Not yet knowing
as we
are known
we envision
One in all.

Embracing
letting go
justice
rolls down
gloriously.

In physics, there are certain physical quantities that play a central role in the science, such as the mass of an electron or the speed of light, also known as the gravitational constant.

“We do know the values of these fundamental quantities very well,” said astrophysicist Prof. Brian Koberlein in an article published recently on his website. “The mass and charge of an electron are known to about one part in a billion. The gravitational constant, perhaps the least well measured, is known to about one part in ten thousand,” he added. Prof. Max Tegmark, who is a world famous physicist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said that most of the parameters affecting low-energy physics appear fine-tuned at some level in the sense that changing them by modest amounts would result in a qualitatively different universe.

“If the electromagnetic force were weakened by a mere 4%, then the Sun would immediately explode. If it were stronger, there would be fewer stable atoms,” noted Tegmark in the book Science and Ultimate Reality: From Quantum to Cosmos, published by Cambridge University Press. Tegmark continued, “If the weak interaction (which is one of the fundamental forces in physics) were substantially weaker, there would be no hydrogen around, since it would have been converted to helium shortly after the Big Bang. If it were either much stronger or much weaker, the neutrinos from a supernova explosion would fail to blow away the outer parts of the star, and it is doubtful whether life supporting heavy elements would ever be able to leave the stars where they were produced. (The heavier elements, such as carbon, oxygen, and iron, were made in the nuclear furnace of high mass stars. Upon the death of stars, these elements, along with even more massive nuclei created during the supernova, were thrown out into space.)

Prof. Tegmark gave some more fascinating examples: “If the protons were 0.2% heavier, they would decay into neutrons unable to hold onto electrons, so there would be no stable atoms around. If the proton-to-electron mass ratio were much smaller, there could be no stable stars, and if it were much larger, there could be no ordered structures like crystals and DNA molecules.”

And here are some examples of “fine tuning” mentioned by Dr. Luke Barnes from the Sydney Institute for Astronomy, in his article, “The Fine-Tuning of the Universe for Intelligent Life”:

“If gravity were repulsive rather than attractive, then matter wouldn’t clump into complex structures. If the strong force (the force that binds protons and neutrons together to form the nucleus of an atom) were a long rather than short-range force, then there would be no atoms. Any structures that formed would be uniform, spherical, undifferentiated lumps of arbitrary size and incapable of complexity. If in electromagnetism, like charges attracted and opposites repelled, then there would be no atoms. As above, we would just have undifferentiated lumps of matter.”

Another example of fine tuning is the fine structure constant, which is also known as alpha. It’s the measure of the strength of the electromagnetic force that governs how electrically charged particles interact. Its value is nearly equal to 1/137 (or to 0.007297). Richard Feynman, who is one of the top physicists of the 20th century and a Nobel laureate, called the fine structure constant “a magic number.”

“If alpha were >0.1, stellar fusion would be impossible,” stated University of Cambridge theoretical physicist Prof. John Barrow.

Physicist Gerald Schroeder from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology quoted the words of Prof. Michael Turner, an astrophysicist at the University of Chicago and Fermilab: “The precision (in the universe) is as if one could throw a dart across the entire universe and hit a bull’s-eye one millimeter in diameter on the other side.”

Reactionary movements have never been beneficial to the larger society, nor have the perpetrators of such movements been able to achieve their goals. Whether these movements have been Islamic or non-Islamic, they have only achieved minimal success.

With respect to Islam and reactionary movements in the Muslim world, it is important for Muslims to remember that their first duty is to represent Islamic thought in the best possible way, which can be realized only through long term investments in education. If this course have been taken instead of reacting with hatred and revenge against those who harmed Islamic values, the Muslim world would have flourished.

More than half a century has passed since the 1950s, when such reactionary movements emerged in some Muslim countries. If the youth of the time, who were involved in those movements, had been encouraged to enroll in schools and colleges, they might today be ministers, or even the leaders of their countries as prime ministers or presidents. Yet, with the exception of a few, those involved in such reactionary movements were always displeased and vanished without making any lasting achievements.

I want to make a second point: whatever objective may be sought, it should never be on the account of destruction – and it should never harm the unity of a nation. That is, while trying to “build” something, we should not cause destructions which may have lasting consequences for future generations. Otherwise, not only will our objectives fail, but we will be severely condemned by future generations; worst of all, our hopes for a serene afterlife will also perish.

Believers may, of course, pursue some worldly aspirations. Yet, even if such aspirations are within the permissible domain of faith, they cannot be the essential purpose or an ideal of believers. In the case of Islam, for instance, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, did not utter a word referring to such aspirations, especially during the Meccan period of his teaching.

On the contrary, the verses that were revealed during that period and the hadith always emphasize the truths of faith. His Companions suffered under desperate oppression along with the Prophet, yet they never had any worldly expectation that could blur their pure intentions. Believers of today should follow their example and intensify their efforts in the service of faith, which is the true message of the scriptures, and thus attain God’s good pleasure. Pursuing worldly expectations is no different than bargaining with God, which is an absolutely improper behavior, and is exactly the opposite of what is expected from God’s servants. Such expectations result in a vicious cycle at each turn of which saving oneself becomes even more difficult. I wholeheartedly believe that those who seek worldly gains in return for their good work and make these gains their ultimate goal lose God’s endorsement. They fail and they will always fail, even if they sacrifice their lives and all their possessions for such a goal. The ultimate goal should be nothing else but God and His good pleasure. For seekers of His good pleasure, God will eventually deliver them to their destination and will not condemn them to devastation.

Worldly assets are claimed by many people. Among these, those who are stronger will oppress others to attain these assets, or to not lose them. Oppressing others by crude force is quite natural for them, for they do not have a hereafter to invest in. So, they never want to lose their material prosperity which they want to secure even for their grandchildren.

