This year marks a delightful turn of a new era for The Fountain. Two decades have past since the release of our first issue, and just like in day one, The Fountain is filled with as much vigor and hope to continue to overflow for many more decades to come.
Twenty years may not sound long enough for recognition when compared with some of the pioneers in print media. However, considering the high number of periodicals who diminish and are forgotten as equally fast as their emergence leaving no trail behind, two decades of uninterrupted publication does mean something, particularly in the genre The Fountain voices its message.
What is The Fountain’s message? What is its genre? In a world of extreme compartmentalization in science and over-indulgence in daily occupations and worldly affairs, The Fountain’s discourse refers to an overarching coverage of the human life with content as diverse and rich as the human life itself, yet with a common thread and pattern that is neatly knitted all the way through our composition. Ours is a composition, one in which each and every member of the human family can hear his or her conscience’s calling, a reflection of what is not always visible to the eye, or a response to the yearning deep in the heart and mind; a response that sometimes finds its definition best expressed in a poem, and at other times in a journey into outer space or through the veins of the human body. It is reading the universe, the major book of creation, and making sense out of it by way of the manual of Divine guidance. It is an effort to try and see the reality through the veils of apparent causes and to obtain our share from each phenomenon, each of which is a letter enclosed with a message addressing us.
This 91st issue covers a myriad of topics, one of them being Asperger’s syndrome. We all remember how last year ended with a tragic school attack in Connecticut, USA. If the world had burnt completely, as featured in this issue’s front cover, our hearts would have been torn only this much. The killer was claimed to have Asperger’s, but experts testified that this syndrome could not have been the main reason for engaging in such violence. Safiye Arslan’s article presents a thorough picture of Asperger’s, a syndrome great minds like Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci, William Shakespeare and Ibn al-Haytham reportedly had.
Another article in this anniversary issue is “Ability or Disability: An Unforgettable Experience at a Specialist School” that talks about a young teacher’s life-changing experience working with disabled children, seeing the precious quality in each one of them.
Last but not least is an article exploring cultural differences and how they have the potential to trigger conflicts at all levels. The article assesses how the response each society gives to these conflicts depends on what they hold most dear as a foundational norm, whether it is independent existence of individuals or social interdependence. Osman Senkaya’s contribution in this issue provides extensive examples of cultural difference around the world.
