You lie not while joking or fighting, but when right
You didn’t do good for the temporary reward
You did not submit to false associations or pride
All you sought was the pleasure of your Lord

You were a slave by choice
To a master who deserved the best
Yet He demanded nothing but your heart,
Damaged but repaired with regrets

You didn’t sell your soul for a small price
You saved it until the market was high
And you sold it to the best buyer
Whose mercy welcomed you to Paradise

You were pleased with your Lord
And the faith He chose for you
You raced for His forgiveness
Sticking to hard work, submission, and what was true 

You fulfilled your obligations, and were kind, too
You couldn’t give much but constantly gave your best
You were grateful to God no matter what
And you kept no grudges in your chest

You devoted your youth to the One
In solitude, you shed all your precious tears
You treated everyone with respect
And as a volunteer, looked after an orphan 

You promoted good and forbade bad
Yet you never judged anyone
You followed a path in your quest for knowledge
But your parents, you never shunned

You restrained your gaze, even locked your tongue
You caged your thoughts and counted each breath fall
So now your soul is free in a body unbounded by death
As you never considered minor sins so small

So now you enter as a VIP, while everyone waits
You step in and already know your home
A private palace of jewels with no noise or rent
Purely customized to be your dome

You’re surprised how it’s exactly what you love
Intricacy in each, and everything so bold
Royally placed, silver doors and bricks of gold
Without the excessive heat or the bitter cold

You see golden butterflies fluttering around a tree outside
So you travel beneath the shade of its glory for 100 years 
Colors your eyes have never seen
You start sweating musk at whatever that appears

Scenery being painted in front of you as you think
In lush green gardens, you ride your park
Suspended there thinking, Is this all mine?
Even when my report card had many red marks?

Now think of never having to feel hunger and stress
Never feeling intensity of pain inconceivable by the brain
All the truths unravel and it’s all clear at once:
No arguments to prove who’s sane or insane

No regrets, no waiting, no hatred or discrimination
No sorrow or fatigue; no wanting to catch a wink.
Boredom is a word you simply forget
Wishing that your eye would now never blink 

What you seek is what you see and hear
Smelling the best and thinking the rest.
A world of perfection, with nothing to fear
It couldn’t get any better, yet you got the best

You squint at the special upper abodes
Far away from you, shining like bright stars
You keep thinking you couldn’t ever reach them
Until you get upgraded from where you are

Maybe you had daughters that you treated so well
Maybe your children died and your patience pulled you up
Maybe you died with them, never bidding peace farewell
Sticking to your testimony as the last words for a ticket above

The good character you taught your kids and their prayers
Added to your deeds, even after death
Maybe you never had kids, yet you collected
So much charity that you were out of breath

Maybe some among your pious mates are up there
They want you with them in the Garden
You couldn’t be happier for the blood you shared
Or maybe they were from the friends you chose

You go up there and are filled with awe
For you never imagined such beauty ever existed
Suddenly you see all the prophets gathered
Facing each other on raised thrones, coexisting

Surrounded by gold trees and soil more fragrant than musk
With pebbles underneath of ruby, pearl, and sapphire
Dressed in gold embroidered, fine green silk attire
Eating together: delicious food and fruits, melting in the mouth

Around them, servants revolve like scattered pearls
With never fading youth and cushions lined on stage
They have access to celebrities not surrounded by security
Adam, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad; all the same age

You rush to them in excitement, and suddenly
Moses parts the sea with his staff
Your pace suddenly slows down, to absorb the grandeur;
You had to close your eyes to even imagine this

But now it’s a reality, your eyes wide open
Never did 4D have so many dimensions
Your overloaded senses make your heart burst
As your mind is stampeded with 1000 questions

The Seal of Messengers greet, taking your name
And you can’t decide whether to cry or faint with glee
So you just stand with them, shoulder to shoulder
And pray as he leads

The river of emotions flows through your veins
But a drenched soul can’t express your gratitude
The tides of rapture bring a hurricane inside you
The soul soars high, with your heartbeats engulfed

You ask for the staff from Moses
And rush to your mates to show off your delight
In your way you find Solomon
You ask for his winged horse and take it for a flight

You join the Angels and holy ones
Flying like green birds with freedom
You fill the cup at hand, with a delicious drink
Right from the flowing spring of Eden

You look down and see adorable babies around Abraham
Mountains humming along with the rhythm of David
You never heard a melody so beautiful
As more hypnotizing voices join in the mood

All your life you thought of meeting these ancestors in heaven
The ones who sacrificed their lives for your faith to be strong
Their efforts were what made it easy for you
You owed them a token of thanks all along

“Was it a woman with a smile?
When her hands and feet were pierced by nails?
Or was it a man, thrown into fire
When he didn’t put his faith on sale?”

The reward of those who suffered in the world
Made you yearn for your skin to be sliced
Now that they find delight in their past miseries
You hear their sad stories with a smile

Above all earthly cares they now soar
Beyond the hurts they patiently endured
You watch light flow from broken hearts
Maybe you’re one of them

Suddenly you’re interrupted by a magical voice
Which is even better than what you have heard before
The voice of your Creator addressing you                              
He’ll show Himself clear, like a full moon‘s wash

Goosebumps cover your skin in anticipation
And you hold your breath till you see His face
You feel like shouting at the top of your lungs
Glorified You are, when He uncovers His grace 

And you whisper to yourself: “Praise be to the One,
My Master didn’t let me be influenced by them
Those who said there was no God, or heaven or hell;
If only they had a heart attached to a brain stem.

If only they could see what I’m seeing right now! 
Their doubts wouldn’t have ever rid them of hope,
Hope of being able to see the invisible. 
But womb to dust was their only known globe.”

You have every desire at your fingertips 
Yet you want to do nothing but quietly stare
At One who’s guidance directed your soul
It’s like you’re new yet you, but enraptured

You don’t feel like going to the heavenly market anymore
For your beauty is enhanced with just a glance
Seeing Moses looking at His Lord without fainting
You just circulate in infinite loops of a euphoric trance

A single life seed you sowed and
Reaped into forever more
Each and every wish granted;
In fulfillment, you run out of more

Wanting this all will never end
So an end will be put to death forever
So much joy that you could just die,
But death has died forever

Never before were dreams so real
Never again can reality be more
Never before was ecstasy such
And never again can life be most

My imagination is made up of what I know
It doesn’t go beyond my thoughts
So I wait in serenity till that day comes
When reality will connect all the dots

The test is here and the results there
Do you just dream or do you strive?
For time is running out, and the price is high
A limited offer, but worth a life
Or more…

Note: The poem has been inspired by a beautiful Jannah poem by Ammar Alshukry.

