Following Artemis II, we go with another piece on the Moon. Amna Majid writes on one major secret of our satellite, that it has water! It has been confirmed in 2018 that there is frozen water in the Moon’s craters. What was thought impossible before, water on the moon theory was first proposed in 1961 by Kenneth Watson. Majid gives a brief panorama of the past research up until 2025, and projects a possible future where the Moon could be a permanent space station.  

Pope Francis and Fethullah Gülen. Mustafa Cenap Aydin gives a brief account of these two giant men of faith, one the leader of the Catholic world and the other a prominent Muslim scholar, whose lives and missions overlapped in many aspects. Born and died not so far apart from each other, both men have contributed to the promotion of peace, education, and community connections around the world. Through their examples, Aydin shows how one can remain deeply committed to one’s own faith while building genuine bridges with members of other traditions.  

This issue also brings one strong document from the depths of history that helped build a peaceful society from among warring tribes: The Medina Charter. Yetkin Yildirim et al explains how this Charter, considered by many as the first constitution in history, enabled the formation of a single entity from different faith groups and ethnicities, while recognizing their respective cultural and belief traits. The Charter’s message is reinforced by Aaron Y. Ryan who wrote about racism and how it reveals at the societal level in “Racism: Egoism of Societies.” Ryan quotes Nursi for whom racism is an external projection of an enlarged ego and that racist ideologies rise “just as latent diseases emerge when the body’s immune system is weakened.”

In “Anger Is Never Sudden,” Naim Yilmaz draws an analogy between anger and allergic reactions. When we are hit by a car and immediately become furious, there is in fact something that was already growing deep down. Yilmaz says that anger appears instantly, but it is built slowly. In his piece, he offers good advice on how to control anger and guard ourselves from such allergic reactions.

Then it happened. A driver behind him surged forward, flashing headlights and shouting from a rolled down window. Something inside John, something he didn’t recognize as fully himself, rose like a flash-flood. He stepped out of the car. Words flew, harsh and hot. A minor shove. A misstep. A fall.

And suddenly someone was hurt. The police came. The reports were written. And John, sitting alone in a small, echoing cell, realized that sometimes a life doesn’t crumble in a long, slow descent—it collapses in thirty seconds of unguarded anger.

It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t wanted. It simply…happened. Like an anaphylactic reaction, sudden, overwhelming, and profoundly destructive.

Medicine offers a remarkable parallel. Some of the body’s most violent reactions appear to erupt without warning, yet they are often the culmination of processes that have been unfolding quietly for years.

Johanna had no reason to fear a peaceful Sunday picnic, until a single bite of a cookie made with a trace of hazelnut awakened an old immune memory buried deep within her body. Within minutes her lips tingled, her skin flushed, and her throat tightened as her immune system, mistaking the harmless nut for a mortal enemy, unleashed a tidal wave of histamine that constricted her airway and dropped her blood pressure. Panic blurred the moment, but a friend quickly injected epinephrine, the medicine racing through her bloodstream like a calming command that opened her airways and steadied her pulse. The episode seemed instantaneous, but in truth the reaction was years in the making. Before that picnic, Johanna’s immune system had already encountered the allergen, misidentified it as dangerous, and stored that mistake in its memory. The cookie did not cause the reaction out of nowhere. It merely awakened a response that had been waiting silently beneath the surface.

In medicine, anaphylaxis is the body’s form of a lightning strike; a rapid, life-threatening allergic reaction. It is a serious, potentially fatal medical emergency that is rapid in onset and requires immediate medical attention regardless of the availability of on-site treatments while not under medical care.

Within minutes, a simple trigger like a peanut, a bee sting, or even a medication can send the immune system into chaos. The body panics. The airways narrow. Blood pressure collapses. The entire system reacts disproportionately to a threat that, under normal circumstances, would be harmless, like Johanna above gasping for breath after eating a cookie, or a hiker stung by a bee feeling her throat close, or a patient given an antibiotic erupting in hives, dizzy, and pale.