Many instances have proved that the powerful oppress the weak when both are after the same worldly aspirations. So, instead of reactionary movements which do not yield any positive result, believers should be involved in teaching others about themselves and seeking God’s good pleasure.

To understand the unfairness, consider the values of today or our actions that future generations may criticize. This can be very difficult, as we have already likely convinced ourselves that our actions and our standards are correct. If we did not think that our values were correct, we would not believe in them. Of the possibilities, the most obvious possibility is climate change. If our current actions lead to some of the calamities forecasted by some scientists, then future generations could criticize our lack of action and our unwillingness to give up our standard of living. For them the calamities would be free of the fog of the unknown, and they would not be able to understand why we ignored such grave warnings. Just as we can look back at history and claim that racial inequality, gender inequality, and religious inequality were wrong, future generations will likely look back on us and easily find our mistakes.

The fact that each new generation can identify the mistakes of the former – and rectify these mistakes – is a sign of humanity’s progress. It is evidence that each new generation is taking a step forward, solving social issues, and learning new ways to live together more peacefully. Of course, this is not always the case, as every so often humanity takes a step back, as exemplified by the horrors of World War II, the enslavement of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries, and other such tragedies. The hope for humanity rests on moving forward; our steps forward must outnumber the steps backward.

Learning from the past in order to take the next step forward is each generation’s responsibility. However, in the process of looking back, my fourth grade self could not help but criticize the people of the past and be shocked by their actions. I did not realize that George Washington was a man of his time, just like the rest of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He lived in a world where slavery was not only rampant, but routine. In this context, one would have to possess a strong moral compass to thrift through the wrongs of his time.

And Washington, as a Virginia plantation owner, demonstrated his moral compass and vision for the future by freeing all of his slaves in his will. Other Founders also opposed slavery: Benjamin Franklin, once a slave owner, later freed his slaves and became president of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society; Thomas Jefferson considered slavery a violation of individual rights (though he, too, owned slaves). Faced with the realities of deep-seated racial prejudice, the economic and political implications of the abolition in the South, and the need for a unified nation after the American Revolution, the Founders did not abolish slavery (1). Indeed, slavery and racial inequality proved difficult to overcome, and even now, more than two hundred years later, social issues originating from slavery remain.

Ignoring the effect of the time period George Washington lived in on his actions would be a big mistake. Of course, norms of one’s society cannot be an excuse for crimes and immoral actions, but it is also unfair to single out the individual, when society as a whole is to blame. It is the responsibility of all members of society to identify their shortcomings and attempt to remedy them. For example, as racism, religious feuds, and hatred of the “other” grip current societies, community members and visionaries have mobilized through intercultural and interfaith dialog in the hopes of uniting through familiarity and shared humanity. Additionally, there are hundreds of charities and non-profit groups based in the U.S. alone attempting to remedy issues ranging from animal rights to world hunger. As issues arise it is the responsibility of the members of society to provide answers, but singling out one individual from the whole society and criticizing them is unfair.

Additionally, the reason I can look back at the past with my current values and morals is because of the progress of humanity through the efforts of people of the past, the important figures in history. They contributed to the development of the current value systems. I did not develop my values; I merely adopted them. Thus, what right do I have to judge the people of the past who did not have the same opportunity?

To conclude, it is important not to forget that society as a whole is responsible. Understanding why the person acted in a certain way by examining the society allows us to draw lessons that we can apply to our society today. Too much focus on the individual distracts from the remedial function of reflection on the past.

Reference

1. “The Founding Fathers and Slavery.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2013.

Engineers have developed a new tool which can test for both past and current viral infections by analyzing a single drop of a patient’s blood. The new method, known as VirScan (Systematic Viral Epitope Scanning), is superior to existing technologies, which are only able to search for a single virus at a time. When we are infected by a virus, our immune system starts fighting it by producing antibodies that neutralize the foreign object that is carrying disease. VirScan simply screens those antibodies that are produced against any of the 1000 strains of the total 206 virus species known to infect humans. Since our immune system continues to produce these antibodies even long after the virus disappears, VirScan is able to detect both current and past infections. As a pilot study, scientists have used VirScan to screen the blood of 569 people in the US, South Africa, Peru, and Thailand. The findings showed that each patient, on average, had antibodies for around 10 different species of virus. They also found that blood samples from patients with HIV showed a larger number of antibodies for different viruses than those without HIV. The test is relatively simple and will only cost $25. VirScan will be particularly useful in underdeveloped regions of the world, where it can be used to track disease patterns among various global populations and to develop targeted therapeutic approaches.

New Computers Run on Water Droplets

After a decade of hard work, scientists have finally created a working computer based on the physical movement of water droplets. They devised a system in which water droplets are trapped in a magnetic field. When the field is rotated or flipped, droplets move in precise directions and distances, resulting in a synchronous computer based entirely on the physics of water. Researchers applied the physics of moving droplets to the operating clock, an essential component of any computer or computer-driven devices such as smartphones, airplanes, and even the internet. Almost every computer program runs several simultaneous operations and a clock ensures that the information is synchronized. In theory, the new line of computers can perform the very same operations as common computers, although a computer based on the physical movement of water will clearly run much slower than a conventional computer based on the movement of electrons. But scientists do not aim to compete with super-fast liquid CPU computers anyway; their goal is to build a completely new class of computers that can manipulate physical matters instead of bits of information. The current chips of new computers are about half the size of a postage stamp, and the droplets are smaller than poppy seeds. The fact that the magnetic field can control millions of droplets simultaneously makes the system exceptionally scalable. Scientists foresee that this technology can potentially turn computers into high-throughput chemistry and biology laboratories. Instead of running reactions in test tubes, each droplet can carry some chemicals and become its own test tube, and the droplet computer offers extraordinary control over these interactions.