So, it would be a general history and therefore would belong to no one. A century that will pass us by. As if it were a huge ocean liner that passes by a man fallen overboard. I want to see the 21^st century – but not from above, or from the waves below; I want to let it pass through us. I myself will not be able to do this. But my daughter will. Thus it will be her age. The 21st will be the century of my daughter, Manya. 

The intersection My Manya was born last year. So she has already missed 15 years of the current century. Not a big deal, for literary and political centuries do not often match flawlessly with calendar ones. I hope she has the longevity genes from her father’s family and will live at least 90 years: like her great-grandmother Ivanka, who is now 91. And although Ivanka has problems with her short-term memory, she is still able to reconstruct the century through which she has lived. I watch my child sitting on her lap. Two centuries – the past and the future – overlapping for a brief moment. Great grandmother will already forget Manya in several minutes. At a year old, Manya will not yet remember her great grandmother. The intersection of time – a prime meridian, from which both will move on in the opposite direction.

One touch-contemporaneity My Manya has been delivered into this century without epidural anesthesia, though it would have made birthing easier. For many, the 21st century is the age of effortlessness. Beginning with childbirth and ending with ordering a pizza – just by a simple touch on a screen. Bon appétit! Enjoy your pizza. Another touch, and you’ve bought a car. Touch again – you’ve added the president as a Facebook friend. Divorced your wife. Hacked a bank. One more touch – and you’re out of the game. Such hocus-pocus. A century of touch-omnipotence.

My little Manya already understands this trick: she knows how to load a game or a cartoon on a tablet, like pulling a rabbit from a hat. Once she saw a butterfly outside the window. She quickly poked her little finger on the glass trying to shift the butterfly to the side, as if she were playing on a tablet. But the butterfly didn’t move. At all. She tried again. Nothing. Disappointed, she looked at me. Hocus-pocus didn’t work.

Most likely, the 21st century will be the age of disappointment in reality, as virtual reality seems to be much better. It’s more understandable. More customary. And much easier-to-use. We live in a time of touch-modernity. I don’t want my Manya to become a prisoner of two-dimensional images. I don’t want her to choose tricks. I want her to focus on the real. So that live butterflies flutter around her and sit on her tiny outstretched finger.          

The age of GODgets While Manya sleeps, our smart baby monitor securely watches her. It’s my irreplaceable Techno-Cyclops. He informs me when my child is moving and crying; he indicates the level of humidity and the temperature in our baby’s room. My Cyclops sees clearly in the darkness, though he is not yet able to rock my child. My smartphone and tablet have become inseparable friends with him: they all provide me with reliable baby monitoring, no matter where I am. So my Manya is surrounded by ubiquitous gadgets. Her age is one of gadget pollution. Right now, it’s less painful to lose a passport than a smartphone. You just need to restore a few facts for a passport. However, with a lost gadget, you may irreversibly lose a great deal of your life, including contacts, notes, and photos. A smartphone is the best plaything for Manya. Not toy-like, but real. No one can fool her. She doesn’t yet realize, but rather feels, that it can link her to the entire world. She has decisively thrown blocks, Barbie dolls, and other toys into the playpen of the past. The 21st century is definitely the age of gadgeted kids: their gadgets turn into GODgets. This is also true for us overgadgeted adults, in fact.        

Second screen century When I feed my little one, she is usually watching YouTube cartoons. Our cat Pixel and I, carrying a plate with pablum, become her second screen. Our world today is a second screen. If you’re active in social networks, you are alive. If you don’t show up there, you don’t exist. The current century is the age of digital shadows cast by their owners who sit in front of their computers. The age of avatars that are more significant than their creators. Avatars are more mobile. More elegant. More powerful. More perfect. And you are not. They are more “alive” than you are. Created in your own (better!) image. By one click of a mouse. And you are the Creator. They are our golems of the 21^st century.         

My sister is Manya’s godmother. The Atlantic Ocean separates us, so she communicates with us via Skype. At first, Manya looked behind the tablet, searching for my sister. Every time she looked, was surprised not to find her there. “No?” In confusion she shrugged her little shoulders. When they say goodbye to each other, Manya leans her forehead forward to the screen, so my sister can kiss her. She does not yet realize that a flat screen, 4,509 miles, and a seven-hour time difference separates the two of them. As for me, I can’t imagine how we managed to live without Skype.

I am curious how my Manya will react to her godmother when she sees her in the flesh for the first time. Not on a tablet looking-glass. Not two-dimensional. Not reduced. For Manya, her godmother on a tablet here in Lviv is more realistic than the real one in Toronto. The screen compensates and constructs a new reality. Technically transferred across the Atlantic. Synchronized. Colorful. Mobile. Compact. Easy to manipulate. After all, Manya can easily turn her godmother off and turn her favorite cartoon on. 

The age of techno-exhaustion The 21st century might become the age of techno-exhaustion. At that point, my Manya will log off Skype and go outside to watch the sky. She will go beyond the illuminated city to see the glow of the stars on a nocturnal horizon. Not so bright. Not so close. But real. With no switches or a dependence on current and coverage. Off-the-grid tourism might become the most popular attraction in the 21^st century; people will crave vacations with no wires or wi-fi. I hope my Manya will travel to the remote Carpathian Mountains. There, she’ll walk barefoot on the knotgrass. Drink water from a spring. Her number will not be available at that moment. So, like every devoted mother, I’ll be worried.         

There may also be exhaustion from the techno lie. From accounts without owners. From millions of Facebook friends with few real ones. From millions of likes, but few of them sincere. From an avalanche of messages with few essential ones. From love without hugs. From a hundred upcoming years of solitude – either on or off the Net. An age of fatigue from spam. From trolling. Verification of data. Revealing fakes. From an excess of backups. Even from data traffic speed. My Manya will have to deal with it. She’ll have to be able to choose. And I want her to prefer an apple to Apple. A word to Word. A window to Window(s). And an icon to icons.

