Just 5 Minutes of Vigorous Exercise Per Day Could Lower Blood Pressure

Blodgett et al. Device-Measured 24-Hour Movement Behaviors and Blood Pressure: A 6-Part Compositional Individual Participant Data Analysis in the ProPASS Consortium.Circulation, November 2024.

A new study highlights the benefits of brief but vigorous physical activity on blood pressure management. Researchers found that adding as little as 5 minutes of high-intensity exercise, such as running, cycling, or stair climbing, to a daily routine can lead to slight reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Clinically meaningful improvements were observed with an extra 10 to 20 minutes per day. In contrast, lighter activities like walking or standing showed minimal impact. The study assessed health and blood pressure data from 14,761 participants with an average age of 54, tracking daily activities over 24-hour periods. Activities analyzed included sleeping (7.1 hours), sedentary behavior (10.7 hours), slow walking (1.6 hours), fast walking (1.1 hours), standing (3.2 hours), and exercise (16 minutes). Replacing sedentary behavior with just 5 minutes of exercise reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) by 0.68 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by 0.54 mmHg. Notably, a 2 mmHg decrease in SBP correlates with a 10% lower risk of heart disease. Current health guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise weekly. This study suggests 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity most days and highlights that strength training also benefits blood vessel function and blood pressure control. The importance of incorporating even brief exercise sessions into busy daily schedules, emphasizing that increasing exercise intensity accelerates positive physiological changes that support heart health. For those aiming to lower blood pressure, additional healthy habits include a balanced diet, sufficient sleep, weight management, and stress reduction. Short, practical exercise additions, like taking stairs or walking briskly, can enhance heart health and reduce hypertension risks.

New Transparent Semiconductor Paves the Way for Next-Gen High-Power Electronics

Liu et al. Deep-ultraviolet transparent conducting SrSnO 3 via heterostructure design. Science Advances, November 2024.

Researchers have developed an innovative material that promises to revolutionize high-power electronics by making them faster, more efficient, and transparent to both visible and ultraviolet light. This breakthrough marks a significant advancement in semiconductor technology, a sector critical to the multi-trillion-dollar global electronics industry poised for further growth with the expansion of digital technologies. Semiconductors, integral to nearly all electronic devices—from smartphones to medical equipment—depend on enhanced materials known as “ultra-wide band gap” semiconductors. These materials conduct electricity effectively even under extreme conditions, making them essential for high-performance applications. The recently developed new material features an increased “band gap,” resulting in both higher transparency and conductivity. Such properties support the creation of faster, more efficient electronic devices and open pathways to breakthroughs in computers, smartphones, and potentially quantum computing. This material is a transparent conducting oxide with a specialized thin-layered structure that optimizes transparency without compromising electrical conductivity. As technological advancements and AI applications demand more capable materials, this development is a major leap forward. The new material’s properties were nearly ideal for electronic applications. Rigorous testing and defect elimination enhanced the material’s capabilities. This research not only represents an unparalleled combination of transparency and conductivity but also paves the way for robust, high-power optoelectronic devices capable of functioning in demanding environments.

Daytime sleepiness linked to higher risk of pre-dementia syndrome

Leroy et al. Association of Sleep Disturbances With Prevalent and Incident Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome in Community-Residing Older Adults. Neurology, November 2024

A recent study has highlighted that sleep disturbances in older adults, such as excessive daytime sleepiness and reduced enthusiasm, may signal serious health risks, including an increased likelihood of developing motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR). MCR is considered an early indicator of dementia, characterized by slow gait and memory problems, though it does not yet involve full mobility disability or dementia. The study involved 445 participants with an average age of 76 who were initially free of dementia. The researchers assessed sleep patterns through questionnaires, which involved questions addressing common sleep issues, such as waking up during the night, difficulty falling asleep within 30 minutes, feeling too hot or cold, and the use of sleep medication. To gauge excessive daytime sleepiness, participants were asked how often they struggled to stay awake while driving, eating, or participating in social activities. Memory issues and walking speed were also monitored annually over three years using a treadmill. Findings revealed that 35.5% of individuals with excessive daytime sleepiness and reduced enthusiasm developed MCR, compared to only 6.7% of participants without these conditions. After controlling for other risk factors, the study concluded that those experiencing sleep-related issues were over three times more likely to develop MCR. This study emphasized the importance of screening for sleep problems, suggesting that addressing these issues could help prevent cognitive decline and dementia later in life. However, further research is needed to explore the precise connection between sleep disturbances and cognitive deterioration, as well as the mechanisms linking sleep issues to MCR and dementia progression.

Illumination by Divine light is essential for a person’s inner world. Without the Almighty’s guidance, one is condemned to darkness, which eventually shrouds their entire horizon. Even if their path is lined with spotlights, they will stumble, shaped by the dark thoughts, words, and actions within them. Their heart falls, their soul becomes aimless, and they cannot even recognize the darkness surrounding them, mistaking it for light.

In His mercy, God sent Prophets and Scriptures to guide humanity from darkness to light. Many embraced this light, but some gradually distanced themselves from it, condemning themselves again to darkness. Since the time of Adam, even among those who followed Prophets, some faltered and turned back, losing sight of the Divine light. Entangled in worldly desires, bodily pleasures, wealth, and property, they brought ruin upon both their worldly and otherworldly lives.

In the years following the Age of Happiness, some who had once sat close to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) tragically abandoned their faith. These individuals were not hypocrites; they had genuine faith. Yet somewhere along the way, their vision blurred, and they veered off the path onto side trails, falling behind. They became lost, unable to perceive the inner darkness they were slipping into, unaware of the zigzags they traced on the path.

Often, people fail to recognize their inner flaws, only seeing their deficiencies through serious self-reckoning. For this reason, it is crucial to constantly seek steadfastness and refuge in God to avoid stumbling along the way. The Messenger of God frequently prayed, “O Allah, the Turner of hearts! Keep my heart firm upon Your religion” [1]. Although he was closest to God, he taught us this prayer as a reminder for his community. The Prophet’s prayer conveys this message: “If even I make this request, then you should also strive to live with utmost care for steadfastness.”

The perpetual cycle of historical recurrences

Those who walk with reliance on God’s strength have never stumbled or faltered, even under the harshest conditions. Neither the allure of worldly beauty nor the oppression of tyrants has deterred them from their path. On the contrary, as challenges mounted, their resolve only grew stronger, their sincerity deepened, and they held fast to essential principles that must never be forgotten. Those who remained steadfast until the end triumphed, while those with weak spiritual immunity ultimately succumbed, bowing to tyrants and losing their way. Though they may have found temporary relief in the world, they will face the reproach of God in the Hereafter: “What harm did you see in walking My path that made you bow to the oppressors?”

Indeed, in the ongoing cycle of history, what happened yesterday continues to unfold today. God’s unchanging laws apply to all societies, and the struggle between good and evil—between Faust and Mephisto—has existed since the time of Prophet Adam. Those who have firm faith in God continue to walk the path, remaining steadfast regardless of oppression, persecution, or deprivation. In contrast, those with weak faith fall victim to power, authority, rank, and worldly pleasures, often justifying their ambitions by manipulating the very values they once believed in. Acting with Machiavellian motives, they become willing to oppress others, even using religion to justify their actions. In loyalty to the idols they have transformed into altars, they inflict unimaginable suffering upon others.

This phenomenon has repeated across history, but it is perhaps even more dangerous today. Egoism has become rampant, and love for the world intoxicates people, leading them to prioritize worldly life over the Hereafter. Many may outwardly appear pious—attending mosques, praying, and fasting—yet they do not really believe in an afterlife nor do they have any sense of accountability. Their only concern is to perpetuate their own pomp, splendor, and dominance. Such people lie without hesitation, deceive others with ease, and oppress those they see as obstacles to their rule, enticing them with worldly promises or subjugating them with acts of cruelty.

On this devilish path, they would even crush an angel if it threatened their comfort. To protect their short worldly life, they darken the lives of innocents, sometimes seizing their property or depriving them of freedom. Sadly, those without strong spiritual immunity may also be swayed, changing their direction and losing themselves amid such tribulation.