When a severe allergic reaction occurs, every second matters. The first and most important treatment is epinephrine, a medication usually injected into the thigh. It acts quickly, interrupting the body’s dangerous overreaction before it becomes fatal. The airways relax, blood pressure rises, and circulation begins to stabilize. Additional doses or intravenous fluids may sometimes be required, but the principle remains the same: the faster the reaction is interrupted, the greater the chance of recovery. Doctors may also administer intravenous fluids to support blood flow, while the patient is laid flat with the legs slightly elevated to help restore circulation to the heart and brain.  

Other medications, such as antihistamines and steroids, may help relieve symptoms, but they are not substitutes for epinephrine. Individuals who have previously experienced anaphylaxis are strongly advised to carry an epinephrine auto-injector (commonly known as an EpiPen) and wear medical identification. Even when symptoms improve after treatment, emergency medical evaluation remains essential, as the reaction can recur unexpectedly.  

Fortunately, anaphylaxis is relatively rare. Although estimates vary, it affects only a small percentage of the population, and with prompt recognition and treatment, survival rates are exceptionally high. It tends to occur more in young people and in women. Nearly everyone who receives timely hospital care recovers.  

What actually causes anaphylaxis?

Before someone ever has an anaphylactic reaction, their immune system must first “learn” to recognize an allergen (such as peanuts, bee venom, or certain medications). During this first exposure, sensitization (immune memory formation) takes place, and the immune system mistakenly identifies the allergen as a threat. Then, it produces IgE antibodies that attach to mast cells and basophils. These IgE-coated cells “wait” for the next exposure.

Anaphylaxis happens during the next exposure (which might be years later). When exposed, the allergen binds to the IgE antibodies and mast cells release massive amounts of histamine and other mediators. This causes anaphylaxis in the form of hives, swelling, low blood pressure, airway tightening, etc.

Anaphylaxis symptoms usually occur within minutes of exposure to an allergen. Sometimes, however, anaphylaxis can occur a half-hour or longer after exposure. In rare cases, anaphylaxis may be delayed for hours. Signs and symptoms include:

• Skin reactions, including hives and itching and flushed or pale skin

• Low blood pressure (hypotension)

• Constriction of the airways and a swollen tongue or throat, which can cause wheezing and trouble breathing

• A weak and rapid pulse

• Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea

• Dizziness or fainting

Genetics can predispose someone to allergies (e.g., family history of atopy), but anaphylaxis itself is not genetically predetermined. It still requires exposure, sensitization and IgE antibody production.

Lessons from anaphylaxis

Just as the immune system can overreact to a small trigger, the heart can overreact to a small frustration. Anger can arrive suddenly without invitation, without calculation. A word misunderstood, a gesture interpreted as disrespect or a horn honked impatiently.

And instantly, the soul releases its own internal “mediators” such as adrenaline, cortisol, and tunnel vision. Then, judgment collapses, empathy becomes constricted, and perspective disappears.

What anaphylaxis is to the body, anger is to the spirit. Both are reactions far greater than the triggers that provoke them. Anger may appear to erupt in an instant, but like anaphylaxis, it is built slowly. Years of unprocessed stress, patterns of reaction learned in childhood, ego sensitivities left unexamined, and emotional habits repeated until they become automatic all lie beneath the surface. A single insult may ignite the explosion, but the invisible fuel has been accumulating quietly for years. Just as immune memory primes the body for anaphylaxis, emotional memory primes the mind for anger.

Even prophets teach us that anger is human, but mastery of anger is divine guidance.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) understood the physiology of emotion long before modern neuroscience. He taught: “When one of you becomes angry while standing, let him sit. If the anger does not leave him, let him lie down” (Sunan Abu Dawud 4782). And in another teaching, he advised ablution (wudu), saying anger is “from fire” and water extinguishes it. These are not merely symbolic instructions—they are antidotes. Sitting eases the body’s tension, lying down disarms the fight-or-flight response, and washing with water cools the face, slows the heartbeat, and interrupts the physiological surge of anger before it gains control.   

These are emotional epinephrine, quick, simple, and deeply effective. They not only calm the immediate reaction, but they also slowly re-educate the emotional-memory system, changing the default response. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was teaching the spiritual equivalent of resetting immune memory, reducing oversensitivity and interrupting automatic reactions.