The age of chemical agents From her very birth, Manya has been suffering from allergies. Her tender skin breaks out in red spots because of diapers, water, and food, though I buy the best for her. Most of my friends have the same problem. There was no such thing problem during our youth, my parents say. Probably, they were healthier in their century – at least before the Chernobyl disaster. The 21^st century is packed with chemicals. This is the age of bread that does not go stale. Milk that does not go sour. Strawberries that do not spoil. Apples without worms. Watermelons without seeds. And a life without taste.

While we were on our vacation this summer, we bathed Manya in the Black Sea, but only in the morning. After an evening dip, she became completely covered in spots. First, I couldn’t understand why. Later I realized the evening sea had become a mixture of sunscreen, tanning lotions, sprays, and oils. Manya was swimming in chemical agents. Thus, the age of my Manya will resemble a seashore without a real sea.

Homo selfie I don’t trust this age because it is too self-admiring. Has there been any single century as narcissistic as the current one? If yes, not as massively. Not as absurd. I am curious as to which century the Me-Me-Me-Generationbelongs. Its head and body may have remained in the frame of the 20^th century. But the selfie stick held in its hands has made its way into the next shot, that of the 21st century. The next frame crosses into Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s painting, “The Blind Leading the Blind.” With just one difference: there are smartphones on each of their sticks. The most interesting selfie should be captured by a person who is already falling into a precipice. He will probably manage to post it on Instagram or on Facebook, and will even manage to catch a few dozen likes. I want to cut the last shot out of the film tape of the 21^st century. I want to draw those blind men’s eyes in Photoshop so they can see the precipice and turn back. But the inertia of their inner blindness and self-infatuation is incurable. It leads them directly to their precipice. Homo Selfie has no eyes to see ahead. His/her eyes are turned around only to look at himself/herself and fail to see the abyss under his/her very nose.   

My Manya is now in her mirror stage. Her selfie stage will come later on. I hope she will not become infected by selfie-mania. I hope she will look around with fascination at the world outside herself. I hope she will seek her reflection in the eyes of her future beloved. Or will play with it on the mirror of a mountain lake while looking into the water from a fishing boat.  She’ll carry not a selfie stick but a simple fishing rod in her hands, and if good luck holds, a mirrored carp will take the bait.   

To go, or not to go? I wonder what kind of generation Manya’s will be. Presumably, it will be a time of anchortechs: it will be possible to live your entire life without leaving your room-cell. You will get your education via the Net. Work at home. Turn your home into an office. A museum. A library. A cinema. A restaurant.  There will be no need to go out. Never be late. Never lose your keys. Never forget your umbrella while it’s raining. Never be crunched by a crowd in the metro at rush hour. Never be stuck in a traffic jam. Never be stuck in the elevator. Never be robbed on the street. Never wait for a taxi. Never iron an office suit. Never break your high heels. Never be a passive smoker. Never be a person-on-the-go. So, would one remain human at all? What would happen to bees if they stopped flying out of their cells to collect honey? The worst thing I suppose – their wings would atrophy.       

I don’t want my Manya to lose her wings. Wings are what make us human beings. I don’t want her to become a prisoner of her cell. I want her to forget her umbrella while it’s raining. To lose her keys. To be late. To take coffee-to-go. To break her high-heels. I also want her to ride a horse. To fly on a hot-air balloon. To hold her beloved’s hand. While watching the night sky she’ll argue with him over which constellation corresponds most to its particular strange name.   

The “Battefly” Effect I want to believe that my Manya’s century will be an age of love that will lead to mutual understanding. An age of knowledge that will lead to wisdom. An age of belief that will lead to hope. Whatever inventions it would be characterized by, whatever cataclysms, wars, TV commercials, or GPS maps, the soul of the next century depends on us.     

When my Manya saw a butterfly outside the window for the second time, she put her tablet away and approached the window, and cheerfully exclaiming to me: “Battefly-Battefly!” (she wasn’t able to pronounce the word “butterfly” correctly yet). The battefly quivered its golden filigree wings with black veins in the sun. This time Manya didn’t try to move it aside like on a touch screen – she examined it with an admiration from inside of our room-cell on the fifth floor. I want this butterfly to remain in Manya’s memory for her entire life, as if preserved in a piece of amber. So that a recollection of this very emotion will remain eternally powerful; will remind her to choose the real instead of the artificial. And so that the “Battefly” effect, from this very moment on, will initiate a chain of positive events in Manya’s life.        

Our 91-year-old great grandmother Ivanka resists letting the 21^st century into her memory – she stubbornly intends to live out her days in her own past. Manya grows bored on her lap. She carefully climbs down, says “bye-bye” to her great grandmother, and runs up to me. She grabs me by the hand and pulls me behind her. Toward her own century, the 21^st century.

Salt is a critical compound for life. Salt that dissolves in water becomes ionized, and plays a crucial role in maintaining the ionic equilibrium of the human body. It allows the sodium-potassium pump to run. Salt is also necessary for plant and animal life, but the amount of salt must be balanced here, too. When this balance is disrupted, land exposed to excessive salt becomes barren. This is a real risk for arable land. In areas where temperatures are high and there is little precipitation, over-irrigation with the intent of boosting productivity might backfire, causing over-salinization of the land. Over-salinization happens when water travelling underground from the earth’s surface encounters a layer of soil with little permeability. As such, the water starts accumulating on this layer. If the irrigation of such land continues, the level of water accumulated underground rises.

When humidity on the surface of the land decreases due to evaporation and plants consuming water, the accumulated underground water begins travelling upwards to the surface through capillary channels in the soil. This is called “capillary movement.” During this phenomenon, salt already in the soil and in the underground water is also transferred to the upper layers of the soil. Yet, this upward movement of salt in geological structures is not a main determinant of soil salinization; what is critical is the amount of salt in the irrigation water. The rate of salt in irrigation water should not exceed 1000 ppm. Even the Euphrates River, which is considered to be high-quality irrigation water, carries approximately one ton of soluble salt to one hectare (10,000 m2 or 2.47 acres) of land every year.

Salt carried by irrigation water does not directly cause over-salinization. There are mediating factors, such as the height of the underground water table, the natural hydrogeological characteristics of the land, over-irrigation, and excessive and erroneous use of fertilizers.