Winners and losers

The duty of sincere believers is to remain steadfast on the righteous path, enduring oppression and injustice with patience. Today, we witness countless examples of this. Many faithful have bravely shown their loyalty and fortitude, holding fast to their values without wavering under pressure. They did not submit to oppressors; instead, they met convictions with smiles and walked to prisons joyfully. Through their acts of worship and remembrance of God, they transformed prisons into sanctuaries, schools of spiritual retreat, and places of worship. Even in places one might expect to lose, they achieved great spiritual gains. Truly, have not the oppressed and wronged always been the true victors, while the oppressors and tyrants have been the real losers, darkening their own inner worlds with paranoia and delusion?

Yet there have also been those who cursed the path they once walked and turned to support oppression, signing false confessions that defamed innocent people. By doing so, they portrayed the good deeds they had once performed for their faith, country, and humanity as if they were crimes. Regardless of their intentions, such individuals slander the innocent, committing one of the gravest sins. Those who see no wrong in this act are in even greater danger. By trying to save their worldly lives, they may darken their Hereafter.

Some believers mistakenly think that appearing favorable to an oppressor or maintaining ties with them will ensure their safety. Yet tyrants, paranoid and fearful by nature, cannot trust those who betray their own friends, seeing them as potential threats. Such people, once used, are often discarded. Seeking to appease those who worship the world and exploit religious values for gain is a grave misfortune and sin. Throughout history, have any true servants of God, after enduring oppression and hardship for their faith, ever apologized to tyrants?

We must never forget that supporting an oppressor’s cruelty is itself a form of oppression. Helping those who commit injustice by providing means or opportunities is a type of tyranny, while making life difficult for an oppressor and denying them opportunities is an act of worship.

Remaining steadfast on the path

Those who prevail in both this world and the Hereafter are those who remain unwavering, standing firm even in the face of hardship. Enduring oppression and suffering for the sake of one’s beliefs ultimately leads to success. The Qur’an captures this beautifully: “Our Lord, do not let our hearts deviate after You have guided us” [3]. This wisdom reminds us to constantly seek God’s guidance on the Straight Path. When a person truly understands this, they learn to withstand any challenge, refusing to alter their course due to the oppression of tyrants.

This truth is mirrored in the stories of the Prophets. They endured relentless attacks and torture with unwavering resolve. The life of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions shows us the immense hardships they faced for the sake of God. Idolaters subjected them to torture, laid them on burning sands, burdened them with heavy stones, imprisoned and boycotted them, yet none of these trials made them abandon their path. In the end, the oppressors lost, and the believers emerged victorious.

Patience is the key to salvation. Those who endure hardship with patience ultimately attain victory. Just as early believers bore the hardship of the boycott in the Valley of Abu Talib (Shi’b Abi Talib) [4], we, too, should draw inspiration from figures like Bilal and Ammar, who, despite being laid on scorching sands with heavy stones, remained steadfast. The People of the Ditch (Ashab al-Ukhdud) [5] also exemplify unwavering faith, staying true even when tyrants threw them into fire-filled trenches for their belief in God. Wavering brings no benefit and leads only to loss.

Notes

1. Tirmidhi, Qadar 7; Ibn Majah, Dua 2.
2. Mefisto (Mephistopheles): The chief devil in medieval texts and later literary and operatic works, to whom Faust (Faustus) trades his soul or sacrifices his spiritual values in exchange for power, knowledge, or material gain.
3. Surah Al-Imran, 3:8.
4. ‘Shi’b Abi Talib’ is a valley between the Mount Abu Qubays and the Mount Khandama in Mecca. When polytheists of Mecca declared an economic and social boycott on Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, Banu Hashim and Muslims, it was in Shi’b Abi Talib they lived for three years under blockade.
5. The aṣ’ḥābu l-ʿukhdūdi(People of the Ditch) is a story mentioned in Surah Al-Burooj of the Qur’an. It recounts the tragic fate of believers who were thrown into a ditch and set on fire by King Dhu Nuwas of Himyar for their unwavering faith in Allah over 2,000 years ago, at what is now the Al-Ukhdud archaeological site in Najran, southern Saudi Arabia.

In the movies when somebody dies, assuming that they are a good person, they go to heaven, which is portrayed as somewhere beyond the clouds. Other movies show heaven as beautiful meadows with gorgeous flowers, trees, animals, and lakes. Depending on religious sources and a movie director’s imagination, we see glamorous, luminescent white scenes in heaven. Apart from what a perfect place it is, we have no idea where it might be. Even though we are told about the glamours of Heaven, neither Islamic nor Christian sources tell us much about the location of God’s magnificent creation.

Acknowledging in the first chapter of his The Letters volume that “Only God knows the unseen” (an-Naml 27:65) and “Knowledge is only with God” (al-Mulk 67:26), Said Nursi talks about two Hells, the smaller one and the bigger one. He suggests, some Prophetic traditions (Ajluni, Kashf al-Khafa 1:281; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak 4:568) report the smaller Hell to be underground, underneath the earth’s crust at the center of the globe, known as the “core.” We know from geological findings that as we head toward the center of the Earth, the temperature increases immensely. It is known that the temperature near the Earth’s center is around 6000 degrees Celsius. Scientists believe that the core of the earth is as hot as the sun. Nursi argues that the Greater Hell to be underneath the Earth’s annual orbit around the Sun, a circle area around the sun, a place for the Great Gathering and Judgment Day. He thinks that when Doomsday comes, like a tiny seed turning into a huge tree, the smaller Hell will be transformed into the bigger one. That is, on Judgment Day, the Earth will cast all its inhabitants into its orbit around the Sun for resurrection. After the Judgment, those who will take their books in their right hands will go to Heaven somewhere above the Earth’s orbit and those who will take their books in their left hands will go to Hell somewhere under the orbit. While offering these ideas, Nursi properly reminds us that the other world is behind a veil of the unseen and it is impossible to see them with the eyes we have in this world.

Although Nursi mentions the place for Hell, he does not refer to a certain place for Heaven. He describes Hell and Heaven as two fruits on the tree of creation, which stretches into infinity. That is to say, they are the two results of the chain of the universe: “They are two pools receiving the flow of two streams, one carrying the wicked and foul while the other carries the good and pure. Paradise is the place where Divine Favor and Mercy manifest themselves, whereas Hell is the place where Divine Wrath and Awe are exhibited.” Both of them serve as an impetus to do good and refrain from bad. The following few verses from the Qur’an paint us a beautiful image of Heaven.

And give good tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds that they will have gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow. Whenever they are provided with a provision of fruit there from, they will say, “This is what we were provided with before.” And it is given to them in likeness. And they will have therein purified spouses, and they will abide therein eternally. (al-Baqarah 2:25)

[Other] faces, that Day, will show pleasure. With their effort [they are] satisfied. In an elevated garden, wherein they will hear no unsuitable speech. Within it is a flowing spring. Within it are couches raised high and cups put in place and cushions lined up and carpets spread around. (al-Ghasiyah 88:8-16)

We can also mention a few hadiths telling us about the characteristics of Heaven.

“Abu Huraira reported The Messenger of God (may peace be upon him) as saying that: God the Exalted and Glorious, said: I have prepared for My pious servants which no eye has ever seen, and no ear has ever heard, and no human heart has ever perceived but it is testified by the Book of God. He then recited: ‘No soul knows what comfort has been concealed from them, as a reward for what they did’” (Muslim, Book 40, Number 6780).

“Abu Bakr b. Abdullah b. Qais reported on the authority of his father that the Messenger of God (may peace be upon him) said that in Paradise there would be for a believer a tent of a single hollowed pearl the breadth of which would be sixty miles. It would be meant for a believer and the believers would go around it and none would be able to see the others” (Muslim, Book 40, Number 6804).

“Abu Huraira reported the Messenger of God (may peace be upon him) as saying: Saihan (Oxus), Jaihan (Jaxartes), Euphrates and Nile are all among the rivers of Paradise” (Muslim, Book 40, Number 6807).

