together, are one of these symbols and must be kept alive.”
“Symbols that unite society must be kept alive”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, made an evaluation regarding the place and importance of national holidays in ensuring social unity.
Historical awareness is also important for societies
Stating that the pasts of societies are as important as those of individuals, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “An individual is evaluated by their past and what they did in the past. When we define an individual, their resume is examined. How they charted a path for themselves in their life journey, how they arrived today, and what they are doing today are looked at. Also, that person’s ideals, vision, future, and aspirations are considered. When an academician prepares for a professorship jury, their resume is first examined. What are they busy with today, what is this person’s plan for the future, the jury defines competency in this way. This perspective, valid for an individual, is also valid for societies. A society’s past is examined. How did we get to today? What difficulties were overcome to reach today? It is important for a society to know its past.”
It is very important to have generations that can build a bridge between the past and the future
Stating that as a society, we have reached the 21st Century as a continuation of many civilizations, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “We have come to today through a very long journey. We have come with a certain past, with a certain accumulation. We have a struggle that extends from Central Asia to Anatolia, and even to the middle of Europe. By ignoring these, we cannot be ourselves. Therefore, it is very important to have generations that can build a bridge between the past and the future.”
A person who does not resolve the father complex is unhappy
Stating that when a person denies their roots, they have rejected their own culture, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “In psychology, this is called the father complex. A person who disregards their father has a father complex. They are hostile to their father. This person cannot be happy. They are always in conflict. A person with a father complex cannot get along with people who resemble their father. They constantly argue. There is a constant conflict zone in their mind. They are against their father but unconsciously behave like their father. There are patients who say, ‘When I get angry, I started acting like my father.’ Then we say, ‘This person has a father complex.’ They have developed both love and anger towards their father or are trying to reject the father. We interpret this as ‘the father figure was not a good figure or they misinterpret what the father said.’ When a person does not resolve the father complex, they cannot be happy.”
As a society, we must live in peace with our past
Stating that society, just like individuals, should be at peace with its past, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “As a society, without entering this complex, we need to live in peace with our past, within feelings of national unity and solidarity, and brotherhood. For this to happen, it is necessary to unite at a minimum. Anyone who targets maximums, controversial issues, and conflicting issues is not well-intentioned. For example, in a family, unity and solidarity, a peaceful and warm environment are beneficial for everyone, but if one family member constantly deals with others’ faults and creates conflict, it means that person is sabotaging that family. Therefore, it is important to act with cultural commonalities, known as minimal common denominators. National holidays have symbolic value for this.”
October 29 Republic Day is a holiday of rebirth
Noting that October 29 Republic Day means a holiday of liberation and rebirth, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “Imagine that we have gone through a great trauma. A War of Independence, and before that, we fought for 12 years. World War I followed by the War of Independence was a tremendous cause, the most painful trauma a society can experience. Many societies chose to be mandates during this period. I saw it in the museum where the Sivas Congress was held. A corner was made in the name of Tıbbiyeli Hikmet. 100 people were invited to a meeting attended by Mustafa Kemal. 33 people attended. Most of those who attended the Sivas Congress were in favor of an American mandate. Tıbbiyeli Hikmet, who objected to this, came as the representative of the Military Medical School. He said, ‘Pasha, if you think like those who want a mandate, we, Tıbbiyeli Hikmet, came here for independence, and we will oppose you too.’ This was the first statement that revealed the greatness of Great Atatürk in the liberation movement. At that moment, he said, ‘Either independence or death. I think like you, brother Hikmet.’ and there he uttered that famous saying. This saying became the symbol of the War of Independence. After that, those who did not come to the Erzurum Congress also came this time. The representatives exceeded 100, and after the Sivas Congress, in the Erzurum Congress, Anatolia truly achieved full representation. This idea of independence here is a tremendous leadership success. After this success, because he was able to gather all of Anatolia around him, the War of Independence emerged with this determination and resolve.”
The Republic is truly a holiday for us
Stating that a Republic was born from the ashes of that great trauma, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “That is why the Republic is truly a holiday for us, and this is actually the holiday of Misak-ı Milli (National Pact) in the geography of Anatolia. There are three types of nationalism. One is racial nationalism. Hitler’s was racial nationalism. During this period, racial nationalism existed among the British. It existed among the Germans. All of them considered their own race as separate, superior. The second type of nationalism is ideological nationalism, that is, the nationalism of the Soviets and China. There are theocratic nationalisms, or religious nationalisms, as in the examples of Iran and Afghanistan. And there is also patriotic nationalism, which we are a part of. It can be called Misak-ı Milli nationalism. Misak-ı Milli is actually geographical nationalism.”
It is important to keep holidays alive
Noting that the feeling of homeland should be the most important element of nationalism in our society, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “This concept is also considered a set of superior values in psychology. It is important for this concept to be emphasized in the education system as a set of superior values and for holidays to be kept alive to activate this feeling.”
Symbols need to be kept alive
Stating that individual traumas and social traumas are very similar to each other, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “People who suffer head trauma in a traffic accident sometimes cannot recall all their information. They think they have forgotten, but they are actually experiencing difficulty recalling. Just like personal information, social stories, narratives, symbols, scenarios, and many cultural accumulations from childhood are important. With the shock and traumatic effect of World War I and the War of Independence, we experienced a confusion at first. We experienced a social memory confusion. Within this memory confusion, a person completes both their mental and emotional designs in their world of thought with their past. It is the same in cultures. These are also the last things and symbols that will be forgotten in a person’s life. Therefore, symbols need to be kept alive. Holidays that keep society together are one of these symbols. It is also important that they are in the form of ceremonies. It is possible to see examples of this in Japanese culture. Every year, primary school children are taken to Hiroshima and Nagasaki to re-experience that trauma. And they refresh their social memory. In this way, they teach national unity, principles, and how to accept trauma and look to the future by learning lessons.”
It is always necessary to commemorate the difficulties experienced in the past
Noting that a similar awareness has been created for the Çanakkale Victory in recent years, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “Çanakkale is a trauma for us. The War of Independence is a trauma, but they were traumas that ended beautifully. We say, ‘We were able to overcome these traumas in our history, and we succeeded in this.’ This also has a motivating effect for new generations. That is why sometimes people say, ‘What is the need for holidays, they are exaggerated.’ However, it is necessary not to forget and always commemorate the difficulties experienced in the past today. We have heroes who were martyred for this cause. There are veterans. If they had not been martyrs or veterans at that time, would we be able to live comfortably today? So, it is necessary not to be ungrateful.”
National holidays are cultural unity
Noting that just as it is important for an individual not to forget their traumas and experiences, and to live by seeing that they have overcome all the difficulties they have experienced, the past is very important for societies, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “Teaching this to new generations brings a lot. Especially the continuation of national holidays as a national spirit is cultural memory. Cultural memory means that a person has cultural standards and that these cultural standards are maintained. This also needs to be continued.”
We need to modernize by protecting our own culture
Noting that cultural memory is very important for a person, and is one of the most important characteristics that make a person who they are, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “If you erase a person’s past, that person becomes like a zombie. A zombie becomes a being that obeys orders. To avoid this, we need to make a choice to modernize by protecting our own culture. At the very beginning of the Republic, there was self-governance by the people. As the Republic evolves and becomes a completed project, the rule of law must come to the forefront. Then, national will must fully prevail. This means the Republic is crowned with democracy. We need to focus on how we can advance the Republic even further than the level of developed countries in the world.”