The evaporation of water from the earth’s surface accelerates during the hot and dry summer months. In return, the rate of salt accumulated in soil increases. When land is irrigated every year, the amount of accumulated salt in the upper layers of soil increases. This might cause fertile land to gradually become salty and barren. Such over-salinization does not happen in areas with high precipitation, since salt that exists naturally in soil in such areas is first carried to rivers and underground water sources, and then to lakes and seas.  

Over-salinization is a huge problem. Every year, approximately 10 million hectares of land are becoming barren because of over-salinization. Due to wrong irrigation methods and extremely dry seasons, over-salinization is common in many developed countries where fertile agricultural land is faced with desertification. Such a loss of fertile land means a loss of billions of dollars in these countries’ budgets.

Another reason for over-salinization, which then leads to desertification, is the destruction of forestland for use as agricultural land. With the disappearance of trees, the ecological balance of many environments has been slowly destroyed. This has been followed by improper irrigation, eventually causing over-salinization. As a result, attempts to turn forestland into agricultural land have generated vast but useless fields. Australia is losing 130 million dollars worth of agricultural land every year – and this number keeps increasing.

There are historical records documenting that vast fertile areas turned into deserts due to over-salinization. The region called Mesopotamia, surrounded by Iraq, Eastern Syria, and Southeastern Anatolia, was the cradle for many important civilizations due to its highly fertile land. Unfortunately, this region has largely gone through a mass desertification. Researchers have determined that this desertification was predominantly due to the over-salinization of the soil.

What is the solution?

Traditionally, the most important measure taken against over-salinization has been to establish a drainage system for fields in arid or semiarid climates. This system can be in the form of surface or subsurface drainage through which excess irrigation water, along with the salt in the soil, are removed via canals or pipes.

Different kinds of crops require different amounts of water. Diversifying the kinds of crops planted in the same field can also prevent desertification. Some years, crops that do not need much water should be planted to help reduce the amount of salt in the soil. Using a drip or sprinkler irrigation system can further reduce salinization.

The time of day irrigation is performed also has an effect on the soil. Irrigation should be performed after sunset, especially in hot climates, to minimize the water evaporation that triggers salinization. Another way to reduce evaporation is by planting crops that have thick vegetation during the summer months. They can shield the soil from the hot summer sun.

Increasingly, some farmers are combatting over-salinization by planting salt-tolerant crops. Grain crops – like wheat, corn, or barley – are not salt-tolerant, but plants like sugar beets, cotton, grapes, sunflowers, and alfalfa can help to decrease the amount of salt in the soil.

The final but most important step in reducing over-salinization is educating people in the agricultural sector. They should be informed about all aspects of proper irrigation. This would not only decrease over-salinization, but also maximize productivity.

If we can put all these measures into practice, we will have the chance to avoid the “white death” of much of the Earth’s soil. We have to learn to look at the ecosystem holistically, realizing that all bounties given to us, including water and salt, are only useful if they are consumed in a balanced way. Only then can we leave the world entrusted to us in a greener, more productive and livable condition for future generations.

This issue takes us on a tour from Asia to the Mediterranean. The ocean just off the coast of Taiji, Japan, turns blood red every year when dolphin hunting season starts. Betul Aydin describes this graphic tragedy, which sees the senseless slaughter of these cute, intelligent animals. The author wonders: Is such a massacre really necessary? Why does this hunting have to be so indiscriminate and painful? Is dolphin meat healthy? What are the environmental consequences of this bloodshed? We hope Aydin’s article can raise further awareness about this tragedy.

Off to the west, our next stop is Spain. We’ve covered Andulusia and the Alhambra palace before. But the Andalusian Umayyads built such a fantastic, enduring civilization that it is worth revisiting, whether through a reference to their scientific magnificence or an appreciation of the architectural monuments they left behind, like the Alhambra. Faisal Warsani writes about the palace’s beautiful ornamentation, including the grand muqarnas, courtyards, and geometric patterns.

Back to the Far East, Daniel Skubik takes us to South Korea, sharing his reflections from an interfaith trip in which he recently participated. Skubik says the term “interfaith dialogue” is ambiguous and too often misleading, since it is used to cover a wide variety of interactions and expectations. He writes about four forms of engagement that help explain what interfaith dialogue really means and how it should be implemented.

Dialogue does not only occur through face-to-face engagement. Daniel Hummel writes on an important part of our modern lives, which influences our interfaith conversations, too: social media. We’ve all faced the cruelty of “internet trolls.” How can we use the internet to discuss important, sometimes divisive subjects without resorting to vitriol, name calling, and personal insults?

Let us remind you that the 2016 Essay Contest “I Am an Immigrant” is still underway. The deadline has been extended to December 31. For submissions and other details, go to http://essay.fountainmagazine.com.

Once ears have heard You
They are deaf to another.
You sit upon the throne of hearts;
They do not desire another.

Your Name, sweetest on the tongue
Praised in every breath;
Once your love is tasted,
No other honey is needed

Once a soul loves You,
Has come to meet You,
And attained Your privacy,
It needs no more prosperity

The poor are rich with You.
You are the only strength of the weak.
Those praising You with zeal
Will suffer no more

The old school was self-contained and avoided any interactions with the outer world. It relied only on its own truths and did not allow any others to flourish. In fact, in some situations, it opposed everything new, ignored the interpretations of the time, did not grasp the role of reason in the progress of humanity, and could not assess the unique content and meanings of the changing age. Thus, the old school fell to the new age, just like Mephistopheles defeated the careless, reckless, indifferent novice Faust.

The new school, which has run full-speed ahead to fill the void left by the old school, declared everything of the past an enemy. The new school based its worldview and life philosophy on enmity and hatred, and nurtured these feelings with constant clashes. These swept away the old values and dried up society’s whole spiritual structure. After this terrible social erosion, in Akif’s words, there remained only, “Destroyed cities, ruined homes, unfrequented deserts / Futile days, and evenings with no dreams for tomorrow.” Though critiquing the ideas and practices of the past is understandable, the new school did not only obliterate fabricated narratives, but an entire cultural heritage. It spat in the face of a whole society’s past, ridiculed belief systems, customs, and traditions, condemned victories as banditry, and interpreted and presented a proud history as a comedy. Its distorted philosophy considered faith in God to be an empty consolation and deceit, worship to be a waste of time, divine love to be delirium, and devotion to spiritual roots to be nostalgia. It derided everything we inherited from the past; with the refrain, “out with the old and in with the new,” it smashed into pieces the spiritual foundation in our hearts.