We know that God created everything with a purpose including all the stars we see in the sky when the night falls. They say we can see approximately 3,000 stars with the naked eye on a clear night. If we have access to a small telescope, the number of observable stars may increase to 100,000. Moreover, it is estimated there are about 100 billion stars (some estimates say even up to four times more than that) just in our galaxy, the Milky Way. Considering that there are an estimated 100 to 200 billion galaxies visible to us through telescopes like the Hubble Space Telescope and keeping in mind the vast number of stars in our own galaxy, the observable universe could contain over a billion trillion stars. Livio suggests that galaxies might exist in other unobservable and unknown universes, meaning the number of galaxies could be even greater.

We know from the Holy books that God created this world and all that is in it to show His own glory, power, and excellence. But what about the billions of stars in countless galaxies? Apart from their existence, we know nothing about them. We need eyes as big as the Sun to see what they are like. According to Said Nursi, countless stars we are unaware of host angels, jinn, and other spiritual beings invisible to the human eye. Just as fish of various colors and sizes swim in the oceans, vast constellations of stars journey through the universe. Surely, their purpose is to display His unique artistry and to inspire His creation to exalt and glorify Him, Al-Khaliq, the Creator. This is not so astounding when we consider that, according to Prophetic tradition, each raindrop descends from the sky with an angel.

Similar to Islam, Christian sources mention many properties of Heaven such that all things are new, there are no tears or pain, there is perfect peace, there are splendid buildings and vineyards, and fruitful gardens; unfortunately, they do not talk about its location. For example:

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

“They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.” (Isaiah 65:21)

“The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.” (Isaiah 35:1)

The Bible says, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained” (Psalm 8:3). This verse may imply that Heaven might consist of the stars and galaxies. Another verse says that the future existence of mankind after resurrection will take place on the present Earth, which will be recreated and renewed to its ideal form(see Revelation 21:1-4; Isaiah 65:17-25; John 14:2, 3).

All this considered, I believe the vast collections of planets and stars in the universe may have another profound purpose—one not explicitly found in either Islamic or Christian teachings. Who knows? Perhaps God intends to turn these heavenly bodies into realms of Heaven for His obedient people and other spiritual beings. It is possible that, based on qualities like loyalty, obedience, righteousness, and goodness, individuals might be granted a heavenly domain proportionate in beauty and size. In other words, prophets and messengers may dwell in grander, more magnificent stars than those reserved for a typical believer, whose prayers and deeds were fewer. To illustrate, Islam’s prophet could be given UY Scuti—the largest known star, with a radius around 1,700 times greater than the sun—as his heavenly abode.

Everything is possible for God, “The Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be’, and it is” (al-Baqarah 2:117). He can easily transform stars into realms of Heaven for His faithful and righteous followers. Finally, the true location of Heaven is beyond our comprehension. While only God knows the true purpose behind the creation of stars, we, as people of faith, can strive to earn the greatest heavenly reward by engaging in prayer, charity, and good deeds. Surely, the existence of all these celestial bodies reflects His power, wisdom, and grace. Ultimately, Heaven may be anywhere, as the Almighty creates His places of manifestation wherever He wills.

References

• https://www.physicsoftheuniverse.com/how-many-stars-are-there.html#:~:text=Therefore%2C%20using%20a%20very%20rough,anywhere%20up%20to%201024.
• https://www.space.com/25303-how-many-galaxies-are-in-the-universe.html
• https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/where-is-heaven
• https://www.space.com/41290-biggest-star.html

One night as my abla* and I were talking

about our hoca*, Mr. Gulen

she told me that he is a step in a staircase

which leads us closer to The Truth, and I agreed with my impressionable mind.

But now I writhe with guilt, what I have lived and sewn,

that metaphor seems awfully inaccurate.

My “hoca” is actually my friend

and he is not a step in a staircase,

he is one who carries wood and nails from his life into mine.

So that we may build a staircase together

our hands both callused with work.

When I fall and twirl deep into my nafs*

like a broken record stuck in static darkness,

he still carries wood but with tears and prayers for me to return.

Not lose me in myself, that pitted black hole.

Then our Beloved calls me again with morning prayer

and I ache on the inside to the time lost at night

jolt back into an awake reality with the sun pouring into me.

I cry with the wood again in my hand, and I cry for my friend

for not forgetting me and gathering wood as I lost time.

I cry for his prayers and how he spoke to The Beloved

to send morning prayer a little earlier than usual,

so that I may remember what it felt to live for others.

we build with our pearl tears and carve wood into marble stairs

our hands extend to the circumference of the earth

enveloping everyone with invitation to walk the same path, be our guests

*hoca: a Turkish word meaning teacher, mentor

*nafs: is an Arabic word occurring in the Qur’an and means self, psyche[1] ego or soul

*abla: Turkish word for bigger sister, used as a term of endearment for women who are older than you.

It had been three years since I had arrived in Germany and only a few months since I began working as an assistant doctor. It had been a long and tiring day. I had breakfast early in the morning before heading out, and my lunch was just a banana and a cup of coffee. By the time I got home late in the evening, I was both very hungry and tired. The past few years had been challenging and weighed heavily on me. I was no longer as young as I used to be, nor was I a specialist doctor, as I had been back home. I was trying to survive in a foreign culture, struggling to communicate in a language I barely knew. To the many wounds in my body and soul, aching and waiting to heal with hope, was now added the stress of an unfamiliar work environment.

When I stepped into the kitchen to quickly prepare something, I accidentally cut my left index finger. Although the cut wasn’t very deep, it started bleeding right away. “Here’s another wound to wait patiently to heal,” I thought to myself. I looked closely at my bleeding finger. The blood trickled slowly down into my hand like a tiny red spring, accumulating over the cut before finally stopping after about three minutes. From the outside, it seemed very simple, but it wasn’t like that at all.

Repairing a hole in a ship floating in water is extremely challenging. High-pressure water outside meets low-pressure air inside, and this significant pressure difference causes seawater to continuously rush in. Similarly, repairing a hole deep in a dam wall is also difficult. Due to gravity and pressure differences, water tries to gush out of the hole, potentially bursting through the solid walls around it. While repairs are straightforward when the dam is empty, fixing a damaged area when the dam is full of water is much harder, as neither iron nor cement can easily hold under these conditions. How is it that the bleeding can be stopped so quickly when the vessels that carry our life-sustaining blood are damaged? With certain pressure in our vascular network, estimated to be 90,000-120,000 kilometers long, our blood flows continuously, delivering essential nutrients and oxygen to the tissues and removing byproducts of cellular metabolism. Blood pressure, regulated by the contraction and relaxation of the heart, is considered normal if below 140/90 mmHg, with an ideal reading below 120/80 mmHg. Yet, we have no advanced machines, nor any extraordinary bricks or superglues in our blood to repair vessel damage. So, which craftsman, and with what materials, stops this bleeding?

In a healthy individual, bleeding time ranges between two and nine minutes, with an average around five minutes. The blood flowing in the vascular network of tens of thousands of kilometers in our body contains coagulation factors and coagulation cells (called platelets or thrombocytes), whose role is repairing the vessel wall when it is harmed. The coagulation process, also called hemostasis, takes place in two stages: primary and secondary. This process activates immediately upon bleeding, both on our skin and within our body, where even a small injury can trigger major reactions.

One of the most crucial roles in the coagulation process is assigned to coagulation cells, known as platelets. These are actually cell fragments, not complete cells, and are named platelets because of their flat, plate-like shape. Measuring 1.5–3 μm (micrometers) in diameter, these fragments are produced in the bone marrow from large, multinucleated cells called megakaryocytes. After production, platelets have a lifespan of 9–10 days and are then broken down in the spleen once their role is complete. Although they lack a nucleus, platelets contain numerous vesicles (granules) filled with various substances. Through channels formed by inward extensions of their cell membrane, they are kept informed of changes in external tissues and developments in the blood.