Cosmic Dance at the Far End of Our Solar System

Astronomers find that 4.5 billion miles away, the Pluto system is more peculiar and complicated than anyone predicted. Hubble Space Telescope images revealed that Pluto, with its largest moon, Charon, and smaller moons Styx, Nix, Hydra, and Kerberos, shows unconventional rhythmic gyrations unlike anything in our solar system. Scientists suggest that this unpredictable lunar behavior stems from the gravitational pull exerted by Charon. Since Pluto and Charon are close in size, instead of one orbiting the other, they jointly orbit around a common center of gravity. It is like two unequal weights at the ends of a dumbbell, and the dumbbell is rotating. Astronomers called this phenomenon a “binary planet.” While Pluto and Charon perform their movements, the four little moons circle them, wobbling a bit when they go closer to either Pluto or Charon, being pushed and pulled by the two bigger objects. Since the small moons don’t have enough mass for their internal gravity to keep them in a round shape, they look more like American footballs than spheres. With the small moons wobbling and flipping around in unpredictable ways, if you lived on Nix ,for example, the sun would come up in different parts of the sky on different days. After a 9.5-year journey through the solar system, NASA’s $700 million New Horizon spacecraft will arrive at the Pluto system in July. The New Horizon is expected to take extremely high resolution images of Pluto and its moons, and astronomers hope to better understand how big Pluto system is and what it is made of.

Today, there are many new fields of study, such as research on high energy and particle physics which led to the discovery of subatomic particles. Many researchers work to reveal the properties and behaviors of atomic and molecular level structures. Studies on nanotechnology, biotechnology, cybernetics, and bionics have led to advanced robot technologies; research on genetics and diverse medical fields are increasingly important.

Now, let us make some predictions on developments in these fields.

Information technologies

The advancements in this field not only support the developments in other sciences, but also lead them. In the future, following the launch of biologic and organic processors, leaps will occur in the processing speed of information and their re-use capacity. It is estimated that super-fast quantum computers will be manufactured within 20-25 years. High-end networks which provide large amounts of data transfer will increase the information flow. Information technologies will be effective in all fields of life as a result of fast, facilitated access to information and communication; wireless communications will be more common. All kinds of information will be comfortably and quickly accessed with a small device. Holographic TV, and three or four dimensional video imaging systems will be produced; movies will provide a realistic spatial sharing experience to the audience. Electronic devices operated with vocal commands and the mind will be manufactured; software capable of translating speeches into languages of interest will be more widespread.

Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is the science of attempting molecular designs at a scale of one billionth of a meter and making functional structures from these designs. With the manipulation of atoms and molecules, the production of Nanotubes that are absent in nature, along with nano-electrical circuits and sensors, is now possible; with the synthesis of Nanofibers, the production of multifunctional new materials is also possible.

These can make waterproof and stain-proof dyes that change color. Textiles, electronics, clothing, and merchandise can be manufactured from multifunctional materials featuring thermal, mechanic, acoustic, and opto-electronic properties; they will be utilized in all avenues of life. With the integration of multifunctional detectors and solar cells on fibers, electricity-generating solar clothes can be designed that regulate their own heat and provide humans with their daily energy demands.

High efficiency illumination systems and light sources that are able to convert almost 100% of the energy they absorb into light can be developed with the development of opto-electronic devices. The use of new technologies like solar energy, nuclear energy, and hydrogen fuel cells in vehicles and other operations requiring energy will be more widespread. Recyclable Borohydride as an important hydrogen source and acceptor which can be put to use as a very light and inexpensive fuel reserve.

The manufacture of high efficiency motors and machinery will be possible through a reduction of friction, but also with the invention of motors running on magnetic forces. Through these and other developments, a considerable amount of fuel will be saved and energy conservation will become a reality. Advanced smart robots capable of communication with humans and imitating human behaviors will fill in for the majority of daily tasks for humans; they will complete jobs in places too risky for human life.

Material transportation, teletransportation, interdimensional shortcuts and the bended space-time continuum are already among frequent themes of science fiction. Even some theologians consider the story of the Prophet Solomon and the Queen of Sheba and the instant transportation of her throne as a sign that these miracles can one day be realized.

Various breakthroughs in genetics may lead to cures for some illnesses. Once the functions of genetic code are illuminated completely, the way genes affect the developmental stages of an organism starting from the embryological phases will be apparent, and this will enable the necessary regulatory genetic interventions and genetic alterations during the development of an organism. Cloning may just be the beginning.

The yield in agriculture will increase as a result of biotechnological developments. It will be possible to grow disease-resistant vegetables and fruits big enough to feed many people. The range of acceptable climates for growing will also be expanded. Referring to the bounty and abundance that would be obtained, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is recorded to have spoken of pomegranates that are as big as to provide shade for one person, and that there would be giant wheat grains,” which may relate to increased harvests and abundance, and may also point to the enhancement of fruits and plants by gene modification in the future.

New combinations may be formed with modifications of the genetic code of organisms. Not only new viruses and bacteria can be made possible via genetic intervention, but genetically different plant and animal species can also be generated. It is also possible that while working on the enhancement of the human genetic makeup through genetic editing, strange creatures in the form of humans may be born. Certain people or organizations with ill intentions may try to propagate such organisms to benefit their interests. Among the essential principles in scientific studies is the belief that new developments should benefit humanity, conserve the true nature of organisms and species, and must be aimed to preserve species from extinction and genetic anomalies.

Currently, artificial organs can be used to replace vital organs, except the brain. With developments in gene transfer and stem cell therapy, it will be possible to develop and produce artificial organs and bionic limbs, thus eliminating the lengthy time patients endure waiting for organ donations. There are great expectations from stem cell therapy in terms of curing certain cancer types and damages to the neural system and heart.

Upon elucidation of brain function maps, certain basic brain tasks can be executed through devices – not to mention the probability of motivating humans with injections of certain materials, in addition to the transfer of limited knowledge by lodging microchips into the brain.