But the old school was not innocent either. At times, it opposed science and freedom of thought due to mistaken interpretations. Its proponents wanted to pull society to pre-contemporary times. This was clearly bigotry.

Both approaches have been quite aggressive, intolerant, and uninformed regarding human and national realities. In some circumstances the old school cursed every new idea and insisted upon remaining closed to new interpretations of the time. Meanwhile, the new school overturned everything they considered to be old, not realizing that one day their national identity would disappear with the things they had overturned. Both schools went to extremes –one clinging to the past without tolerance for any change; the other trying to eliminate it as it aspired for revolution. The day came when “neither religion nor faith remained; religion was in ruins and faith became a mirage” (Akif).

These two currents of thinking are still intertwined, yet also at each other’s throats. Those who profess enlightenment are in fact themselves defeated by dark forces; some believe hearts are at war with indisputable reason. Those who appear to defend democratic and human values are in fact hostile to any such values, even among themselves. Those boorish ones who believe they have an exclusive relationship with God – even if they are just a few – are labeling everyone as infidels or “beasts” (dabbat al-ard – Qur’an 27:82). Yes, both sides are extremely tense and angry. They are like two bombs, ready to explode.

Of course, both schools have some aspects that are right, but since balance is not maintained and interpretations are stretched to extremes, they both lose. Certainly, those who stand up for religion have their backs supported by centuries of a magnificent past, spiritual meaning, essence, vitality, and the privilege of being native. But because their hearts have been trapped in enmity and hatred, they commit injustices, losing their legitimate ground and polluting their path of good deeds with sins. How sincere are they when they claim to represent that spiritual meaning, spirit, and essence? It is always a matter of debate. If the substance of what we call essence and meaning have been lost and habits have taken their place; if consciousness has flown away and its throne has fallen to instinct; if the capacity for renewal has become dull; if the power to build up has weakened; if the love of thought, art, and research has died out, then in these circumstances, “If they say the community is alive, that is very wrong / Show a people that has remained alive when its spirit is already dead” (Akif).

Our society has the capacity to cultivate a civilization, a culture, and an art, as well as a spirituality. This potential needs heroic lovers of truth to stimulate its rebirth. However, since we lack these heroes, it is like living in poverty, despite abundance. In spite of vast resources, people are writhing in helplessness and passively expecting an exceptional divine grace. Human consciousness and willpower have been made worthless, replaced by some mythological fantasies. A community whose values have been turned upside-down is no different than a heedless horde. A creature as noble as humankind has been downgraded to the level of cattle, the society to a herd, and those who are leading them to shepherds. This state of affairs is the greatest disrespect to both man and his leaders.

The old school is amazingly rich in regard to the essence that forms it, but it is also incredibly poor, for it cannot benefit from these gifts. By contrast, the new school is extremely materialist, extremely positivist, and extremely rationalist and realist. They only accept things they can physically feel; things their eyes can see and their ears can hear. They defend their observations and are able to intoxicate others with dizzying games of logic. With their tactics, they have swayed certain people, especially those with weak faith, those who adhere to the logic of others, and those who have not been able to shake off their doubts on the subject of religion and religious affairs.

It is necessary for our society to disperse these clouds of apprehension; apprehensions which appear to be notions, but which have crept over our spirit. This is how we can attain the truth, feel a passion for it, and discover who we are. As a matter of fact, these apprehensions are absurd and inconsistent taboos fabricated by our imagination. But we have deeply internalized them in our minds as if real; as if they are proofs to our self-assumed power. For us to be able to overcome our challenges, we need reasoning and ideas that are elevated by divine knowledge.

Representatives of the old school perhaps tried to voice our values; yet they failed to appreciate the ever changing conditions of the world and that our values had aspects that needed to be reinterpreted and articulated accordingly. Faced with a world which was expanding, they shrank, and became slender and insufficient. The values of the past were precious in what they were teaching us as far as basic disciplines go, and for that matter they should be duly credited; yet it was also an inevitable fact that they needed to be nourished by what the new age has to offer. 

Under the circumstances of this conflict, have we been able to produce anything worthwhile: a new perspective on society, a new approach to science, a new direction for law, or a new research mindset? It is difficult to affirmatively answer this question. The fact that those who appear to represent the old school cannot put forth anything concrete is the reason why the members of the new school can speak so loudly.

Unfortunately, we have been unable to construct a positive future. Both parties have been too engaged in battle to plan for the future. While society’s most vital resources were being wasted in a web of opposition and animosity, contenders from both sides thought they were victorious. And I think that this fight between the blind and the deaf will continue until we have raised devotees of truth who give their backs to the past and at the same time walk towards the future and reinterpret the world through a union of science and wisdom.

Though the present is not promising, we will continue to wait for future advocates of the heart: the true owners of tomorrow, who will keep marching forward while still preserving the essence and meaning of a glorious centuries-old past. They will bring the best out of the past and the present, and will turn the tree of our society into an orchard of Paradise, one bearing fruit every day of the year, regardless of season. When these devotees will be able to speak, it will be a new day for the world and things will appear much different than they are today. Enmity, hatred, and anger will become extinguished, one-by-one. The idols of bigotry will fall one upon the other, fanatical ideas will be thrown into the garbage dump, and human discussions will replace inappropriate arguments. Fists clenched with anger will turn into warm hands embracing others, and humans will once again discover their own ascending values.

Regardless of who thinks what, I always close my eyes, and as I imagine the days when love will pour down and everyone will live with this love, I smile at my good fortune.

Throughout history, people dedicated to service have always faced animosity from those with hatred and envy in their hearts. There have also been many people who, to protect their own interests, attacked the innocent. Such animosity, and even violence, is, unfortunately, a fact of human history. Volunteers on the path of service should not be surprised by it. In spite of all the mistreatment and obstructions they face, these volunteers should keep on their path, moving forward with a pure conscience, ready to embrace all of humankind.