As I pondered these mechanisms within the blood, I thought of the massive devices in the laboratory at the hospital where I work—machines required for measuring even the simplest blood tests. Yet these minuscule cells in our bodies, far too small to be seen with the naked eye, are endowed with far greater abilities than those large machines. Not only do they function like tiny laboratories, but they also sense alarms in the blood, rushing to the rescue like soldiers awaiting orders. We are remarkably well-equipped, with between 150,000 and 450,000 platelets in just one milliliter of blood, and around 5 liters of blood in total. Primary coagulation, the initial stage of stopping bleeding, begins as soon as there is a vascular injury. When the endothelial cells lining the inner surface of the vessels are damaged, the underlying connective tissue is exposed. Platelet “soldiers,” alerted by certain molecules released from this tissue, spring into action. Blood clotting involves a chain of reactions occurring in sequence, with various factors contributing at each step. Each of the approximately 16 factors have a specific task. In the coagulation process, which functions like a row of dominoes, each factor has been precisely chosen, appreciated, and positioned with boundless knowledge and wisdom. If even one factor is missing, the chain breaks, and coagulation is disrupted. Therefore, an event as complex as blood clotting could not arise randomly through mutations or chaotic chemical reactions. This phenomenon, called platelet activation, is like a commander’s declaration of mobilization. Platelets adhere to the damaged area with the help of “Von Willebrand factor”—a protein that binds platelets to collagen exposed in the tissue when a vessel is injured. The ADP (adenosine triphosphate) secreted by platelets discharges the messenger molecule, signaling other “soldiers” to come help. Arachidonic acid is secreted from the cell membrane of the platelets adhering to the injured wound, leading to the production of two molecules: thromboxane A2 and PGI2 (prostacyclin). These two molecules work together to stop the bleeding.

The task of thromboxane A2, which is synthesized from arachidonic acid in coagulation cells, is to skillfully arrange platelet bricks, allowing them to cluster and form plugs. Additionally, coagulation cells secrete serotonin, which helps the vessel wall to constrict, reducing the bleeding surface and thus the amount of blood loss. The actin and myosin strands in coagulation cells contract and shrink further strengthening the platelet plug.

The second stage, known as secondary coagulation, activates later and makes the platelet plug—initially fragile and weak—much more stable and stronger. During this stage, fibrinogen molecules in the blood bond together, transforming into a sticky, thread-like protein called fibrin. Fibrin fibers act like a powerful adhesive, binding to the platelet plug and, along with red blood cells, weaving into solid layers. As with any biological system, there is a need for some agents to oversee and regulate the process. The endothelial cells lining the vessel’s inner surface monitor the events with the meticulousness of an inspector, as if they had studied biochemistry. When the time comes, these cells secrete prostacyclin (PGI2), synthesized from arachidonic acid taken from platelets. This prevents platelet aggregation and expands the vessel wall, confining the plug to the damaged area and ensuring uninterrupted blood flow to distant regions.

Limiting coagulation is just as vital as stopping bleeding. Without molecules such as prostacyclin, clots formed in a period of seconds would extend along the vessel for meters, and organs deprived of blood flow would face gangrene. Meanwhile, a separate clot-dissolving system has been established to ensure that vessels supplying vital organs, such as the brain, heart, and lungs, are not blocked. Again, the enzymes in this system, created with endless knowledge, mercy and wisdom, dissolve unnecessary clots and prevent blockages.

“Another wound has been bandaged and is now waiting to heal,” I thought. The Almighty, who heals even the smallest and seemingly insignificant wounds in this way, is surely able to heal all wounds in a way we never expected – as long as we are patient.

Springs are among fundamental mechanical devices, and they are engineered to store and release energy through the absorption and subsequent release of force as they return to their original position. Crafted from materials like chrome silicon steel, nickel alloys, or titanium, springs come in various types, such as coil, leaf, torsion, compression, and extension springs, each tailored to specific applications. Their significance extends across numerous industries, including automotive, construction, power generation, and agriculture, emphasizing their omnipresence and crucial role in modern engineering. Even the comfort of our sleep is indebted to the arrangement of springs in our mattresses, ensuring a restful night’s sleep.

Beyond their practical utility, springs exhibit intriguing physical behavior influenced by factors such as shape, dimensions, material composition, and environmental interaction. For example, altering the shape of a piece of copper wire can lead to different physical laws, behaviors, and applications, as seen in systems ranging from electrical wiring to the mechanisms in mechanical watches. While some systems, like electrical wiring or suspension bridges, may not require springs, cyclic systems like mechanical watches rely on springs to achieve rotational motion. A famous physics law that governs the behavior of metals, especially springs, when a force is applied is known as Hooke’s Law. Discovered in 1660 by the English scientist Robert Hooke while designing balance springs for clocks, this law is quite simple yet fundamental. It states that the force (?) needed to extend or compress a spring by a distance (?) is proportional to that distance:

F=kx

where ? is the spring constant, a measure of the stiffness of the spring. Its meaning is straightforward: to extend a spring further, more force is required. Naturally, the amount of force needed to stretch or compress a spring depends on factors such as the material, length, and thickness of the spring, all of which are captured in the spring constant.

Springs have a limit of proportionality, meaning they can withstand a force and obey Hooke’s Law up to a certain point. Beyond this limit, they deform and cannot return to their original shape. Hooke’s Law provides a mathematical representation of this behavior, illustrating the spring’s ability to return to its original position or shape—within this limit. This invites a deeper reflection: even a simple device like a spring operates under precise laws, reminding us that every blessing we use in life, no matter how ordinary, originates from the One who governs the universe with order, laws, and wisdom. Just as a spring follows predictable patterns, the entire universe is crafted with systems and rules that provide stability and reliability. The laws of physics mirror the divine intention for order and predictability, guiding us toward a life of purpose, structure, and harmony. Through these laws, we recognize the hand of the Creator in everything—from the simplest mechanical device to the grandest cosmic phenomena.

In an intriguing parallel, we, as humans, are also created in a way that resembles springs. Each of us has a limit where our responses remain proportional, with predictable patterns that model our behaviors under manageable circumstances. The mental “springs” in our consciousness have limits, too—beyond which outcomes no longer follow a linear path and require advanced insight to understand. In our journey as social beings, we are seldom completely alone, much like springs in many applications. We undergo countless changes daily, with our emotional and spiritual states fluctuating. Emotions rise and fall, yet a healthy individual is defined by the ability to return to a balanced state, much like a spring. These changes help us adapt to new circumstances, store knowledge and experience, and prepare for various situations. We can always build resilience by connecting with others, resonating with them, offering support, and maintaining meaningful connections. Shifting gears to some essential technical terms, cars have springs in all their wheels to absorb energy and ensure a safe drive. Mechanical watches contain numerous springs to achieve the shared goal of keeping time. Mattresses are packed with springs to provide orthopedic support and cozy comfort. How we connect springs affects the stiffness and functionality they deliver. For instance, connecting two springs in series, end-to-end, creates a longer spring array, reducing overall stiffness and making it easier to stretch, though more flexible.

When we connect two non-identical springs in parallel, their individual stiffnesses add together. They deform by the same amount, even though they may bear different forces. Returning to the human-spring analogy, I use the term “non-identical” because we, as humans, are unique, with our own differences and diversity. By standing side by side, we can increase our collective strength, carry greater burdens, and resist deformation with less strain. Like springs, when humans cooperate, our combined resilience to life’s challenges is amplified.

Although springs demonstrate their behavior and utility in daily life, they also model interactions at the subatomic level. Springs can help explain atomic interactions and the elasticity of solids. When atoms are close together, electrical forces cause them to attract, but if pushed too close, they repel each other. If they are separated too far, the “electron glue” holding them together pulls them back.

The spring model applies to biology as well. Biologists use spring models to understand human tissues. When tissues are subjected to stress within their elastic region, they generate a restoring force proportional to the displacement, as described by Hooke’s Law. Once the force causing deformation is removed, they return to their original size and shape. This behavior mirrors that of springs, allowing us to model tissues or other materials within their elastic region as a collection of springs.

The rules governing spring systems also apply to electrical circuits. For example, capacitors—crucial components in most electronic devices—store and release energy similarly to springs. A larger capacitance is analogous to a weaker spring. This shows how the principles of springs extend into various fields, underscoring their pervasive and fundamental role in our understanding of nature.

The versatile use of springs as metal products brings to mind the example of Prophet David (Peace be Upon Him) in a profound Quranic verse: “Indeed, We granted David a ˹great˺ privilege from Us,

˹commanding:˺ ‘O mountains! Echo his hymns! And the birds as well.’ We made iron moldable for him” (Quran 34:10). With the divine gift of molding iron, Prophet David used this pliable metal to strengthen his kingdom, crafting armor and weapons that provided protection and justice. This mastery over metal symbolizes human ingenuity and our ability to shape nature’s raw materials to serve higher purposes. In much the same way, the discovery and manipulation of metals—springs being a prime example—have allowed humanity to engineer solutions that harness the laws of physics, unveiling countless innovations. Through these developments, we have deepened our understanding of the natural world, finding in metals a reflection of our ability to adapt, create, and evolve.

