Üsküdar Üniversitesi, Türk Kızılay, Haydi Tut Elimi Derneği and Volunteer Ambassadors Silent Goodness Platform organized the “Silent Goodness Platform from Mind to Heart, from Conscience to Society” Project in collaboration. The program, held at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Central Campus Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall, was attended by Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Turkish Red Crescent Association General Headquarters Management Office President Şemsi Kamile Canbay, Üsküdar Üniversitesi academics, and managers of various foundations and NGOs. During the program, Prof. Dr. Tarhan delivered a seminar titled “Silent Goodness from Mind to Heart, from Conscience to Society.” Emphasizing the importance of goodness, Prof. Dr. Tarhan said: “If normal goodness is candlelight, silent goodness is like the sun.”
The “Silent Goodness Platform from Mind to Heart, from Conscience to Society” Project is Being Implemented
Following a moment of silence and the recitation of the National Anthem, the opening speeches were delivered by the Project Coordinator of the “Silent Goodness Platform from Mind to Heart, from Conscience to Society,” Dr. Lecturer Fatma Turan; Assistant Project Coordinator Ayşe Banu Güngenci; President of the Turkish Red Crescent Association General Headquarters Management Office, Şemsi Kamile Canbay; and Founding Rector of Üsküdar Üniversitesi, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan.
Dr. Lecturer Fatma Turan: “We put a lot of effort into transforming the concept of Silent Goodness into a project”
In her opening speech, Dr. Lecturer Fatma Turan, Project Coordinator of the Silent Goodness Platform from Mind to Heart, from Conscience to Society, spoke about the goals and volunteer principles of the Silent Goodness Project. Emphasizing their desire to increase cooperation among NGOs, Turan said: “We put a lot of effort into transforming the concept of Silent Goodness into a project. I thank Kızılay for providing us with such an opportunity. Our project will be carried out in cooperation with Üsküdar Üniversitesi, Haydi Tut Elimi Derneği, Üsküdar Municipality, Üsküdar District Governorate, and the Kızılay Üsküdar Branch. The goals of our project are to ensure a high level of communication among NGOs, and to establish and strengthen public and civil society cooperation. We aim to create a model in line with the principles of accountability, transparency, participation, and efficiency. It is not enough to be well-intentioned; we need to sustain good intentions and not abandon them. It is necessary to have good feelings and thoughts and to turn them into behavior. This is also not enough; we need to multiply these behaviors to make them sustainable and pass them on to future generations.”
Şemsi Kamile Canbay: “Every new project increases our excitement”
Şemsi Kamile Canbay, President of the Turkish Red Crescent Association General Headquarters Management Office, shared information with the audience about Kızılay’s activities. Canbay shared details regarding Kızılay’s domestic and international work and 850 ongoing service areas of various scales, stating that every new project, such as the “Silent Goodness Platform from Mind to Heart, from Conscience to Society” Project, brings new hope and passion for work.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan: “In an era where evil multiplies, it is very important for us to be righteous”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Tarhan emphasized the importance of the project presented in his opening speech. He drew attention to the importance of being righteous and providing beneficial services to humanity in an era where goodness is diminishing and selfishness is increasing. Tarhan said: “Projects similar to the “Silent Goodness Platform from Mind to Heart, from Conscience to Society” have always existed in human history. However, in this era, the need for these projects has drastically increased. With global narcissism, the mentality of ‘what do I care if someone else starves to death’ has begun to dominate. They want to gather all resources; power, money, and dominance in the hands of a single power through the Metaverse. This power is about to fall into the hands of those who manage the digital global database. In such a situation, we should at least point out these wrongs and set an example by doing what is right. There can be no peace in a society with income inequality. Migrations are not coincidental; their causes are income inequality and poverty in undeveloped countries. Another globally spreading and unnoticed mentality in this era is ‘you work, I eat.’ The global system glorifies egocentrism and unaccountability. We are living in an interesting era where the boundaries of selfishness and freedom are blurred. In such an era, it is even more important for us to be righteous.”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan: “If normal goodness is candlelight, silent goodness is like the sun”
Sharing insights on the place of helping and goodwill behaviors in ancient Anatolian culture, Tarhan underlined that the “Silent Goodness from Mind to Heart, from Conscience to Society” project is a reflection of this culture. Tarhan said: “This project is a reflection of the Anatolian culture treasure we possess. When this project is completed and turned into a book, it will make a huge contribution to the literature and will serve as a reference for those all over the world who say, ‘we need this, let’s do it.’ This era has two most important diseases: egoism and secularism. In secularism, or worldliness, the feeling of being able to do anything one desires in this world, without a sense of accountability, is glorified. What protects a person is not goodwill, patriotism, or religiosity; it is the feeling of accountability. The inner guardian of accountability is conscience. Conscience is the guardian within us. It tells us what we should and should not do. We must raise our children not only to be intelligent and successful but also benevolent. For this reason, we have been carrying out the Silent Goodness Project with the Haydi Tut Elimi Derneği since 2010. In silent goodness, there is the understanding that one hand gives, and the other does not see. With this model of goodness, we treat the narcissism within us. This is difficult for a person’s ego, they say, ‘I am doing good, but no one applauds.’ Silent goodness involves continuing to do good without seeking praise or applause; it is a difficult thing. If normal goodness is candlelight, silent goodness is like the sun. It is valuable to that extent in terms of truth. This only happens in wise people; it is related to their level of development. This understanding has settled into our culture as ‘the fish does not know, but the Creator knows’.”
The program concluded with project introduction presentations and a group photo session held after the opening speeches.