While walking on this path, they may sometimes be betrayed by those from whom they would anticipate fidelity; be deserted by their companions; or even find the most unexpected to be traitors. However, they should not be hindered by such negativities. On the contrary, they should find a new rationale for service, and develop new methods of serving humanity; they should be continually raising the bar with their service.

Flawless dependability

Some religious sources foretell about the “latter times” to be dominated by all sorts of evil. If we are living in these latter times, then they will be characterized by upheaval and turmoil on a large scale. Human virtues will – and already have – suffered. One such virtue is trustworthiness. In a period in which trust is lost and deception is considered to be a merit, humanity will need, and look for, individuals of flawless dependability. At a time when people are desperate to find companions who do not deceive or misguide, individuals striving for the good of humanity should serve as brilliant representatives of trust and dependability. If their words and actions are monitored for some fifty years, no one should come across even an inkling of deception.

These representatives of dependability might still have difficulty establishing trust in the hearts of all people, since they cannot have total control over how they are perceived by others. In today’s world, many are relentlessly after their material ambitions. These people, projecting their own philosophies of life onto these trustworthy people, might look for hidden agendas in all the good deeds of service. Since they will do anything and everything for a material return, they might think that any effort of service is eventually for a material gain. Therefore, even when the volunteers open schools to provide education or build centers to promote intercultural dialogue, some people will still suspect that these ventures are for some material benefit. Volunteers should not be surprised when people, even those they value and respect, are suspicious. I think the volunteers should simply disregard this suspicion and painstakingly express their good intentions at every opportunity. Needless to say, their actions should consistently and strongly confirm their words.     

Decency of intention

Believers who only seek God’s pleasure should not pursue worldly ambitions while trying to establish peace, love, and mutual understanding among human beings. Even if these believers, who have fixed their eyes on God’s pleasure, cannot fully realize their plans of love and peace, they will be treated as the heroes of their intentions and rewarded accordingly by God. As the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, stated: “Deeds go by their intentions and everybody will be given what they intended.” Accordingly, in the hereafter, people will be rewarded only on the basis of the immensity and sincerity of their intentions. For example, a group of people might set forth with the intention of bringing peace to the entire world. They might do everything they can while conditions allow. However, there might come a time when obstacles appear on their path, and they might accomplish only one tenth of what they originally intended. Since their intention was to accomplish ten out of ten, God would reward them accordingly. However, to attain such a beautiful reward, the utmost sincerity is necessary. Even the smallest worldly expectation in return for one’s service might undermine such a reward. The thought, “I wonder if they will give me an administrative position in return for the services I have carried out,” should not ever cross one’s mind.

This does not mean that these people should not accept administrative positions they deserve and are eligible for. However, people who are devoted to service for the peace of humanity should not seek any positions for material gain. They should not hasten to accept even when they are offered a position such as a minister or the prime minister. They should rather first consider whether holding such a position will serve their ideals, and then decide accordingly. Otherwise, they will have contaminated their intentions and damaged the message they could offer, since they would lose credibility and trust in the hearts of people around them. In my opinion, people of service should see even the position of the world’s greatest conqueror as a demotion for themselves. Even such a glory is a drop in the ocean compared to the ideal of helping people rise to the level of true humanity. Therefore, they should strive to design and make the most out of their lives according to these standards.

Every year on September 1st, and for the following 6 months, this, and more, is exactly what happens to dolphins. Hundreds and thousands of these peaceful creatures are murdered annually in Taiji, Japan. This harsh practice is done so people can eat dolphin meat or keep the animals captive for entertainment in marine parks or aquariums (Dolphin Hunt – Focus on Taiji, Japan, 2015).  

Types of dolphins hunted down include the bottlenose dolphins, striped dolphins, false killer whales, pantropical spotted dolphins, Risso’s dolphins, pacific white-sided dolphins, and short-finned pilot whales, and if any of these are to go extinct, there would be a major issue in the ocean’s environment.               The brutality of these hunts is hard to imagine. A group of fisherman signal each other when they find a pod of dolphins. Their boats strategically position themselves around the pod, and lower steel pipes, which they strike to create a sound dolphins find distressing. This causes the dolphins to swim towards shore, where the fisherman can better trap them with nets. After they are trapped, the dolphins are left in the sheltered cove overnight to recover from the abrupt disturbance that drove them to this new, foreign place. The next day, one by one, the dolphins are slaughtered with spears and blades. Their bodies are stabbed, or their throats are cut, causing them to die of exsanguination and trauma. Some dolphins can be laying on the boat paralyzed, bleeding out for several hours (Butterworth, Brakes, Reiss & Vial, 2013). By the end of the day, the clear blue water, turns into a thick, murky blood bath.

This process would not “be tolerated or permitted in any regulated slaughterhouse process in the developed world” (A Veterinary and Behavioral Analysis of Dolphin Killing Methods Currently Used in the “Drive Hunt” in Taiji, Japan). Adding to the controversy is that dolphins are very intelligent and emotional compared to most other animals. It has been found that dolphins suffer from loneliness and feel grief. Such a painful death with massive pain for prolonged amount of time hurts them both physically and psychologically.

Adding to the inhumanity of the hunts is the fact that dolphins are vital to the ocean’s food chain. Killing them on such a large scale hurts every other animal that depends on balance in the oceans, including humans. Dolphins act as top-level predators, bio indicators, and as sanitary police. When studying dolphins, a lot can be concluded about their surrounding environment. If they are found to be sick, it indicates that there is a problem with the water. This discovery can help clean up polluted waters, protecting other living beings from being harmed – and preventing people from eating those sick animals (Revermann, 2016).

Dolphins don’t just alert humans to toxic waters, they also eat diseased fish.  Fish afflicted with the toxin ciguatera are amongst the ill fish that dolphins eat. Ciguatera-infected fish can cause food poisoning when consumed by people, and dolphins help keep these fish off of the dinner table (Revermann, 2016).

