Üsküdar University Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan was a guest at the “Perspective on the Soul” talk organized by the Halil İbrahim Demir Girls' Dormitory, affiliated with the Society for the Dissemination of Knowledge. Meeting with students studying at different universities in Istanbul, Tarhan pointed out that people need to invest for happiness. Underlining that happiness does not come by itself, Tarhan stated that in this context, it is also necessary to invest in psychological capital. Tarhan touched upon the necessity of investing in love for psychological wealth.
University students showed great interest in the event held at Maltepe Private Halil İbrahim Demir higher education girls' dormitory.
Four paths showing the truth…
Üsküdar University Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stating that there are four paths showing the truth, emphasized the importance of faith. Tarhan; “Firstly, there is experimentation and observation. You conduct an experiment, put it in a laboratory, or observe it, and a positive science emerges. Secondly, methods of reasoning, such as theoretical physics and theoretical biology, after experimentation and observation. The MRI device emerged from theoretical physics. It is theorized and then forms a concrete concept. Then discoveries emerge, followed by rational intuition. The fourth path is faith... After the other three paths, explanations are sought through beliefs. It is always known that a person takes refuge in God in matters they do not believe, understand, or know. As science progresses and we see the laws of creation, physics, chemistry, and arithmetic, and as people advance, we can find meaning in what we understand and know. To show the truth, there is not only the Holy Quran, not only the Prophet, but also the third great path, the book of the universe. You understand and discover the book of the universe together. Viewed this way, understanding the soul is very easy,” he stated.
“The universe has both a material and a spiritual dimension”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stating that the universe has both a material and a spiritual dimension; “The spiritual dimension of the universe has remained within the boundaries of religion and philosophy. The soul here, as such, are the concrete pleasures within us. Basic functions such as eating, drinking, reproduction, sexuality, and shelter are concrete pleasures. Abstract pleasures, on the other hand, range from music and art to joys related to various high emotions, such as happiness, peace, cheerfulness, and joy; these are abstract pleasures. These are referred to as 'of the heart.' Concrete pleasures are referred to as 'of the self (ego).'” he said.
“Whoever can use their soul can be online with the Creator”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stating that love is a function of the soul, emphasized that there is an energy of attachment in love. Tarhan; “A person loves an object, a friend, a companion, their mother, father, children, spouse. This love is a function of the soul. There is an energy of attachment in love. As soon as a child is born, they invest their love in their toys. First to their mother, then to their toys; as they grow, to their older siblings, younger siblings, friends; as they grow further, to their environment, their school; as they grow even more, to their country, their homeland; and as they mature further, according to their level of development, they direct it towards their Creator. They make this love investment. Some get stuck in this hierarchy. For example, Mevlana said; 'Instead of metaphorical loves, intermediary loves, turn to divine love.' In a way, whoever can use their soul can be 'online' with the Creator. That is, if they cannot, they are only acting with their self (ego). So, if you perform worship but cannot establish that heartfelt connection, if you cannot act within the concept of monotheism with the Creator in existence, then it means you are only thinking on a worldly, material level,” he stated.
“4D: Emotion, thought, behavior, and values”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, noting that the abbreviation known as 3D is now 4D; “Our brain produces information like a director. After producing it, there are emotions such as resentment, hatred, anger, fear, jealousy, and hostility. It produces acidic chemicals related to these. They call these the five horsemen of darkness. Resentment, anger, hatred, jealousy, and hostility produce this. When it's time to decide, the first place it goes is the heart. Then it goes from there to the universal flow. Something will happen, it will feel excitement, sadness – its cause actually reflects from there… As a thought, it emerges as words in some regions of the brain. Another region adds emotion to it. In the prefrontal region of the brain, meaning is added, and a decision is made. Finally, the prefrontal cortex decides do-don't do, appropriate-not appropriate, valid-not valid. The person decides safe-not safe and acts accordingly. After that, universal energy completely governs us. In this situation, the brain is responsible for producing thoughts and adding emotions, but when it translates into action, it transforms into emotion, thought, and behavior. What was known as 3D in recent years has become 4D. It was emotion, thought, behavior; now values have been added,” he said.
“If one believes in a high value, they do not feel loneliness”
Tarhan, stating that depriving a person of stimuli is torture and that this situation can cause some diseases; “If there is a problem for the human soul, therapy is applied. But if there is no problem, and we consider what can be thought of as a person's psychological nourishment, it is necessary to identify the human being's most important basic psychological need well. The most important thing is to alleviate loneliness. If a person is left without stimuli for fifteen years in a cell when they are alone, it is considered torture. Some things are left without stimuli. Gastric ulcers occur, one gets sick, schizophrenic reactions emerge. Therefore, leaving someone without stimuli is not good. In a mature person who has reached a certain age, loneliness can be chosen loneliness. They can choose to be alone, but in such situations, there is a beautiful saying I learned; 'If you want a friend, God is enough; if you want a companion, a servant is enough; if you want an enemy, the ego is enough.' he says. If a person, in search of a friend, believes in a high value, they do not feel loneliness,” he stated.
