We knew him from the screens with his unique, naive, and serene style. He is a special person who has deeply influenced our lives with dozens of books, always aiming for investment in people and utilizing all his resources in this direction. One of our country's leading physicians, Psychiatrist, Neuropsychologist, Author, and Founding Rector of Üsküdar University, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan. We conducted a wonderful and enjoyable interview with him for our magazine.
First of all, I want to talk about your childhood and youth. What kind of childhood did you have? Did you spend your childhood in Amasya? How was your youth, did you experience adolescent problems? How did you overcome this period?
I was born in a charming Anatolian town, Merzifon, and spent my childhood there. Our house had a 600 square meter garden and was surrounded by greenery, like a forest area. So, I was born and raised in a house very much intertwined with nature. We grew up in a house with fruits like mulberries, black mulberries, dogwood, and apples; and various animal species. We also had bees. There were chickens, ducks, and geese. In short, I had a wonderful childhood in such an environment. I attended Namık Kemal Primary School and Merzifon Secondary School. I can say that I had a childhood intertwined with nature.
For high school, I went to Kuleli Military High School. When I recall those periods, I remember and experience very positive, warm, happy things. During the period covering adolescence, as I finished high school and went to university, I was engaged in existential questioning. Think about the period before March 12... that most active period between the '68 generation and March 12... During that time, my dormitory was in Kumkapı, Istanbul. There was Beyaz Saray (White Palace) in Beyazıt. And there was Sahaflar Çarşısı (Booksellers' Market). Those were the places I frequented most and got used to reading. I also often went to Gülhane Park and did my readings there. Şemsi Paşa Grove was also among my frequent haunts. I studied many of my lessons there. So, I never disconnected from greenery and nature. Kuleli Military High School was also always a place with trees. Kandilli is right behind it.
My mind was very confused at military high school. I was constantly looking for answers to questions that occupied my mind... During those times, they made us read books by anti-religious individuals. When I went to university, I also started researching existence. I started at Cerrahpaşa with the university entrance exam. On one hand, I was studying my lessons at Kuleli, but on the other hand, I always had a feeling of emptiness inside me. I finished high school with that feeling of emptiness. At university, I can say that feeling of emptiness pushed me to read books and research.
“A PROFESSION IS LIKE CLOTHES, NOT LIKE SKIN”
You are a very successful and renowned physician. Was being a doctor your childhood dream? Or was it a coincidental choice? Starting from this question, every child is asked, 'What will you be when you grow up?' How should parents analyze the answer to this question?
When they asked me during primary and secondary school, I used to say I wanted to be an electronics engineer then... Not a doctor... My uncle was one of Turkey's first cardiologists and was working in Samsun. He stayed in America for 7 years. In our family, he was always presented as a role model by my mother, and there was an exaltation towards being a doctor because of him. My other uncle was a dentist. For this reason, an interest and sympathy towards medicine developed in our family.
In primary school, there was the Merzifon Public Library. We can say it was around the Clock Tower, where the old madrasah used to be. I used to go there to read. My mother guided me to the library. There was an encouragement to read books in our family during primary school. My father also read at home and loved reading Yahya Kemal's books and poems. I can say there was family support and encouragement for reading books. In fact, I came from university for a weekend summer holiday with a stack of books. I used to sit for hours under the tree I always went to, engrossed in those books. It got to the point where my mother and father started joking with me. They would say, 'Take a break, your 'gold' (books) will get worm-eaten'... They would joke, asking if I was 'brooding'.
Now I am a physician, a psychiatrist. In my medical profession, I haven't forgotten my aptitude and interest in electronics engineering. Now I have integrated that engineering into my profession. I entered Cerrahpaşa Medicine. It seemed more advantageous to me at the time. In medicine, I chose psychiatry. Psychiatry, related to that psychiatric point dealing with brain electrical signal recordings. My interest in engineering allowed me to combine electronics and psychiatry. I did this unconsciously. So, I can say it was an inclination.
In response to questions from parents like 'What profession do you want?', I can say this; the child should not make an early decision on this matter. It is a good thing for children to have an ideal. It is very good for a child to have a goal. Entering university, choosing a field. In such a situation, career guidance needs to be done correctly. That is, parents should not present career guidance as a lifestyle for the child. A person may choose profession A, but succeed in profession B. It should be remembered that a diploma does not mean a profession. I always say a profession is like clothes, not like skin. If it's like skin, you cannot change it. But if it's like clothes, you can make various changes to it if necessary. You can use it in your life without harming your identity.
“I AM AN ISTANBUL ADDICT”
What kind of lifestyle do you have? How does the hustle and bustle of Istanbul affect you? What do you do to stay away from this stress? What would you recommend to people?
I can say I am an Istanbul addict. I came to Istanbul with high school. I came to GATA in 1988. After graduating, I have been in Istanbul ever since. Decades have passed, and I'm still in Istanbul. After getting used to living in Istanbul, when I go to a quiet, calm place for a holiday or a program, I cannot stay for too long. The hustle and bustle here appeals more to me.