The advancements in nanotechnology and biotechnology may instigate certain people to be deluded with power. On the other hand, since humans cannot create anything out of absolute absence, they can also not destroy what has been created already. In fact, the works of humans constitute only the replication and application of natural patterns into technology after learning the effective laws and principles found in the existence. The technologies that scientists discover and develop in large laboratories established with extensive budgets in fact are exhibited already within the existing structures in the universe.

Science can only be a means for materialistic welfare and eternal happiness if developed and implemented wisely. Otherwise, science may as well cause humankind to doom itself with the accessed technology and developed weapons.

The Dalai Lama says it this way, “Compassion is the radicalness of our time.” From his perspective, compassion is a radical action because it is an act of imitation of our God who is the All Compassionate One. It is a radical action because it challenges our culture that is so often filled with violence and hatred to embrace a better way, a way that nurtures peace and brotherhood rather than division and discord.

Mr. Gulen and the Dalai Lama are talking about the same thing using different sets of images. I would propose that there is no one image that can capture all that compassion means. Compassion is at the essence of all authentic religions and it is the goal of the human behavior of all those who call themselves religious. When we go to the dictionaries, we find that even there the radicalness of compassion is distinctive. The words “empathy and sympathy” (i.e., to enter into the experience of the other) are psychological words. These are qualities one would expect from a good therapist or a close friend. Compassion is much more than empathy or sympathy. Compassion belongs to divine; it is something that people nourished from the divine do.

The word “compassion” comes from two Latin words, “Cum” and “Patior,” meaning to “suffer with.” In other words, it is to actually share in the suffering of others; to walk with them into their pain. Frederick Buechner creatively captures the essence of compassion:

“Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you, too.”

Buechner’s words are a marvelous description of what is meant by unconditional love. Only God loves unconditionally; we imitate Him and try to love as best we can. As we grow more deeply into pure love, the more our love evolves into compassion, the highest form of love.

Karen Armstrong, the renowned scholar of religion, in her wonderful work, The History of God, wrote that it is in the mystical traditions where all of the major religions find common ground. The mystical path is one that leads us into the arms of a loving God who then commands us to bring this gift to others. The classic doctrine of the three ways offers a paradigm for the spiritual journey.

The Purgative way is the beginning of the journey. God calls us to abandon sin and tendencies towards evil. We then gradually grow into the Illuminative way. The word itself implies a movement out of the darkness into the beauty of the light. It is the path towards enlightenment that leads eventually to the Unitive way. The ultimate goal of the journey is reunion with God. The test of the authenticity of our relationship with God is the charity of our lives. Reunion with God that is real and true leads to solidarity with other people, especially the poor and the suffering through the gift of compassion. The three major Abrahamic religions, the “Religions of the Book,” converge in their emphasis on the centrality of charity and compassion. Although we could include other religious traditions that would be in agreement, I will limit myself in this article to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

In the Jewish tradition, God is called the “Father of Compassion.” Thus “Rahamana,” or the Compassionate, becomes the usual designation for His revealed word. Sorrow, pity, and the desire to help the other in their helplessness are qualities that are ascribed both to God and humans in the Torah. The Rabbis speak of the “thirteen attributes of compassion.”

“The Lord! The Lord! A God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding kindness and faithfulness” (Exodus 34: 60). The attribute of compassion will sometimes necessitate doing even more than the law requires. Compassion is a trait indigenous to the Jewish people:

“The children of our father Abraham…are merciful people who have mercy upon all” (Abadim 9:8).

“If someone is cruel and does not show mercy, there are sufficient grounds to doubt his image” (Babylonian Talmud, Betzah 32b).

Compassion as a manifestation of the “imitatio Dei” (The Imitation of God) is the goal of one’s spiritual life in Judaism.

Asked for a summary of the Jewish religion “while standing on one leg” in the most concise terms, Hillel stated: “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellows. That is the whole Torah. The rest is the explanation: go and learn.” (Babylonian Talmud, tractate Shabbat 31a).

This, of course, is grounded in the great Schema of Israel: “Hear, O Israel, You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, soul, and strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). This text is coupled with what we later read in Leviticus: “And love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:9-18). This is the message of the prophets throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, always calling the people back to the covenant by hearing the cry of the poor through the ears of compassion.

The tradition of compassion in the Hebrew Scriptures deepened in the New Testament in the teachings of Jesus. Compassion is made concrete in the Christian dispensation in the traditional works of mercy, both corporal and spiritual. Corporal mercy includes feeding the hungry; giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked; housing the homeless; visiting the sick and imprisoned; ransoming captives; and burying the dead. Spiritual mercy involves instructing the ignorant; counseling the doubter; admonishing sinners; being patient; forgiving offenses willingly; comforting the afflicted; and praying for the living and the dead. The very nature of a religion that is based on the incarnation logically demands concrete actions and acts of charity in the world.

The New Testament emphasizes “Agape” as the highest form of love. The Greek word “Agape” implies love in the highest degree. In contrast to eros (emotional/sexual love) or philea (friendship), agape is the total giving of the self to the other in absolute freedom as pure gift. St. Paul in his letters often makes reference to this being the manner in which we describe God. He refers to God as the “Father of Compassion” and the “God of all Comfort”:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-7).

Jesus models the way in which we should do this by opening his arms on the cross as the sign of the fullness of compassionate love. He challenges us now to offer this same gift to others. He assures his listeners in the Sermon on the Mount that, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” In the Parable of the Good Samaritan he holds up to his followers the ideal of compassionate conduct. True Christian compassion should extend to all, even to the extent of loving one’s enemies. The two Great Commandments of love of God and love of neighbor in the New Testament unite the two loves, i.e. by loving the other, we love God.