To conclude our ‘spring’ journey, we, as humans, embody the characteristics of springs. Life compresses and stretches us through challenges, hardships, and growth. These experiences, like the deformation of springs, allow us to store valuable energy and wisdom, equipping us for future demands. We bend under pressure, yet our resilience—our ability to return to form—gives us strength. Much like springs connected in parallel, we can amplify our capacity to bear life’s burdens by standing side by side with others, reinforcing each other through cooperation and empathy. Our goal, like that of a finely tuned spring, is to maintain our integrity and restore our original form, staying true to our nature while adapting to external forces. By connecting with and supporting our fellow ‘springs,’ we elevate ourselves, fulfilling a higher purpose. In doing so, we reaffirm our place among creation, striving to serve not just ourselves but the greater good, as integral parts of the larger system of life.

Literally meaning avoiding speech and keeping silent, samt is used by the Sufis to describe keeping silent or preferring silence in self-possession to avoid the useless or harmful utterances that one can make while speaking. Aware of the Divine warning, Not a word does he utter but there is a watcher by him, ever-present (50:18), one should speak when necessary and only for the good pleasure of God, uttering words that are pleasing to God.

The saying of the glorious nightingale of creation, Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, “Either speak of good or keep silent,” [1] is a most concise, decisive definition of samt, and provides the frame of reference that one should remain within when speaking and keeping silent. We should also remind ourselves of another saying attributed to him: “Let your speech be wisdom, and your silence reflection” [2].

Speaking too much, in particular speaking empty words, is something that has always been condemned and regarded as one of the sinful acts which lead people to perdition. Those who have been initiated into spiritual journeying to God Almighty have continuously been warned against speaking too much and against useless words as this is a sinful act of the tongue. It has been emphasized that eating too much, sleeping too much, and speaking too much are each a collar around the necks of the travelers to God Almighty, chains on their feet, and handcuffs around their wrists—for they lead one to make frequent mistakes and commit frequent sins. The saying attributed to Caliph ‘Umar, may God be pleased with him, “Whoever speaks much errs much,” [3] corroborates this point.

Both the books of good morals and the epistles of Sufism have studied and explained the idea of keeping silent, each from their own perspective, attaching great importance to this virtue by regarding it as important wealth for an initiate, a secret treasure for those who have reached the final point of journeying, and a sign of good manners for every believer.

This does not mean that a believer should keep silent in every case. A believer should speak to advise and promote good and prevent evil, to teach and guide, to remove what is harmful, and to encourage and introduce what is useful. Our religion orders us to utter what should be said to support and establish truth and justice so that everyone can receive their rightful due, and forbids us from keeping silent in such cases. It can be said that however harmful and condemnable it is for one to speak without seeking God’s approval or good pleasure and thereby pursuing a lawful purpose, it is equally harmful and condemnable for one to keep silent when and where one should speak. For this reason, although keeping silent is generally approved and advisable, speaking is sometimes more approved than silence. Silence, in other words, while it is not always golden, is sometimes silver. It is of great importance to know where and when one should keep silent, and where and when one should speak. In a Prophetic Tradition, the person who keeps silent where right and justice are violated and truth is desecrated is regarded as a “mute devil”; those who speak false and useless words are considered to be the friends and translators of Satan.

It is both an ethical behavior and indicative of their knowing their place in the “market of thought and speech” that those who should speak are given the opportunity to speak, while others whose speech is not useful should remain silent. In this respect, it has been said:

If your merchandise is copper, O brother,
do not offer it for sale in the market.
Leave the market to those who sell jewelry.

Keeping silent in the presence of people with profound spiritual states and wisdom shows that one has good manners and that one respects such profound spiritual states and wisdom. Concerning this, the Shaykhu’l-Islam Yahya Efendi [4] says:

Give ear to the speech of the people of profound spiritual states.
Do not compare their speech to other speeches.
You know, O preacher, that every speech is different from others.

Silence accompanied by self-supervision in the presence of those who have reached the final point of journeying and who have been favored with God’s company is also emphasized. This silence of the people of heart, who can recognize people of true merit and worth, means respect for both the hearts into which Divine inspirations descend and for the One Who has favored these hearts with satisfaction. They remain silent where they should and prepare the ground for the breezes of inspirations to blow, setting their tables not for the worldly bounties, but for the ever-fresh fruits of Paradise.

It sometimes occurs that the matter to be discussed is so profound that it transcends our horizon of perception to the extent that we should keep silent and invite others around us to silence. Sayings such as, “No need to present our need, for the state we are in is expressive of everything,” and the silent prayer, “Consider what a wretched state we are in, and do not leave us alone!” are the voices of such silence. Jalalu’d-Din Rumi makes the following invitation to it:

Look at my pale face, but do not say anything to me!
See my countless pains, but for God’s love,
do not say anything to me!

Look at my heart in profuse blood,
and my tears flowing like a stream!
But ignore whatever you see,
and do not ask how and why!

Common people hold their tongues and only keep silent physically, while those who have certain knowledge of God keep control of both their tongue and heart, and so experience self-supervision in silence. As for the lovers of God, they keep their love and yearning within themselves and so represent the silence of faithfulness. The first of these three groups are saved from blunders of speech and protect themselves from censure and reproach. Those of the second group receive, in addition to what silence itself may bring, the spiritual gifts which come through reflection and self-supervision. As for those of the third group, it is stated in the following couplet:

You say that you are a lover, then do not sigh with the ordeal of love!
Do not make others aware of your ordeal by sighing!

Thus, they are able to keep their secrets in silence and display an example of deep faithfulness.

O God, include us among Your servants, sincere (in faith and
practicing the Religion), and endowed with sincerity; and bestow
blessings and peace on our master Muhammad, the leader of
those endowed with sincerity, and on his Family and Companions,
who both love You and are loved by You.

Notes

1. al-Bukhari, “Adab” 31; Muslim, “Iman” 74.
2. al-Ghazzali, Ihya’ ‘Ulum ad-Din, 1:3; 2:228.
3. at-Tabarani, al-Mu‘jamu’l-Awsat, 2:370; al-Bayhaqi, Shu‘abu’l-Iman, 4:257.
4. Shaykhu’l-Islam Yahya Efendi (1553–1644) was one of the most famous Shaykhu’l-Islams of the Ottoman State. The office of Shaykhu’l-Islam was the highest office of religious affairs. Yahya Efendi was also a well-known poet. (Tr.)

The Ancient Romans, centuries ago in their ornate dwellings of grand and timeless stone, held a religious belief; a consolatory certainty toward the existence of Genii Loci – ‘the spirit of place.’ [1]. An echo of home preserved by a connection to place that penetrates below the surface and grasps the spirit; a deity of personal comfort, a fragment of our soul that occupies the place where we reside. A home from within.

We, as humanity, thrive on the notion of belonging and similarity. Despite our cunning individuality, we each conform to the parallel status of our innate condition, born and grown from the same roots of our externalised world. And it is from this universal cognizance that we develop a perpetual state of comfort, an internal recognition of the significance of place, a personal construction of an integral home.

But how do we discern the ambiguous margin between place and home?

What is it about a certain location that incites the bond between a person and a place, the soul and the city?

To truly uncover humanity’s instinctive affinity with an identified home, we must first explore the structural integrity from which a place, or house is fabricated. Our focus on place is usually centralised around superficiality, the verdant grass, the ancient, evergreen trees. But what is it about these seemingly ordinary elements that manifest into the internal spirit of home? May it be how we exchange with these fabrics of place? May it be how the grass gently caresses the soles of our feet like plush carpet, moulding to our every step, or how the monumental gums align above our heads like a roof, an underlying inflection of our homely connection?

This connection between person and place was made particularly apparent to me in the words of William Sturmn Sax:

“People and the places where they reside are engaged in a continuing set of exchanges; they have determinate, mutual effects upon each other because they are part of a single, interactive system” [2].