After examining the vital significance of dolphins to their environments, one might question why the Japanese government is still so persistent about continuing these annual hunts. The answer they give is simple yet ludicrous: pest control. The Japanese government and fishermen claim that dolphins eat too much fish, decreasing the amount of seafood people in Japan can eat (Frequently Asked Questions for Dolphin Hunts, 2016). While dolphins balance out the food chain, humans are the ones who are truly responsible for any imbalance. We are the ones forcibly inviting ourselves into the sea and tinkering with its delicate balance. It is unreasonable to punish dolphins for our actions. If there is a small amount of fish left to hunt, this is due to human activity and growth, not dolphins’ natural eating habits. Instead of defending their practice with unreasonable statements, the Japanese government and their fishermen could do more to understand the effects of their hunting. Recognizing the role these dolphins play in the grand scheme of things is the first step to stopping, or at least limiting, these senseless hunts.

Perhaps the worst indignity of these hunts is the fact that dolphin meat isn’t even good for humans to eat. Dolphins are high in mercury, a metal considered to be the second most toxic poison in the world. Mercury attacks the brain and the nervous system, causing damage to eyesight, hearing, and motor-skills. It interferes with one’s memory and thought processes, eventually leading to dementia. For women who are pregnant, it can cause their fetuses to suffer life-long brain damage. In extreme amounts, it can also result in death (O’Barry, 2016). People who eat dolphin meat expose themselves to all of these risks.

How much mercury is in dolphin meat? In some cases, the levels of mercury are up to 5,000 times higher than the levels suggested by the UN World Health Organization and the Japanese Ministry of Health. Besides mercury, dolphins are also contaminated with other hazardous pollutants like PCBs and cadmium. PCBs are chemicals associated with the “estrogen effect,” meaning it mimics the female hormone estrogen. In women, this excess of estrogen may lead to breast cancer (Dolphin Meat Obtained in Japan Drive Fisheries: Toxic to Humans, 2007). Since dolphin meat is so deleterious, it stands to reason that it should not be sold in markets.

Dolphins are peaceful, warm creatures. They have become well known for their sociable nature and high level of intelligence. They are also crucial to their environments. No matter how much dolphins are worth in dollars, it is not worth taking their lives and further threatening the already precarious state of our oceans. Yes, thousands of dolphins have already been killed, but further and irreversible damage can still be prevented.

References

“Dolphin Hunts – Focus on Taiji, Japan.” WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation. WDC, 2015. Web. 12 June 2016.

“Frequently Asked Questions for Dolphin Hunts.” WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation. WDC, 2016. Web. 11 June 2016 Butterworth, Andrew, et al.

“A veterinary and behavioral analysis of dolphin killing methods currently used in the “drive hunt” in Taiji, Japan.”

Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 16.2 (2013): 184-204. Revermann, Susan. “Dolphin’s Ecological Importance.”

Education. Seattlepi, 2016. Web. 122 June 2016.

“Dolphin Meat Obtained In Japan Drive Fisheries: Toxic To Humans.”BlueVoice.org. N.p., 2007. Web. 11 June 2016. O’Barry, Rick.

“DANGER: Dolphin Meat Is Poisoned by Mercury.” Ric OBarrys Dolphin Project RSS. N.p., 2016. Web. 11 June 2016.

“Google.” Google. Google, n.d. Web. 13 June 2016.

Jakus AE et al. Hyperelastic “bone”: A highly versatile, growth factor-free, osteoregenerative, scalable, and surgically friendly biomaterial. Science Translational Medicine. September 2016.

Bone implantation surgery is both challenging for doctors and a painful process for patients, especially children. It usually requires either harvesting existing bone tissue from elsewhere in the body, or using metallic implants. While these approaches may work for adults, they are not a permanent solution when used for growing children. In a recent study, scientists reported a 3D printable ink that forms a synthetic bone implant and induces bone generation and growth. This biomaterial is composed of a mix of 90% hydroxyapatite, a calcium mineral found in human bone, and 10% biodegradable polymer, which is commonly used in medical applications, including sutures. The key feature of this new hyper-elastic biomaterial is its ability to create porous structures where blood vessels and other cells can infiltrate to create a scaffold. Animal studies showed that when stem cells are placed on these scaffolds, they turn into bone cells and initiate the regeneration process. Additional factors can also be easily integrated into the biomaterial, such as antibiotics to prevent post-surgery infections or growth factors to further enhance the regeneration process. The advantage of 3D printing technology will enable doctors to create personalized bone structures with custom shapes and properties for each patient.  In the near future, hospitals with biomaterial and 3D printing facilities may revolutionize the field of craniofacial and orthopedic surgery.

Gene behind “sixth sense” discovered

Chesler AT et al. The Role of PIEZO2 in Human Mechanosensation. The New England Journal of Medicine. September 2016

Close your eyes and bring your finger to your nose. It’s an easy task for almost all of us, isn’t it? Awareness of the position of one’s body in space is called proprioception, also commonly known as the “sixth sense.” A recent study describes the cases of two patients who lack proprioception. These patients could not walk, keep their balance, or even touch their noses when blindfolded. Genetic analyses revealed that both patients had mutations on a gene called PIEZO2, suggesting that this gene is responsible for the sense of touch and proprioception in humans. Further investigation of the PIEZO2 gene showed that it controls mechanosensation by generating nerve signals in response to any force touching the skin, thus allowing us to sense the touch. The patients seem to compensate for a lack of proprioception by relying primarily on vision. While these patients have non-functional PIEZ02 genes, there is an intriguing possibility that there could be other variations of this gene in the human population, which may generate a spectrum of symptoms from superior athletic performance to clumsiness, depending on the P

The same ideas are expressed in Spain’s Moorish architecture. There is no greater achievement in Moorish architecture than the Alhambra, located in Granada. This fortress complex is situated atop a mountain, with panoramic views of the city below. The enormous palace complex is rich in ornamentation, which was used to enhance the architectural forms and add character to the buildings. The ornamentation present in the Alhambra includes the elaborate muqarnas, lavish courtyards, and geometric patterning.

Muqarnas

The fact that the Alhambra is probably the most important piece of Moorish architecture is due to its sculptural elements, known as muqarnas. “…found in the Alhambra, and unprecedented in the West, (muqarna) is one of the greatest of all Muslim contributions to the history of architecture, originating in some North African structures… the muqarnas work in the star-shaped vaults” (Trachtenberg and Hyman 1986, 219).