The revelation to the Prophet Muhammad brings the Judeo-Christian value of compassion into the heart of Islam. In the Muslim tradition, foremost among God’s attributes are mercy and compassion, or in the canonical language of Arabic, “Rahman” and “Rahim.” Each of the 114 chapters of the Qur’an, with one exception, begins with the verse, “In the name of Allah the Compassionate, the Merciful.” A good Muslim is to commence each day, each prayer and each significant action by invoking God the Merciful and Compassionate One.

At the heart of Muslim belief is the principle of “tawhid” or oneness. This oneness, or unity, has been described as that which dominates the mind in Islam, while the heart is intrinsically linked to the concept of compassion:

“My Mercy encompasses all things” (Qur’an 7:156).

“My mercy takes precedence over my anger.”

Islam sees the sentiments of love and compassion as expressions of the interconnected oneness of all human beings, reflecting the oneness and unity of God.

The Sufi mystics often come back to this core theme in the Qur’an. Jalal al-Din Rumi, born in modern day Afghanistan, in 1207 AD, is arguably the best known Sufi writer in the West. Rumi stipulates that while love is of the essence in Sufism, it is something that has to be experienced to be understood. “Love cannot be contained within our speaking or listening. Love is an ocean whose depths cannot be plumbed… Love cannot be found in erudition and science, books and pages… the kernel of Love is a mystery that cannot be divulged” (Diwan-i Shams-i Tabrizi).

Rumi, like the mystics in other traditions, internalizes and integrates the sacred teachings of his religious tradition. He powerfully articulates the spirit of the Qur’an that stresses that righteousness is not in precise observance of the rituals but in acts of compassion and kindness. It says that the litmus test for true belief and genuine worship is that should lead to compassionate living:

“It is not righteousness that you turn your faces to the East or the West, but truly righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Book and the Prophets, and spends his money for love of Him, on the kindred and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and those who ask for charity, and for ransoming the captives; and who observes prayer and pays the alms; and those who fulfill their promise when they have made one, and the patient in poverty and afflictions and the steadfast in time of war; it is these who have proved truthful and it is these who are God-fearing. “(Qur’an 2:178)

Let us return now to the radicalness of compassion that brings the symphony of God’s music into our world. I would suggest that in the twenty-first century, in a post 9/11 world, compassion is the anecdote to the violence and hatred that seems to permeate our world. Cardinal Walter Kasper recently wrote a book entitled Mercy. The book is a thorough analysis of the word “Compassion” and he equates it with the word “Mercy.” He opines that mercy fuels the agenda and outcome of true compassion. He proposes that we need to create a culture of mercy. He says the challenge that we face is that, “Mercy is a difficult word for many today. Often those who know how to assert themselves and to get their way make a bigger impression than those who are merciful… therefore, as a first step, we have to expend some effort to disclose anew the original and thoroughly strong sense of this word” (p. 21).

We are blessed because God has sent two messengers of mercy into our world at this time when we need so desperately to rediscover the importance of mercy for the sake of peace and harmony in a world on the brink of destruction.

The first messenger is Jorge Mario Bergolio, now known as Pope Francis. He is already being acclaimed as the “Pope of Mercy.” He has announced a Jubilee Year of Mercy to begin on December 8, 2015 and conclude on November 20, 2016. He is calling the whole Church throughout the world to embrace mercy and compassion as its mission. He challenges us in this way:

“We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace. … God comes to meet us through Mercy. It is the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely into the eyes of his brothers and sisters on the path of life. Mercy: the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness.” (p. 1, Misericordiae Vultus)

The second messenger and champion of mercy and compassion is Fethullah Gulen. His spiritual and mystical texts are filled with teachings about mercy, love, and compassion. One of my favorites is where he uses examples from nature to describe the meaning of mercy and compassion.

“Now look at the bee that visits thousands of flowers and the silkworm that confines itself to its cocoon. How many hardships they endure to join in this symphony of compassion! How can we not acknowledge what these self-sacrificial creatures suffer in order to feed us honey and clothe us with silk? Have you considered what a hero of compassion the chicken is when she sacrifices herself to save her young from a fox? Or the wolf that offers the food she finds to her young, forgetting her own hunger?

“In nature everything bears witness to compassion and radiates compassion. The universe performed a symphony of compassion: Different voices and tunes merge in rhythm so perfectly that only an all-encompassing mercy could be directing this mysterious music” (A Fethullah Gulen Reader, pp. 87-88).

Pope Francis and Fethullah Gulen are living the radical message of compassion and bringing music into our world. They are showing us by word and example the way of creating a culture of mercy. May we follow their example and join the Symphony of Compassion!

The answer to all of these questions relies on understanding certain laws in the nature. Every existence, from stars to trees, and living to nonliving, is an example of the systems in the palace of our universe.

Closed systems never engage in any exchange of matter, energy, or information with their environments. There is not any closed system in the universe. For example, a “thermos” can be a partial example of a closed system, since the liquid contained inside it does not get cold or warm quickly.

Open systems take part in matter, energy, and information exchanges with their environments. Human bodies, plants, and animals are each open systems. For instance, chemical reactions take place under our skin: enzymes constantly move, and blood is continuously flowing; via sweating, body heat is maintained; we exhale and inhale. We feed ourselves with food and beverages for our energy needs. Unwanted materials are excreted from our body.

These are necessary exchanges, but there can be exchanges for intangible realities such as ideas and love.

As a guide for understanding systems and as an indicator of irregularities, entropy finds its true meaning in the second law of thermodynamics. The entropy of closed systems increases up to a certain value and remains constant. The higher the entropy, the higher the level of irregularity.

For example, we are born in an organized state; however, as life continues, it drives our entropy higher and we leave this world at the maximum level of entropy. In other words, we posses a lower entropy when we step into this world. We mature as our entropy gets higher and we migrate into the other world with the ticket of death at the maximum form of entropy.

When the events inside and outside ourselves are halted, death becomes inevitable. It is through the uptake of materials from the outside world (oxygen, water, food, etc) that entropy slows down, so that we can sustain an average lifespan. An open system allows us to survive.