I believe it is within these exchanges that a person and a place fuse into one distinct reality; a constant resonance of home like light reflecting from two opposing mirrors, engaging in an eternal conversation within which each refraction enhances the last. Could it be that we are the Genii Loci which inhabits a place; our place, colouring the surface with personalised perceptions while our souls remain hidden like true light buried within, constructing in confidence the essence of our familiarity?

Sydney is home to over five million individuals, a precise nexus intricately constructed by the sense of home manifested by this thriving population. Sydney presents to all a particularly superficial beauty, like the surface of the ocean. A void of azure which seemingly offers its deepest secrets to any individual who decides to unlock the rolling waves, delivering themselves openly in an act of sheer transparency. Albeit those who have familiarised themselves with this deceptive sea, know all too well the unending extent of this same ocean and the unknown depths that lie beneath – all the concealed magic that stirs below.

And it is this magic that remains solely visible to those who uncover the spirit within the city; those who reply to the walls that talk, travel down the eternal corridors and open each sealed door.

Corridors

There are ten primary traffic corridors which traverse Sydney, a delicate web connecting us and our secret lives to the intricate flow of humanity. The ‘orbital network’ [3]- as it’s colloquially known – 110 kilometres of seemingly straight and straight forward corridors; trajectories leading us further and further into the vibrancy of Sydney’s arterial heart.

These corridors, the infinite connection of cultures, personalities and livelihoods, guide us through the maze of our lives. We travel them frequently; unconsciously, merely perceiving them as modes of transport, as gravel or asphalt tamed to the natural level of the earth. Yet in actuality these roads are the liminal spaces that allow us to exist between two destinations; where we are and where we desire to be. They lead us to intersections, demanding decisions which define our prophesied destination:

Stop.

Give Way.

Turn Right.

Turn Left.

And it is from these imposed decisions that we connect with our evolving existence, the pathway that allows us to reach our identity, our home.

We often overlook the importance of the journey, seeing it only as a means to an end. Yet, it is through this placid ignorance that we lose the inexplicably exquisite nature of our motion and how it is enabled by means of our city’s corridors. We too easily miss the interrelationships of our city, and how each movement, whilst spinning us into a new orbit, paradoxically unites the culture of our city in a humble union. And although we may not feel this connection, we contribute to it daily – fortuitously. It is through this unconscious action that we are able to define the place that surrounds us, and as we engage within it, we become the pinnacle on which its definition depends. Ironically, it defines us.

I remember the first time I drove alone in Sydney; a tense yet inadvertently emotional rite of passage. I remember the exact feeling, as if my movement had conversed with the road and I was no longer travelling upon a meaningless path; but rather a tailored ellipse in which I, and those surrounding me, were destined to orbit. The roads which had captured my earliest memories seemed remarkably dissimilar to my experience that day, as the control of my palms upon the wheel countered my memories in an act of solidarity to the road. The veins that stemmed on the back of each tightly clenched hand were a map; a personal directory that guided my journey, manifesting the essence of my familiarity onto the corridor I pursued through the city; oblivious of my fate, but keenly aware of the incipient feeling which continued to flourish like a star gaining energy over time, expanding its brightness, a North Star.

We each remain for much of our lives, blissfully unaware of our beginning; the moment in time that binds us to this seemingly eternal corridor we pursue. But it is through this unconscious orbit that we define the place we know; the initial construction upon which our future comfort lies, accumulating as we spin toward our next destination, whilst seemingly strengthening our bond to the last. Corridors, the guiding orbits to our suburbs, suburban rooms; the basis of our eternal home.

Living rooms

As a young child, I would spend an undeniably unhealthy amount of time within the confining walls of my bedroom, my own area of familiarity which I never desired to abandon. Being secluded within this space, I became hyper-aware of my surroundings; especially the sounds which arose directly outside the sealed entrance of my room. I would watch as shadows danced along the small slit where the door sat just above the ground, becoming all too familiar with the creak of the floorboards as someone would set their foot to the right of the final step. It was far from an annoyance, though. Rather, it was a comfort.

As much as I valued my time concealed away, I knew I was never far from the familiarity of the people I love. To hear that creak was, in my mind, equivalent to the salty scent of the coastal suburbs, or the ceaseless shrill of car horns in the city, a definitive reminder of the culture and connection that surrounded me. A reminder that, even from within the personally tainted confines of those four ivory walls, I was part of a greater home.

Like my sanctuary, each suburb within the greater Sydney region is incontestably unique. They each reflect their own sense of culture, art and experiences that are offered to each individual who occupies them. It is within this distinction that we find we are able to uncover our own sense of belonging, as the vibrancy of the city initiates an inflection which penetrates our souls; provides colour to our identity. Though our city is not divided as a result of this definition. It is rather bound by these disparities, creating interconnecting rooms of the vast home which we move through. Instilling a greater sense of personal comfort within a universal world of familiarity.

The characteristics of each suburb are like fragments that fuse to the grand mosaic of home, like small aspects of a person which define a greater portion of who they are; or better yet, who they will become.

There’s a small suburb situated ten kilometres south-west of Sydney city, called Earlwood. It exists as a place of residence only to a small portion of the population. The narrow streets, lined with shops connected from wall to wall and mounted by red-brick apartments seem to have become achromatic at the ever-progressing hands of time, making them an anomaly in comparison to the industrialised jungle only minutes away.

Though, further within the suburban landscape and enclosed by the sparse line of bordering bush, a small mosaic lies amongst the green gums. It pays a tribute to the area’s Traditional Owners, the Bediagal People [4]. With its message of Respect, Unity, Peace spelled out in glittering fragments of glass and tile, it releases ancient light upon the world that surrounds it, illuminating the sacred path from cultural past to present. And it is within those small fragments of glass that a never-ending refraction of stories, experiences and lives, embedded deep within Indigenous culture of the city are freed. Though the monument remained concealed from the wide eyes of city-goers, its mere existence builds the walls of the city, the room, and gives light to the people within it.

The Earlwood monument, like a window within a room, provides this light to an era previously silenced by the ever-progressing hands of time, expanding our view of what now is, only justifiable to the notions of what once was. It communicates to us an unending conversation between past and present, what we have built and what we have erased.

These connections which we discover in our suburban rooms surround us with inflections of our identity. They remind us that the beauty of Sydney is illusory for those who are yet to be initiated into its deeper secrets hidden beyond the light of the trees, the earth, the seas. For me, Sydney’s resonances are as familiar as the creak outside my bedroom door which gave me that familiar sense of home. I know my Genii Loci, the transcendent value of the light within, the artefacts of Sydney that remain buried within the ground, enlightening our modern society with the emulation of the Eora Nations’ overlooked eternal past. A past from which our Sydney is entirely structured upon, the source, the foundation of home.

Foundation

A foundation, by definition, is ‘an underlying basis or principle,’ something which contributes to the holistic feature of a construction in our world, a structure which remains hidden despite its stark value. A symbol of importance; a beginning but never an end. The foundation of our world can be simplified into a record of organisms, into the layers of prehistoric rock that pile below our feet, preserving the only remnants of a life before ours. But it is not upon these withered bones that the skeleton of our world is constructed. It is through our own intangible experience, the manifestation of our culture, that moulds our city and seeds the roots of an eternalised home. The foundation upon which we survive is the perennial core of our existence.

Standing amidst the oasis of Sydney’s Botanical gardens, surrounded by lush and vibrant vegetation whose roots span far below my feet, I am presented with a view of pristine beauty, a direct line of sight leading to The Sydney Opera House.

Sharpened sail-shaped shells appear to have risen through the ground, piercing the air, capturing the essence of our city within their gentle yet structured curves, a superficial symbol of our modern innovations, which conceal the apparent void buried in the rock and dirt beneath. Polished concrete blankets the grand concourse, ostensibly smoothing over the rough aggregate of its innate form, rendering it suitable for white habitation in place of an honoured civilisation of 65,000 years that rests idly beneath.

Centuries ago, amidst the green gums and dwarfed underwood, a small tidal island broke the surface of the sea, located on the tip of the eastern arm of Warrane, a place later known by colonists as Sydney Cove. The isle, singularly inhabited by the Gadigal people [5] who identified it as their rightfully claimed land, was strewn with oyster shells, their serrated edges guarding the island from foreign footprints, sealing the enduring cultural past that manifested beneath. It remained attached to the fertile mainland by a corridor of piled rock, a guiding early foundation between the ancient land and its eternal meanings.