It is important to note that the muqarnas were not just thrown all over the walls without reason; they were added for the purpose of enhancing form, and resolving rough transitions: “The Moors ever regarded what architects hold to be the first principle of architecture—to decorate construction—never to construct decoration. In Moorish architecture, not only does decoration arise naturally from the construction, but the constructive idea is carried out in every detail of the ornamentation of the surface” (Calvert 1907, 108).

This idea illustrates the distinction between ornamentation for the sake of decoration and ornamentation that arises from the construction, which is what the Moors of Spain did. In terms of muqarnas enhancing architectural form, they blur the line between where the dome begins and where it ends, so that a seamless transition has been created. “The empty portions of the four corners must be filled to redistribute the load of the dome (in fact there are two domes: the muqarna dome, just decorative, and the structural dome, which can only be seen from the exterior and from which the muqarnas are suspended). This redistribution is achieved with an assemblage of muqarnas, and the four angles are connected with a very simple muqarnas frieze” (Castera 2007, 108).

This interior treatment of the dome gives the illusion of a honeycomb-like appearance that is both striking and functional. A plain dome would not suffice and would not match the characteristics of the rest of the Alhambra. The muqarnas are also used in the various arches that flank some of the Alhambra’s courtyards. These muqarnas are used once again as ornamentation, but they serve a greater purpose: “…They support, like a canopy, filigreed, muqarna (honeycomb) arches that echo the protective role of the palm leaves around oasis pools in the desert. These muqarnas break up the contours of the arches into small, three-dimensional, decorative elements which merge with the surrounding geometric, vegetal and calligraphic ornamentation” (Irwin 2004, 167).

In this instance, the muqarnas grow out of the arches to resemble leaves, giving character to the arches but also breaking up their contours and playing with the lighting. The overall effect enhances the architecture. The muqarnas have been important to the palace because they bring texture, and for lack of a better word, harmony, to the domes and arches.

Courtyards

Another form of ornamentation are the courtyards that give character to the Alhambra. Courtyards might not be considered ornamentation in the conventional sense, but here, courtyards have been important in making connections between architecture and religion. “The romantic imagination of centuries of visitors has been captivated by the special combination of the slender columnar arcades, fountains, and light-reflecting water basins found in those courtyards—the Lion Court in particular. This combination is understood from inscriptions to be a physical realization of descriptions of Paradise in Islamic poetry” (Trachtenberg and Hyman 1986, 219). In Islam and in the Quran, there are many mentions of paradise and the afterlife. In those descriptions, God refers to the greenery and the flowing rivers and coolness of shade and water. At the Alhambra, the goal was to recreate Paradise on Earth within the courtyards.

The courtyards are primarily intended to give character to the palace and make implicit connections with both Paradise and mosques. Ornamental columns that do not bear loads frame the courtyard: “We get very thin columns, single or paired, with no entasis or fluting to show any sense of compression. Exaggerated impost blocks further isolate the supports from their dainty load. The whole seems not so much constructed as spun, painted, conjured” (Kostof 1995, 398). This further contributes to the idea that the courtyard is ornamentation for the palace. It is not necessary, but implemented for the sake of character and symbolism in Islam.

Water

Water is an important element of ornamentation both in the Qur’an and in the courtyards. Kostof elaborates on this idea a lot: “In the Court of Lions, an open space surrounded by porticoes is crisscrossed with thin water channels that slice through the axial pavilions and enter the rooms behind, like a trickle of life seeking its source. The slender columns find what mooring they can in this watery stage, their fragile presence devitalized even more in pale, tremulous reflections.” He continues: “We recall the Koranic descriptions of Paradise, those ‘pavilions beneath which water flows,’ and we see them in the channels and hooded porches of the courts” (Kostof 1995, 398-399).

Geometric patterns

Lastly, geometric patterns are used extensively throughout the Alhambra, as they are in many Islamic pieces of art. The geometries and patterns both give character to the forms, and also enhance the forms by bringing light to certain elements, such as entryways or arches. In the following explanation given by author Robert Irwin, it is evident that the geometric patterns are used to accent the structure of the palace in places like doorways: “The geometric patterns of some of the hangings mimic the structures of the palace’s doors. One has to imagine brilliantly colored carpets and silks blending in with the no less brilliantly colored stucco and woodwork” (Irwin 2004, 33).

The geometric forms are used to enhance architectural forms. But the geometric patterns also give character to the palace: “The most obvious application of tessellation in the Alhambra is in the tile work of the various dados, where repetitive pattern is used to rest the eye” (Irwin 2004, 119). A tessellation of a flat surface is tiling using repetition in geometric forms but with no overlaps or gaps—every surface is covered. In this instance, the geometries provide balance for the viewer because in a palace like the Alhambra, it could cause a sensory overload if there is too much detailing.

Interestingly enough, the Alhambra is unique in its geometric ornamentation because it has all different types of mosaic tiling present throughout the palace: “All seventeen plane groups are present among the mosaics in the Alhambra” (Lovric 2012, 6). This is remarkable, because such mosaic work was costly and time-consuming. But this thoroughness and attention to detail added to the character of the palace, and helped make it world-renowned.

Ornamentation was used in the Alhambra as a means of expressing character and also enhancing the architectural forms. This was done through the use of muqarnas, interpretations of Paradise, and geometric forms. If the palace were stripped of its ornamentation, it would lack a certain magic. Kostof sums it up nicely when he says, “It is impossible to think of this environment of fantasy and introspection, set in an idyllic hilltop amid myrtles, evergreens and running brooks, as anything other than an earthly paradise” (Kostof 1995, 399).  

References

• Calvert, Albert Frederick. The Alhambra, Being a Brief Record of the Arabian Conquest of the Peninsula with a Particular Account of the Mohammedan Architecture and Decoration. London: John Lane, 1907.
• Castera, Jean-Marc. “The Muqarnas Dome of the Hall of the Two Sisters in the Alhambra in Granada.” Ed. Emmer, Michele. Mathematics and Culture V. Berlin: Springer, 2007.
• Irwin, Robert. The Alhambra. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2004.
• Kostof, Spiro. A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.
• Lovric, Miroslav. “Magic Geometry: Mosaics in the Alhambra.” Journal of Art Historiography 6 (June 2012): 1-29.
• Trachtenberg, M & Hyman, I. Architecture: From Prehistory to Postmodernism: The Western Tradition. New York: Abrams, 1986.