I get stressed when I am idle. I feel that many people are smiling as they read this, but it's really true. A person who knows time management in Istanbul adapts to Istanbul. You need to know time management well. Yes, there is traffic, but one should plan according to the traffic. Living in Istanbul is not something to be afraid of. There's a saying in Anatolia; 'If you don't have time and money, don't go to Istanbul.' One shouldn't take that too seriously either. One of Istanbul's beauties is that it offers living opportunities to people from all segments of society. People can find a standard of living. It's a true metropolis. That's why it's always said about Istanbul, there's a quote attributed to Napoleon; 'If the world were a single state, its capital should have been Istanbul.' Both air mobility and social mobility, economic mobility, military mobility, Istanbul is a tremendous junction point at all times and every point. A tremendous crossroads between East and West. Istanbul has social, cultural, and historical appeal. It also has the potential and charm to be a global financial, cultural, and economic capital due to its geography.
“NATURE IS THE MOST NATURAL PSYCHOLOGIST”
We have all experienced the positive effects of nature, soil, greenery, and water on human psychology. What is the reason for this? Why should our children interact more with the soil?
There is something that comes from ancient times, from Pagan culture. The four elements: 'Air, water, sun-fire, earth.' These four elements are actually the four energy sources in human existence. The source of living space. Earth is one of them. All are elements that constitute humans and nature. Considering that humans came from the earth, when you look at the inorganic substances in the human body, what are they? Carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen. All of these are found in the soil. More than half of what we call soil is actually bacteria. So, take a handful of soil from the garden, and more than 50% of it, just like the water content in the body is 2/3, the bacterial content in the soil is also 2/3. Soil is actually alive. That bacteria already cleans everything. It forms all the fertilizer and nitrogen in the soil. It is what makes the soil into fertilizer. In other words, what makes the soil, soil. With this feature, soil is close to human nature and benefits human biological nature. Therefore, for humans to cut off contact with the soil is contrary to human biological nature.
Nature itself is a psychologist, the most natural psychologist is nature. One should think of it that way. In fact, nature heals our hearts. It benefits many morbid conditions in our hearts. It calms our souls. It also clears our minds. It has such a soothing quality, but in this soil and forest, humans will act and live knowing its philosophy. When a person goes to nature, they should look with 'mütefekkirane' (contemplatively), as the ancients would say. That is, they should be able to look with deep thought. When you look with deep thought, nature relaxes you. Nature is not just about shade, rain, or sunshine. Nature and everything in it are alive and speak like humans. Trees talk to each other. Roots talk to each other. This information comes from scientific research. Humans have an interaction with social life and also a communication with nature. This communication, this interaction, cycles within the person. If you approach nature kindly, warmly, and with deep thought, then nature helps, then it relaxes the person. If you view nature as something to be destroyed, thinking 'I will cut the tree, I will pluck the flower,' you cannot achieve the comfort and peace expected from nature. In other words, you should look at nature, think about its beauties, how wonderfully it was created, the perfection of art, and that it is a work of art, that flowers, trees, birds, insects are all works of art. And of course, that there is an artist of that work of art. If there is an event, it should not be forgotten that there is also a subject of that event. There cannot be an event without a subject. When you think of nature this way, then there is a feeling of well-being, a feeling of serenity. That is, then one adds meaning to life, becoming part of a greater meaning. Feeling part of a meaning creates a sense of trust in a person and has an uncertainty-reducing effect.
Living in nature, looking at nature with this perspective, helps with the fundamental anxieties that humans carry. Human fundamental anxieties are the search for meaning. Secondly, death. The need to bring explanation to death. Another anxiety is the anxiety of trying to predict uncertainty. When one looks at nature with this perspective regarding fundamental fears, that is, when one sees that life and events are not coincidental, and that nature works with tremendous intelligence and balance, the gratitude and feeling of well-being one feels towards the balance in nature gives inner peace to the person.
“I HAVE TWO CHICKEN COOPS AND 4 BEEHIVES”
Do you go for nature walks or find time to exercise? Do you grow anything, even as a hobby?
I have a 5000-step rule every day. I apply it 95 percent of the time. In the mornings, I have a treadmill and try to run regularly there. Since I don't have much time, I can't spend a lot of time in nature on weekends. However, the house I live in is on the edge of a forest. I can wake up to the sound of birds. I am fortunate in that regard, and I would like to express my gratitude. Confucius has a saying. Confucius used to pray to God, saying; 'Give me a house full of books inside, and a garden full of flowers.' Therefore, being able to live in such a house is a reason for my gratitude.
Currently, in my garden, I have two chicken coops and my bees. There are 4 beehives. We also have fruit trees. So, when I'm not at work, I can say I have the chance to experience the peace that nature and bird sounds offer on weekends.
“I TRY TO APPLY THE 'EAT LESS OF EVERYTHING' RULE”
What is your eating style like? Do you try to eat organically? Do you prefer home-cooked meals? What do you pay attention to when grocery shopping?
There is an Azerbaijani proverb... 'I eat little, I have no business with doctors; I walk straight, I have no business with judges.' This is my life motto. I also included this sentence in the introduction to my book 'Psychology of Wisdom.' So, as an eating principle, I try to apply the 'eat little of everything' rule. Ibn-i Sina also has a famous saying: the rule 'Don't eat unless you're hungry, and when you eat, eat little.' This is currently recommended in recent dietary regimens.
That is, getting up from the table before feeling full and not eating unless hungry. The Mediterranean diet is also important, and all scientific indicators show this. The 'green plate' principle is also important. I try to pay special attention to this.