Upon the blooming grass of the tidal island in the late 1700s, a squared red-brick hut planted itself, covering the dense silica soil that had flourished through layers of eroding sandstone. The structure was an outlier amongst the spanning foliage, enforcing a status of infiltration despite its supposed homage – a small sentiment to the monumental man after whom it was honourably named. Bennelong Hut: the first plantation of colonised industry on sacred soils, an infestation disguised as the growth of mutuality, the catalyst of a new era from which a superficial Sydney would sprout upon the true culture of Indigenous roots cultivated to the earth’s core. The hut, though, gave name to the land which had been nurtured by those who had imprinted it incipiently, a universal resonation with the ranging tract of land now known as ‘Bennelong Point.’

And as the lights dim amongst the prosperous sociability of contemporary living in a place now known as Barangaroo, the gloom of the night comes alive with these spirits of the past. It is to this genesis of our city that we owe our home, as we connect with each layer of the foundation which piles below our feet. For it is not our familiarity to the place in which we reside that incites our homely cognizance, but rather our connection to its roots, the fabrication of an eternal foundation inherited by the timeless influence of the past. The Genii Loci of Sydney; the first inhabitants of this land.

Epilogue

It is through this revelation of our city, the identification of our roads as our corridors, the creation of our suburbs as our rooms and the enlightenment of the past as our foundation, that we construct a place capable of an eternalised comfort which lends itself to our souls, a place which we truly know as home so that we may truly know ourselves.

And at the very end of it all, we are only left to disassemble the walls, rip up the carpet and reveal the foundation that lies beneath; to rebuild all that has been erased. We must reconstruct the place we know.

To know home, we must travel beyond home.

References

1. Jiang, Z., & Lin, D. (2022). Genius Loci of Ancient Village from the Perspective of Tourists Experience: Scale Development and Validation. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(8), 4817. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19084817
2. Sax, W. S. (1991). Mountain goddess: Gender and politics in a Himalayan pilgrimage. Oxford Univ. Press.
3. Chung, Jen & Rebhuhn, Carrie & Yates, Connor & Hollinger, Geoffrey & Tumer, Kagan. (2019). A multiagent framework for learning dynamic traffic management strategies. Autonomous Robots. 43. 10.1007/s10514-018-9800-z.
4. UBC Web Design. (2010). Bediagal people. Australian Monuments, Statues, Dedicated | Monument Australia. https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/culture/indigenous/display/107851-bediagal-people
5. Aboriginal history and the Gadigal people. (2013). City of Sydney. https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/history/aboriginal-histories

The origins of deep learning (DL), a cornerstone of modern artificial intelligence (AI), can be traced back to the 1940s. This era marked the proposal of the artificial neuron by Warren McCulloch and Walter Pitts—a mathematical construct inspired by the biological neurons in the brain. The perceptron, developed in the 1950s, marked an early milestone, followed by the introduction of backpropagation in the 1980s by Rumelhart, Hinton, and Williams. This algorithm was pivotal in training multi-layered neural networks more efficiently, paving the way for deeper architectures. During the 1980s, Yann LeCun’s research on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) proved critical for tasks in image recognition. The 1990s saw the development of recurrent neural networks (RNNs) by Sepp Hochreiter and Jurgen Schmidhuber, which enhanced the model’s ability to process sequential data.

Despite these theoretical advancements, progress was impeded in the 1990s and early 2000s due to computational limitations and the scarcity of large datasets. The advent of powerful graphics processing units (GPUs) in the late 2000s, however, provided the necessary boost for training complex deep learning models. The 2010s were characterized by a deep learning explosion, with CNNs achieving remarkable performance in image recognition tasks, such as the ImageNet competition, and RNNs driving progress in natural language processing (NLP) and speech recognition. Today, the field of deep learning is continuously evolving as researchers explore novel architectures, training methodologies, and applications in diverse domains such as healthcare, robotics, and autonomous vehicles.

Training in machine learning

Training deep learning models requires vast datasets containing millions, or even billions, of data points. This scale allows the models to recognize complex patterns and generalize effectively to new, unseen data. A common practice is to pre-train models on large, generic datasets, such as extensive image or text corpora, and then fine-tune them on specific tasks. This strategy benefits from the features learned during the pre-training phase, thereby speeding up the training process for the final task. Given the size and complexity of these models, training typically involves distributing the workload across multiple GPUs or Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), which significantly improves the speed of the process.

Training durations can vary widely—from days or weeks for smaller models to months for the largest and most complex models. Nevertheless, continual advancements in hardware and training techniques are extending the boundaries of what is possible, enabling the development of larger and more sophisticated neural networks.

Focusing on large language models (LLMs), these are trained on vast text corpora, often exceeding 1000 GB—which is roughly equivalent to 1 million 500-page books. The models used for such training have billions of parameters and require substantial infrastructure, typically involving multiple GPUs. For instance, training a model like GPT-3 would take approximately 290 years on a single NVIDIA V100 GPU. Consequently, LLMs are generally trained on thousands of GPUs in parallel. Google, for example, trained a model with 540 billion parameters using 6,144 TPU v4 chips. The immense scale and cost of this infrastructure make it prohibitive for most organizations, compelling even OpenAI to utilize Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform for training.

Training LLMs requires precise coding, careful configuration, and meticulous implementation to ensure accurate and efficient execution. The process is iterative and often involves numerous parallel computing strategies. These are adjusted after experimenting with various configurations to tailor training runs to the specific needs of the model and the available hardware. Selecting an appropriate LLM architecture, such as one with residual connections and transformer architecture with self-attention, is crucial. This choice directly impacts the training complexity and optimizes the balance between computational resources and the model’s complexity. Identifying the functional needs of the model—whether for generative modeling, bi-directional/masked language modeling, multi-task learning, or multi-modal analysis—is also vital for successful implementation.

The development of artificial intelligence (AI), especially in the field of deep learning, is the result of the immense dedication and collaborative efforts of tens of thousands of researchers worldwide. Currently, Google’s DeepMind boasts approximately 3,400 employees, while OpenAI has around 1,900 staff members. In terms of financial commitment, DeepMind’s CEO Demis Hassabis revealed in 2024 that Google’s investment in AI might ultimately surpass $100 billion. Furthermore, a 2022 report by Statista indicated that global corporate AI investment amounted to $91.9 billion, with Goldman Sachs projecting that it could escalate to nearly $200 billion by 2025.

The human brain as a foundation for AI

The human brain, a marvel of biological intricacy, is foundational to the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning (DL). This complex organ functions much like a central processing unit, managing a broad spectrum of critical tasks essential for survival and environmental interaction. It processes sensory inputs—such as vision, hearing, touch, taste, and smell—via the nervous system. These inputs are then synthesized by the brain to form our subjective perception of the world.

Additionally, the brain expertly orchestrates motor functions, facilitating actions like walking, speaking, and manipulating objects. It also meticulously regulates vital physiological operations, including breathing, heart rate, digestion, and body temperature, through a sophisticated coordination of neural and hormonal systems.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the human brain is its exceptional plasticity. This feature is crucial as it allows us to learn new information and retain it as long-term memories. This adaptability is fundamental in how we gather life experiences and continuously expand our understanding of the world. Through this capability, the brain supports not only our basic survival instincts but also powers the complex thought processes that machines in the realms of AI and deep learning attempt to mimic.

Emotions and feelings are also governed by the brain, heavily influencing how we think, make decisions, and interact with others. It is the brain’s sophisticated system that enables us to understand and use language, whether it’s spoken out loud or written down, and to formulate our thoughts into words. Furthermore, the brain manages complex mental functions such as critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, creativity, and self-awareness. These skills are essential for us to manage complex challenges and make plans for the future.

It’s important to understand that these varied functions do not operate in isolation. Instead, they involve the cooperative and dynamic interaction of different areas of the brain. For example, playing a musical instrument beautifully illustrates this as it requires coordinated motor control, auditory feedback, and emotional engagement.