If we close the borders and cut our relations with the outer world, open systems are observed to generate entropy quickly, causing an internal disruption that may lead to death. Hadrian’s Wall of England, the Great Wall of China, and the Berlin wall of Germany can be presented as examples of detrimental functions. Similarly, the former Soviet Union was a closed system, and the hardships it caused are further evidence that such systems are not natural when they violate the second law of thermodynamics and they are not sustainable.

It is possible to talk about the entropy of any organization by looking at the level of its irregularity. A loss of variations or tensions within an organization, or an increase in the number of units, may cause an elevation of entropy.

When a living or nonliving organization approaches the moment of death, or all units become independent or equilibrated, entropy reaches its maximum value and control starts to diminish.

Conversely, if all units have a perfect interaction with the administrator and each other, this time entropy trends towards the ideal value, which is minimal, and irregularity in the system decreases.

The flow-use of energy and information is critical in organized structures such as a factory, corporation, school, government, or living organism. Upon the degradation of this state, entropy increases and efficiency decreases. If in this system there is not a structure in which information is stored, and no effective flow of information and energy is present at all stages of the hierarchy, the information from the lowest layer cannot pass through many units on its way towards the administration, and the information/energy flow among units becomes unhealthy. Entropy inevitably increases in such a process. Therefore, to ensure the proper sustainability of all organized structures, the vertical (hierarchic) and horizontal information-energy flow channels must remain open.

If work-based conflicts are experienced in between certain units in an organization (for instance, the same task is being carried out by several units) or certain jobs are being neglected, this situation refers to a major irregularity in terms of information-energy flow.

If a great portion of the power remains at the head of the structure, it is easier to make decisions and organizational efficiency is higher. The intensity of power at the lower layers of the organization therefore reduces the effectiveness of the structure, leading to chaos and disruption in information transfers.

If all units in the organization have the same authority and are equal, they are independent for all matters, this case may be classified as maximum entropy, in other words, the end of the organization.

Entropy and infinity

To understand entropy, one must consider its relation to infinity. Infinity points to a place, a situation in which an infinite amount of information is present. We can think of a book as low-entropy, organized structure where letters of the alphabet make up the words by joining together under certain rules. These words form sentences, and sentences compose chapters. Now let’s imagine that we cut the pages with a pair of scissors, and then remove words by cutting them away one by one, finally separating the words into letters. Now we are only left with a pile of letters.

At this moment, let’s ask the following question by looking at the letters collected on the table: “What do I have now?” The first answer that comes to mind will be “a pile of very scrambled letters.” But in fact, you own more than a pile of scrambled letters, since a high level of entropy also means a large amount of information.

The collection of letters on the table possesses a very large potential of information. With these letters, not only can the original book be assembled, but many books by combining the letters into different forms; this is just like in the Book of the Universe.

When the body of each organism that experiences death decays and disintegrates under the soil, it is separated into its letters – in a physical sense. Thus, each organism is converted into a potential form of information with its death. Then each part (letter) is employed for various tasks. In other words, the remnants of deceased organisms are used for writing different words, sentences, and books in the universe. This cycle points to an infinite amount of information, and infinity.

Conversion from state to state

We are moving in a state of flow towards a maximum state of entropy, carried by the execution of natural laws. In this process, almost everything is transformed from one state into another. Instantaneous renewal and growth occurs. There are parameters that we can affect in addition to the ones we cannot. For instance, once cells reach a specific size, they divide into smaller units and growth starts again. Firms, stars, and living things are like that, too. These are systems that lose energy (dissipative systems).

These systems are constantly transformed into newer states and certain dynamically-stable statuses are built. Transformations occur by arriving at branching points and many alternative states may be possible at these divergence points. Some of these states may be beneficial for the system, and some are not. However we do know that maximum entropy and making selections, whether good or bad, at the divergence points is a result of the second law of thermodynamics. For this reason, efforts to remain constantly in the stable states, which we describe as “balanced,” will mean death in some way. Try not to change, if you like. Eventually, you will witness your break down and degradation. We now recognize that human society should act as an open system. To be able survive many years, both materially and spiritually, then the exchange of information and energy should take place in a natural fashion. The spiritual guidance of the masters of faith and thought in human history teach us to be in compliance with this nature.

Furthermore, all these incidents remind us each time that balance in its absolute meaning does not exist in this world, and that it will be established somewhere else.

Reference

• Hershey, Daniel. 2010. Entropy Theory of Aging Systems, Imperial College Press.

Kasym lives with his grandson and daughter-in-law in the steppes. These steppes, native Kazakh land, can present challenges, particularly in winter. A harsh climate and specific geographic characteristics make life difficult. For those who are not born and raised there, things may be even harder. Daily life, work, travel, and other activities require struggles against nature’s routines. Kasym shepherds a herd of sheep on the steppes through winter and fights with the hardships of the season. On the other hand, some visiting hunters, equipped with advanced modern technology such as a vehicle, weapons, and a navigation tool, get lost; some even die.

Extreme cold weather and wild animals, mainly wolves, challenge the herd and the old man; they face fatal dangers. His grandson, Erali, having not heard from his grandfather for longer than expected takes off to search for Kasym. Although Erali and the old man do not seem to be on very good terms with each other, Erali’s efforts in looking for Kasym reveal his love towards his grandfather. Local folks, along with some rescuers, join Erali in his endeavor. Kasym is able to use his knowledge of the native land, where he spent all his life, to survive against the cold and the wolves’ attacks. Constantly moving, he manages to help a surviving hunter as well. Days later, just as his hopes are fading, Erali finds Kasym, who outwits nature while the visiting hunters lose their battle against the steppes.

