Supported by the Üsküdar Üniversitesi Health, Culture and Sports Department and organized by the Conscience of the Age Club, 'Existential Conversations with Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan' continues in the new academic year. This week's topic for the program was 'Psychological Conversations from Existence to the Search for Meaning'. Tarhan, who described the illness of the century as worldliness and selfishness, pointed out that modernism trivializes the reason for existence.
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Vice Rector Muhsin Konuk, Secretary General Selçuk Uysaler, Head of Corporate Communications Department Tahsin Aksu, Head of Digital Technologies and Software Department Hakan Özdemir, Head of Health, Culture and Sports Department Özcan Demir, and SKS Assistant Manager Sadık Paksoy, along with students, showed great interest in the event held at the main campus.
“Modernism trivializes the reason for existence”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized that we should try to protect ourselves and our loved ones from modernism. Tarhan said; “Modernism trivializes the reason for human existence in life. What modernism imposes on us is to kill goodness. We must try to protect ourselves and our loved ones from modernism. We are in a time dominated by the capitalist order. That is why we must fight our own battle.”
“Hollywood changed the meaning of life”
Tarhan drew attention to the negativities of the Hollywood industry, noting that we are currently in a period where cultural imperialism is bleeding us dry. Tarhan stated; “Hollywood voluntarily changed the meaning of everyone's life. A clothing item appears in Hollywood, and the next day we see the same clothes in store windows at shopping malls. Consequently, everyone wears the same clothes. The concept I refer to as modernism in my speeches is essentially Hollywood.”
“There is no justice where there is selfishness”
Tarhan, describing the illness of the century as worldliness and selfishness, stated; “Living solely according to your own interests is wrong. There is no justice where there is selfishness. The biggest enemy of justice stems from selfishness. We need to see worldliness and selfishness as a social disease.”
“If a person does not believe in a god, they cannot be happy”
Tarhan pointed out that if a person does not believe in a god as a result of psychology, they cannot be happy in this universe, emphasizing that belief in God is a reason. Tarhan stated; “Humans wonder if life has a meaning. Everyone has a void in their soul waiting to be filled. Humanity's fundamental fears are meaninglessness, loneliness, freedom, and death. Unless a person resolves these fears, they cannot be happy. They have searches related to overcoming fundamental fears. Not believing in an afterlife is a situation that negatively affects psychology. For example; I had a patient who was suicidal. When I asked the reason, he said he had no reason to live. Psychologically, a person cannot be happy if they do not believe in a god.”
“The most suitable style for Islam is republic and democracy”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that power belongs to laws, not to individuals. Tarhan said; “Monarchy or oppressive structures are not suitable for the religion of Islam. I saw that the historical structure of Van, where I went for a symposium, has changed. Countless bars and nightclubs have opened. Iranian citizens freely drink alcohol in these places. The reason for this is conscious reactions born from oppression. Currently, there is no situation where liberalism, pluralism, and democracy are incompatible with Islam. Power belongs to laws, not individuals. If a person knows that no one other than the doorman will knock on their door and that no unlawful action will be taken if they end up at the police station, then there is law. In this context, the most suitable style for Islam is a republic and democracy.”
“Liberal secularism is a concept beneficial to Islam”
Tarhan, evaluating that liberal secularism is beneficial to Islam, said; “Liberal secularism has been able to suppress civil wars and is also a concept beneficial to Islam. If a Muslim wants to approach Allah, secularism is not an obstacle to this situation.”
“Things that appear evil and bad are actually part of the perfect”
Tarhan stated that in his book "From Mind to Heart", reasoning methods and probability calculations are analyzed; “Mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz makes and reports weather forecasts with his computer. While he takes a coffee break, the computer continues to make predictions, and chaos ensues. As a result, magnificent probabilities are observed. Quantum physicists call this the 'Butterfly Effect'. In this world, things that appear evil and bad are actually part of the perfect. Upon philosophers' questioning 'If God exists, why are there oppressions and things going wrong?', with the contributions of quantum physics, they saw that what appeared wrong was not actually wrong. When we look at the universe in six dimensions, we see it not as wrong but as part of the perfect. Like Rumi's 'blind men describing an elephant' analogy; each blind person can describe a different elephant as perceived by their senses, but we must know that the whole is an elephant. The diver example is a similar one. Two divers might claim to have found the treasure from their own sides, but they cannot see the entire treasure. The universe is like that too. We cannot see every part of the universe, but we can see that the Holy Quran is a book written by someone who can see every part of the universe. You can understand the Holy Quran if you look at it from the perspective of the Creator's created universe. If you look and read with a critical eye, you will understand nothing from the Holy Quran. Some say they understand nothing from the Holy Quran, and it's normal for them not to understand. Because they are not looking from the Creator's perspective.”
“Traumas actually offer opportunities”
Tarhan, evaluating that traumas are an opportunity to change our misconceptions and prejudices, underlined that one should not be afraid of traumas and difficulties. Tarhan concluded his words by saying; “Shocking experiences change the pathways in the brain. Therefore, coups, earthquakes, disasters – all of these are opportunities for everyone to relearn. We call these 'developing traumas'. Traumas are our opportunity to change our misconceptions and prejudices. That's why you shouldn't be afraid of traumas and difficulties. If you want to live a happy life, you should choose the difficult option. If you don't want to live a bad life, you shouldn't prefer easy options. Those who always take the easy way always go towards the bad. This is a hidden law of psychology. Those who aspire to difficulties, those who have goals, will eventually reap the rewards and be happy. But those who always aspire to ease will, after a while, say 'life has no meaning' and commit suicide.”
The event ended after students' questions were answered.