Neuroscience, the study of the brain, is continually revealing new insights about this incredible organ. We are consistently learning more about its structure, capabilities, and the ways it develops and adapts throughout our lives. It’s estimated that the human brain contains about 86 billion neurons, which are specialized cells that communicate with each other using electrical and chemical signals. These neurons are linked by approximately 100 trillion synapses, which are the tiny gaps over which these signals are transmitted. This extensive network of connections allows for the complex processing of information and the learning capabilities that characterize the human brain.

Human intelligence (HI) vs artificial intelligence (AI)

The human brain, equipped with necessary hardware and software, must operate in harmony for optimal functionality. Without the software component, the brain is merely soft tissue composed of gray and white matter. Conversely, without the physical structure of the brain, no software—no matter how sophisticated—can function, demonstrating that the brain with its 86 billion neurons and 100 trillion synapses is perfectly designed to run these complex programs.

Consider the question: “Why can’t the current chess champion, Magnus Carlsen, beat a computer at chess?” This is especially intriguing given that the last known victory of a human under standard tournament conditions was Ponomariov’s win against Fritz in 2005. This question can be likened to asking why a human can’t carry loads like a truck, achieve speeds like a Ferrari, calculate the cube root of large prime numbers as quickly as a computer, or why even the combined efforts of math professors from top research universities can’t manually compute the inverse of a 10,000 x 10,000 matrix as swiftly as Python on a capable CPU. The answer is simple: the human brain is not designed for these specific functions. Machines may excel in specialized tasks but lack the broader adaptive capabilities of humans. A truck cannot think, a Ferrari cannot cultivate civilization, and a computer does not manage a living body. Similarly, software capable of rapid calculations cannot replicate the nuanced teaching and innovative theoretical work of university professors.

Evidently, the human brain is intricately tailored to navigate the complexities of life. It equips individuals with the ability to make critical decisions, from ethical dilemmas to everyday choices such as providing for one’s family, achieving societal status, or engaging in personal relationships like marriage. Despite the remarkable advancements in artificial intelligence, its limitations are evident in practical applications, such as autonomous vehicles. Major automotive manufacturers have invested heavily in this technology: Ford invested $1 billion in the self-driving startup Argo AI in 2017, with Volkswagen later contributing an additional $2.6 billion, aiming to compete with tech giants like Uber, Tesla, and Google. At its peak, Argo AI was valued at $12.4 billion. However, by 2022, the venture was discontinued. Ford acknowledged that it failed to attract further investment and that profitability was still far from reach, highlighting the challenges in aligning AI capabilities with complex real-world applications.

The fact of creation in intelligence

From early childhood, humans embark on an extensive and continuous learning journey, adapting to and mastering the complexities of the surrounding environment. While artificial intelligence (AI) excels at specific tasks like chess and Go, it still falls short of the extraordinary capabilities demonstrated in nature, such as the peregrine falcon’s high-speed dive or the human body’s intricate coordination of 30 trillion cells every millisecond.

Even if AI can be engineered to mimic many daily functions of living beings, this comparison starkly underscores the superior capabilities inherent in life itself, pointing unmistakably to the power revealed in creation.

Our individual brains, alongside the broader universe, serve as unparalleled platforms for continuous learning. Yet, our understanding of the brain’s basic features remains rudimentary, and the depth of its operations is still largely uncharted. Current technological applications, such as large language models for language learning and neural networks for image processing, demonstrate our attempts to replicate natural processes. However, these artificial systems require significant resources for tasks that the human brain handles effortlessly and cost-free.

Reflecting on these distinctions, it becomes clear that the intricate intelligence and processes governing life are not the products of an unconscious entity like “mother nature.” Instead, they suggest the design of a deliberate and intelligent Creator. This realization invites us to acknowledge the intricate purpose embedded within the human brain and body, pointing us toward the Creator, whose magnificent capabilities and actions are evident in the very fabric of our existence.

Especially now that a wide array of technology is at our disposal, we strive to be more efficient at work or school. We also try to squeeze the most out of our leisure time by chasing various forms of entertainment at once. For this, most of us multitask (or at least claim to do so). Put simply, multitasking is completing multiple tasks simultaneously, such as listening to the news while reading a book. When we multitask, we may be filled with a sense of pride, since it’s usually seen as a sign of high intelligence. Being such a popular phenomenon, the excruciating question is whether multitasking is really possible or not.

Naturally, this article avoids the highly scientific aspects of this neurologically complex topic and aims to answer this question for the layperson. Following this approach, the term ‘multitasking’ is used in this article for tasks that necessitate conscious thought. For example, walking and talking at the same time is not considered multitasking, since walking does not require conscious thought; rather, it is accomplished through “muscle memory.” The definition also excludes activities that are not simultaneously going on with another activity, but exclusively on their own time in a day, week, or month. Therefore, dividing the time in a day among multiple activities, such as spending an hour reading, another hour watching TV, still another writing, and perhaps repeating each of these tasks on its own time in the same day is not considered multitasking.

Going back to our vital question: is multitasking really possible? In other words, can we easily handle multiple tasks and switch between them without sacrificing time and accuracy? To answer this question, we need to first understand the brain’s executive control over cognitive processes. This executive control can be seen as the control tower that orchestrates the brain’s countless varied cognitive operations while completing tasks. Moralis and Dinan (2022) list them as including, but not limited to, planning, self-monitoring, accessing working memory, time management, and organization. For their study, Rubinstein, Meyer, and Evans (2001) proposed a theoretical model that divided these control processes into two main stages involved in task switching: goal shifting and rule activation. They defined goal shifting as the stage that keeps track of the individual tasks and informs the other components of the system about what the current task is. In other words, this is the stage in which one realizes where they stand in the sequence of tasks at hand, and initiates, executes, and terminates individual tasks. The rule activation stage followed goal shifting and was defined as resetting the mind by first disabling the prior task’s rules and then turning on the new task’s rules. For example, if we switch from playing tennis to basketball, the objectives, rules, strategies, and a bunch of other things need to change in our mind. These researchers’ findings from a series of experiments supported the model that has goal shifting and rule activation stages for task switching. While a number of factors such as task familiarity and rule complexity influenced the magnitude of task switching costs, results consistently showed that there was always a price to be paid in terms of time and error rate when switching between tasks.

While the cost per switch may be relatively small, they can add up to large amounts when people switch back and forth repeatedly between tasks. Therefore, multitasking, which seems like a means of efficiency on the surface, ultimately becomes more costly timewise and involves more error (“Multitasking: Switching costs,” 2006). Meyer, one of the three researchers mentioned above, says in an interview on their research, “People in a work setting who are banging away on word processors at the same time they have to answer phones and talk to their co-workers or bosses – they are doing switches all the time. Not being able to concentrate for, say, tens of minutes at a time, may mean it’s costing a company as much as 20 to 40 percent” (Anderson, 2001).

One can easily find many studies on multitasking, all of which document the inefficiency of multitasking. This is because our brains are wired to perform singular tasks rather than multitask. Despite its superb structure and highly sophisticated functions that we have only begun to understand through advances in brain research, the human brain is curiously not designed for multitasking. In other words, we are expected to make the most out of our experiences that require conscious thought rather than try to become an efficient machine-like human that processes information superficially in a very short amount of time. Doesn’t this design make total sense for the only species in the world that is capable of contemplating and meaning-making about the entire existence? From another angle, multitasking takes a heavy toll on our personal, social, professional, and educational lives. This is another crucial topic in and of itself that deserves a separate discussion in another article.

References

• Anderson, P. (2001, August 5). Study: Multitasking is counterproductive. CNN. http://edition.cnn.com/2001/CAREER/trends/08/05/multitasking.focus/
• Moralis, S. & Dinan, S. (2022, February 27). The myth of multitasking. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-therapeutic-perspective/202202/the-myth-multitasking
• Multitasking: Switching costs. (2006, March 20). American Psychological Association. Retrieved July 5, 2024, from https://www.apa.org/topics/research/multitasking#:~:text=Although%20switch%20costs%20may%20be,end%20and%20involve%20more%20error
• Rubinstein, J.S., Meyer, D.E., & Evans, J.E. (2001). Executive control of cognitive processes in task switching. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27(4), 763-797. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-1523.27.4.763