Some critiques emphasize the parallels between Shal and Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, about an old fisherman’s fight for a catch while fishing. This may be so on the surface as both plots weave an old man figure against nature. Both may convey a deeper message, though – the advantage of the native. Kasym’s refined local skills allow him to fight the great steppes, while a team of non-natives turn helpless. As a man of dala, the great openness, Kasym knows every trick the winter in the steppes will play on him and is ready to hit back. Kasym’s grandson, Erali, who helped initiate the rescue, may, on another level, be considered the heir to the local knowledge. Aware of the challenges in the steppes, despite his young age, Erali, a native too, is worried that the old man may be in danger.

Shal is a successful depiction of life in the dala, the great openness, of Kazakhstan. Stories such as Shal inspire thoughts on globalization and cultural identity. The artistic sphere reflects on global and local issues and provides insight into human experience. Globalization stands as one of the major issues affecting local cultures. As the world globalizes, it raises questions of a shared global culture versus local identity. A global culture comes into being through various social and cultural processes, sharing a worldview, language, opportunities, and even food (Bird – Stevens, 2003; Khondker, 2004). Cultural identity is defined by concepts of common history, and shared experiences, practices, and culture codes (Hall, 1996). Cultural identity, which may be shared by a nation, a people, or a community – as well as a diaspora – may provide people with the power for survival. It is alive and it is reshaped through new experiences (Fanon, 2007).

Many worry that the cultural identity of communities is threatened by globalization, since a global culture has been thought to be against the idea of local culture. Many questions have been put forward: Would globalization pose threats to local knowledge? Should the local be protected against globalization? Do global agreements respect local identities?

Financial gains as well as the social impacts of globalization have been the topics of many discussions and talks. Contemporary developments in internet technology and communication, through the outreach they provide, as well as improved transportation, seem to support globalization. Social media helps send messages around the globe in an instant. We are able to learn the news around the world with just a click. The globe “becomes flat” (Friedman, 2006), as multi-national companies turn borderless. Websites sell products to international customers.

Globalization, as threatening as it may sound to some, serves the common good in many respects. Smart phones, tablets, and other electronic devices accompany individuals around the clock, with apps constituting a globally shared environment where global and local characteristics interact. For instance, travelers around the globe are able to track international and local flights in an instant, no matter where they may be. International locations such as airports offer services available and known to travelers around the globe. Global aid organizations such as Kimse Yok Mu or Doctors without Borders reach those in need of assistance around the world. Policies about certain issues such as global warming cover millions, even billions, of people. Through global efforts to protect the environment, awareness is raised among many people. Global values such as human rights protect vast swaths of people (Castells, 2005). Global interfaith and intercultural dialogue efforts reach communities that are trying to avoid conflict. Various groups, communities, and nations may come to understand one another and resolve conflicts through global dialogue efforts. Different experiences are shared by the global community.

At the same time, what we consider global may help define its opposite, the local. Tomlinson’s (2003) approach to globalization and cultural identity brings along a broader lens through which to view globalization and identity. Contrary to perceiving globalization as the destroyer of cultural identity, Tomlinson puts forward globalization to generate identity. People may tend to identify with their own community the most in the event of globalization; their shared values, sense of space, and cultural identity empower continuity (Widdis, 2006). In a sense, awareness of globalization brings about awareness of local cultural identity. As in Thai educational reform (Jungck – Kajornsin, 2003), local wisdom is brought back to provide a larger living arena for generations to come. Local wisdom lives on as gleaned from a cultural existence in a local surrounding. On another level, Dupuis (2014) looked into cultural management issues between Canadian and French environments. What he concluded may be valid for localities around the globe. He emphasized the differences in local cultures and the variability of interaction between any global force and local elements. Thus, global contribution may rely on local wisdom.

In 1984, Kundera wrote in The Tragedy of Central Europe that the identity owned by a people is reflected in its culture and the culture becomes an increasingly-owned value for people if their shared identity is threatened. When global activities threaten local identity, it will be protected and emphasized more. The impact of globalization on local elements deserves longitudinal investigation. Yet, today, whenever there is some discussion of globalization, locality is invariably involved and the local elements affected by global activities are on the agenda of those interested.

Similarly, European Union regulations, when evaluated as documents with global characteristics, are almost always mentioned along with respect for local elements. EU legislation ensures respect for locality. Tomlinson (2003) stated that cultural identity, which will not be easily shaken by globalization, is a powerful dimension of community life. Global activities, instead of threatening, may be highlighting the local identities that represent various forms of belonging – belonging to a land, belonging in a particular culture, or belonging to a community or group. For instance, there is no doubt that locals seem to have an advantage in their own territories when extreme locations such as deserts, poles, or glaciers are considered. Populations living in or around these territories possess localized knowledge, experience, and familiarity, all of which define their identities. It would take a foreigner, no matter how well equipped, years to attain and master such knowledge.

The interaction between globalization and local elements may be viewed from even more diverse angles. For instance, although conflict on the international level is more visible (than interdependence), global activities may indicate a dimension of interdependence (Pevehouse, 2004) between the local and the global, similar to the interdependence among states in the US or the interdependence among EU countries. In Wittgenstein’s words, interdependence is very much a part of the natural context:

“Just as we cannot think of spatial objects at all apart from space, or temporal objects apart from time, so we cannot think of any object apart from the possibility of its connection with other things.”

Various considerations of globalization and locality breed new concepts such as glocalization and grobalization. Glocalization refers to the interaction between the global and the local, with distinct outcomes in some geographic regions (Ritzer, 2003). Singapore may be one example where glocalization processes prevailed. Grobalization, on the other hand, is about growth and globalization concerns in a more corporate sense. Both glocalization and grobalization, and related concepts of hybridity and creolization, are worth further appreciation. They are hereby mentioned solely for the sake of suggestion.

Thus, in the Shal, Kasym’s story would have taken a different course if the visiting hunters had collaborated with him, the native. Shal offers a beautifully painted picture of struggles for survival on a harsh land where local knowledge, wisdom, and expertise are invaluable and global information may mostly be short of depth.