“We program our brains according to our ideals”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, evaluating the reactions of female and male brains in loneliness; “When there is a problem, the male brain retreats to its mental sanctuary, staying alone. It thinks result-oriented. The female brain, under stress, tries to relax by sharing and alleviating its loneliness. The male brain does it by withdrawing into itself and retreating to its mental sanctuary, while the other (female brain) does it by alleviating loneliness. That's why women feel the need to talk and share. If a person has developed their prefrontal cortex, they can establish a balance between these two. They can think both result-oriented and process-oriented. In such situations, the need to alleviate loneliness under stress is felt more strongly. Humans are therefore relational beings. Another thing that benefits the human soul is a purposeful life. Planning the day when waking up in the morning, planning the future, having an ego ideal. 'What kind of person do you want to be when you reach the end of your life? How do you want to be remembered? What do you want to be written on your tombstone?' If you have high ideals like these in your life, we are programming our brains accordingly,” he stated.
“The wallet has overtaken the conscience”
Tarhan, stating that the feeling of conscience is a protective emotion for humans; “At the top of the goal pyramid are abstract goals, there is being a good person. If a person has this, a deterrent impulse comes from within, such as not lying, a test of self-interest comes, a bribe comes. Because they have programmed their brain, their inner self says, 'No,' and stops it. At least there is an inner voice. There is a mental jury that we call conscience. This emotion, known as conscience, protects people from evil and prevents them from doing evil. This emotion protects people. It needs to be developed; if you don't develop it, the wallet and conscience can swap places. The wallet is taking precedence over the conscience. The wallet has taken precedence over the conscience. We are in such a time. In other words, the self-interest-oriented human type has multiplied. We call this programming our brain accordingly, whether to be such a person or not. In this program, a person can unconsciously make good and right decisions accordingly,” he said.
“Investing in love is necessary for psychological wealth”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, emphasizing that happiness does not come by itself and that investment is needed to achieve it; “If a person has a goal, they can hold their head high and have a clear conscience. It ensures that the person does not feel alone. Not feeling alone in a crisis is also important. Here, a person needs to invest for happiness. In other words, happiness does not come by itself. Just as investment is needed to develop financial capital, investment is also needed for psychological capital. Investing in love is also necessary for psychological wealth. When you develop this wealth, it is referred to as the science of happiness, or positive psychology. Therefore, if a person wants to be happy, in such situations, positive psychology is referred to as the science of happiness related to protective mental health,” he stated.
Accept, manage…
Tarhan, stating that there are things a person can and cannot control; “There are things within one's power, and things beyond it. For things beyond a person's power and control, there are third-generation psychotherapies. In third-generation psychotherapies, it is referred to as Mindfulness therapy. Mindfulness therapy is also referred to as conscious awareness. There are twelve steps in this awareness. One of the twelve steps is that a person needs to be part of a high belief, a high value, a high power, a high meaning. By thinking about it, accepting that trauma, asking 'What did this trauma teach me?', drawing lessons, learning something, and then enabling oneself to move towards the future. Mindfulness therapy is also called cognitive therapy. It can also be called meta-cognitive therapy. It is necessary to accept and manage these treatments. If one doesn't accept, they say, 'Why did this happen, why did they do this injustice to me?' A person to that extent develops an obsession. Their whole life is ruined. Fifty minutes out of sixty, they think about that event, the injustice done. They become unable to do anything. Here, after a while, the brain chemistry related to this obsession deteriorates,” he said.
“Prayer is knocking on a door”
Tarhan, evaluating the relationship between prayer and psychological well-being; “Prayer is such a thing that when a person prays, for example, during events of loss or various traumas, we somehow feel helpless, weak, and powerless. We all experience such periods. These periods are situations that cause depression. In this situation, the moment a person knows they are not alone and that there is an all-knowing power, intelligence, and will, and takes refuge in it, a peace that spontaneously arises within them comes. Therefore, prayer is knocking on a door. There is a high power that knows everything and controls everything. It knows what's on my mind, what's in my heart, it knows everything. I am appealing to it,” he said.
“In the Holy Quran, mercy is the principle, fear is the exception”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, also answering students' questions, said that in the Holy Quran, mercy is the principle and fear is the exception. Tarhan; “In the Holy Quran, 'fearing God' is mentioned, and He is also referred to as Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim (The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful) in the surah. In the Holy Quran, mercy is the principle, fear is the exception. To work for paradise and go to paradise out of fear is a kind of being a merchant. It is self-interest, but ultimately it is also an acceptable thing, to go to paradise by doing good deeds with a love for paradise. Some people discipline themselves only through fear. These are cowardly types, but the ideal is to be able to act with the love of God. What frightens a child is the fear of losing their mother's love, and this is what disciplines the child. What is meant by fear in God is the fear of losing God's love. The fear of losing one's heartfelt connection with God. While this fear should exist, we always raise children with the fear of punishment. This child is being incorrectly educated,” he stated.
Reporter: Eda Nur Keçeci
Photo: Ayşenur Özdemir