Üsküdar Üniversitesi organized a launch event within the scope of the “Target Friendship” project. In this context, the opening lecture was given by Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan. Emphasizing that they set out with the idea of what can be done to help international students adapt easily, Tarhan pointed out that the concept of friendship is the greatest value bequeathed to us by Islamic civilization. Tarhan stated that in target friendship, group intelligence, rather than individual intelligence, is important, and that target friendship is a form of social support, with the key being relationships where individuals can dedicate time to each other, converse, make eye contact, and create a friendly and safe space.
“We observed the difficulties international students face with loneliness”
Speaking at the opening lecture for the launch of the Target Friendship project, held at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Central Campus, Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan expressed his pride in this initiative, which is a first in Turkey, and even in the world. Tarhan stated: “This is the first such project in our country. There is no other example like it in the world. Within positive psychology, it was related to the topic of drama in my field of work, and it is important to give meaning to target friendship through positive psychology. Loneliness is seriously increasing all over the world. There is a study conducted by Manchester University, which found that among 50,000 people, the rate of loneliness for those over 75 years old is 75%, and for those between 16-24 years old, it is 40%; this is the effect of digital technologies. We thought about what we could do to help international students adapt easily, and we launched the target friendship project. Humans are relational beings by nature, created socially. If they don't form relationships, they cannot add meaning to life. We observed the difficulties international students faced with loneliness, and we are implementing this project as a solution. We considered the paths of deep thought; when an event occurs, one needs to ask 'what happened to me?' and analyze it correctly.” he said.
“Search engines manage us by managing our attention”
Drawing attention to new ways of thinking, Tarhan added that it is necessary to be the subject, not the object, of technology. Tarhan stated: “We will create a new way of thinking. Secondly, how do I feel? What did you think within this project? Then evaluation comes into play. The analysis of thought is also important: what meaning can you derive from the situation? As for the outcome, how else would you analyze group dynamics? These are important in the project. Method precedes substance. Google has established a persuasion laboratory and says the biggest persuasion is sleep. Search engines manage us by managing our attention. If we give our attention to social media, we are lost. We need to be the subject, not the object. We need to be the captain of our own ship. The time pyramid is also important; it’s good if one uses the 5W1H (who, what, where, when, why, how) method when archiving information. A person who doesn't want to forget uses this method. You end up dedicating the most time to the most important thing. Success is hidden in the details. If you focus on target-appropriate success, you achieve it faster. Values affecting purpose, spiritual values, perception of discovery, relationship styles, environmental awareness, belief in the existence of a higher power, and external motivation in addition to internal motivation constitute the consciousness of target friendship. In target friendship, group intelligence is more important than individual intelligence. A group persuades an individual better; we call this external motivation. Time is managed better. Target friendship is a form of social support. What is important here are relationships where individuals dedicate time to each other, can talk, make eye contact, and create a friendly and safe space.” he said.
“The concept of friendship is the greatest value bequeathed to us by Islamic civilization”
Expressing the importance of the concept of friendship in Islamic culture, Tarhan said: “The concept of friendship is the greatest value bequeathed to us by Islamic civilization. There is even the concept of 'selam,' extending your hand, meaning 'I have no weapon in my hand.' In our culture, embracing is recommended. You don't need to change your target friend; they can support two different teams, they can think differently. Existential consciousness: Who am I? Why am I living? What should I do? These are the most important questions regarding the meaning of life. Humans have a genetic code related to the feeling of eternity. There isn't a defined code, but there are meta-genes related to the concept of time. As for beliefs, one sees a book while living in a well. I added this; it's not in Tolstoy. It is said, 'You came from Me, you will return to Me; perform your duties.' To be a good person is to pay the rent for our existence. This is the philosophy behind target friendship. If I touch upon entropy, when entropy increases, the balance of nature is disrupted. Without external control, hot water cools, light gives way to darkness. New things age, the young grow old. Living beings die, the universe expands, and evil increases. Our efforts to increase good are also influenced by evil. Good deeds spread slowly, while evil spreads quickly.” he said.
“Every human is born with the potential of 'I am God' within them”
Explaining the answer to the question,