References

• Bird, A., – Stevens, M. J. (2003). Toward an emergent global culture and the effects of globalization on obsolescing national cultures. Journal of International Management, 9(4), 395-407.
• Castells, M. (2010). Globalisation and identity. Quaderns de la Mediterrania, (5), 183-189.
• Dupuis, J. P. (2014). New approaches in cross-cultural management research The importance of context and meaning in the perception of management styles. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 14(1), 67-84.
• Fanon, F. (2007). The wretched of the earth. Grove Press.
• Friedman, T. L. (2006). The world is flat [updated and expanded]: A brief history of the twenty-first century. Macmillan.
• Hall, S. (1996). Cultural identity and cinematic representation. Black British cultural studies: A reader, 210-222.
• Jungck, S., – Kajornsin, B. (2003). Thai wisdom” and glocalization: Negotiating the global and the local in Thailand’s national education reform. Local meanings, global schooling: Anthropology and world culture theory, 27-49.
• Khondker, H. H. (2004). Globalization to Glocalization: Evolution of a Sociological Concept. Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore.
• Kundera, M. (1984). The tragedy of central Europe. The New York Review of Books, 31(7), 33-38.
• Pevehouse, J. C. (2004). Interdependence theory and the measurement of international conflict. Journal of Politics, 66(1), 247-266.
• Ritzer, G. (2003). Rethinking globalization: Glocalization/grobalization and something/nothing. Sociological theory, 21(3), 193-209.
• Widdis, R. W. (2006). Globalization, Glocalization and the Canadian West as Region: A Geographer’s View. Acadiensis, 129-137.
• http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2182115/

I was surprised and asked myself for a couple of seconds, “What time has come?”

A moment later, I remembered that Peter’s wife was expecting a baby. I had told them, “Whenever required, I will be ready with my car.” However, a few days earlier, my wife had told me that they still had a month until the baby was due.

I got up, dressed quickly, and went downstairs to meet them. We were at the hospital within 5-10 minutes. While his wife was being taken to the delivery room, Peter was both excited and nervous. We both waited outside the delivery room, praying.

After some time the doctor came out of the delivery room and told us that the baby was prematurely born and had to remain in special care for a while. Reassuring us that “premature” did not mean something serious, the doctor said, “No need to worry!” and continued: “We consider babies who are born before the 36th week to be premature. Nearly 8% of births are premature. There are many reasons behind this. Does your wife smoke cigarettes?”

Peter replied, “No.”

The doctor continued: “Even though premature birth usually is seen with mothers who abuse harmful substances like cigarettes, and those who work difficult jobs and suffer from malnutrition, there are also other physiological causes. Babies who are born prematurely are put into incubators to protect them and help regulate their temperatures. Monitoring the body temperature of a baby inside an incubator is very important; if their body temperature drops below a certain degree, it could be life threatening.”

Peter became sad and confused. He must have imagined babies in incubators as lonely and deprived of their mothers’ attention. He hesitantly asked, “Isn’t there any other way?”

The doctor said, “In fact there is; recently, a more effective new method that can replace incubators has been found. We can implement it depending on the condition of the baby.”

We started to pay more attention to the doctor.

“The method is called Kangaroo Mother Care. The premature baby is initially taken into an incubator for a review of his or her overall health. Then, the baby is handed over to the mother to balance his or her body temperature. The mother places the baby so its chest aligns with the center of hers, and wraps the baby with her body. In this position, the skin of the mother and baby are in direct contact. Thus not only are the body temperatures of the babies kept under control, but they can also access their mothers’ milk just as in the case of kangaroos.”

When I asked about more possible advantages of this method, the doctor continued:

“Studies have shown that the Kangaroo Mother Care method is very successful and even safer than the incubator. This method contributes positively to the development of the baby since it enforces the emotional relationship between mother and baby. There are other benefits of Kangaroo Mother Care, too: the baby relaxes with the warmth of the mother, balancing his or her heart and respiratory rhythms. Therefore, it reduces the need for incubators and the time spent in hospitals.”

Then the doctor told us that we could go home; they were going to keep the baby under control and decide within a couple days whether they would resort to this method or not.

Once we got home, I searched for information about Kangaroo Mother Care. An article I read mentioned how well it regulated heat.

The body temperatures of people living in both Ecuador and the Polar Regions are kept constantly at 36-37 degrees Celsius. The thermos-regulation center located in the hypothalamus is assigned the task of balancing body temperature. This center, which occupies a very small space, works like a thermostat. It mobilizes the system to lower the body temperature when we are overheated, and increases it when we feel colder. The center, which is composed of two sections, is located in the frontal and mid part of the hypothalamus; the frontal one is in charge of initiating mechanisms lowering our body heat and the one in the mid-section is assigned to increase it. What stimulates the center are the heat sensors embedded in our skin.

There are two different thermos-receptors for cold (Krause end bulbs) and heat (Ruffini endings). Even a small amount of temperature difference is transmitted to the center instantly and the system becomes active. Sweating is executed to reduce body heat. For this, body heat is transported to the skin. The enlargement of blood vessels plays a critical role here. This way, the transfer of heat to the skin is enhanced. On the other hand, to warm us up, blood vessels constrict and shivering begins.

Our world has been created in a remarkable way. Not only can human bodies regulate their temperatures, but so can other animals – and even planets. Kangaroo Mother Care is a manifestation of this balance, as a mother is able to give her child warmth while her own temperature is regulated by her body.

Peter’s story has a happy ending. The baby recovered in a few weeks and was brought home.

References

• P. Kavitha, R. Aroun Prasath, P. Krishnaraj. 2012. “A Study To Assess The Knowledge On Kangaroo Mother Care Among Post Natal Mothers,” Journal of Science, Vol 2, Issue 1.
• www.jhsph.edu
• http://www.kangaroomothercare.com