In the Battle of Uhud, when the archers disobeyed the Prophet’s explicit command and abandoned their posts, the consequences were severe. The Muslim army suffered painful losses. Yet the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not publicly shame those responsible, did not single them out by name, and did not allow anger to fracture the unity of the community. Even his Companions refrained from identifying them.

His calmness repaired what disobedience had damaged. His mercy became more memorable than the mistake itself. His positive approach was confirmed in the Qur’an: “So by mercy from God, [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So, pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon God. Indeed, God loves those who rely [upon Him]” (Al Imran 3:159).

Jesus (peace be upon him) reminds us that spiritual maturity is not the absence of passion but the discipline of response: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”—Matthew 5:9.

James is quoted in the New Testament as follows: “Be slow to anger, for human anger does not produce the righteousness of God.”—James 1:19–20.

Moses (peace be upon him) struggled with a fiery temperament. When he struck the Egyptian man, he regretted it deeply (Qur’an 28:15–16). When he saw his people worshipping the calf, he reacted strongly—but afterward prayed for them (Qur’an 7:150).

Fethullah Gülen reminds us to shape our hearts into sanctuaries, each with a humble chair reserved for every soul God sends our way. He uses the metaphor of the heart as a sanctuary to call for emotional restraint and moral readiness in the face of others. By reserving a “humble chair” for every person we encounter, Gülen emphasizes unconditional hospitality rather than judgment or dominance. This image challenges the reflexive nature of anger, encouraging a pause between stimulus and response. In this way, it suggests that compassion can regulate emotional reactions much like balance in the immune system prevents anaphylactic overreaction.

Just as the immune system can be trained away from overreaction, the soul can be trained away from explosive anger. Both require memory to be re-written, habits to be relearned, and the inner terrain to be cultivated patiently.

To prevent anaphylaxis, we avoid triggers, strengthen resilience, and carry epinephrine. Similarly, we can prevent destructive anger, if we can cultivate the following in our spiritual journey:

With mindfulness, we can notice irritation before it grows. With self-awareness, we can know the history behind reactions. Practicing patience through remembrance (dhikr), meditation, and stillness can strengthen our resilience. Reducing chronic stressors can help us build healthy boundaries. Having generous, merciful assumptions about others reduces anger.

There is a Turkish proverb that “Sharp vinegar harms its own container.” Anger is vinegar. Before it burns others, it corrodes the heart that holds it.

Anaphylaxis teaches us how the body collapses when overwhelmed. Anger teaches us how relationships, reputations, and inner peace can collapse in a fleeting moment of emotional shock.

Let us learn to love people, to be gentle with their faults, and to show mercy, not because they are perfect, but because mercy is the epinephrine of the soul.

References

1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anaphylaxis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351468.

2. Shaker MC, et al. Anaphylaxis — A 2020 practice parameter update, systematic review, and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) analysis. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2020; doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2020.01.017.

3. Cardona V, Ansotegui IJ, Ebisawa M, El-Gamal Y, Fernandez Rivas M, Fineman S, Geller M, Gonzalez-Estrada A, Greenberger PA, Sanchez Borges M, Senna G, Sheikh A, Tanno LK, Thong BY, Turner PJ, Worm M. World allergy organization anaphylaxis guidance 2020. World Allergy Organ J. 2020 Oct 30;13(10):100472. doi: 10.1016/j.waojou.2020.100472. PMID: 33204386; PMCID: PMC7607509.

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaphylaxis

We have tried to achieve this vastness in our souls for years. We have always wanted to recognize and accept people – not for the ill-temperedness they display due to certain exterior reasons, but for the spiritual immensity of their inner worlds, their silent spiritedness, their energetic harmony, and their continual openness to self-reform. And it was impossible for us to think otherwise. Such acceptance is required by the superior commands of faith, a testament to its universality. Indeed, while we have always tried to embrace our own faith completely, we have also regarded other religious thoughts and philosophical ideas as a natural part of our life. We have always sought coexistence. Our slogan has always been “accept everyone for who they are, and show respect.” And we have always tried to be faithful to this principle and have never condemned or abused anyone due to differences in religion, faith, sect, or opinion.

Though we have suffered various kinds of abuse, and were subjected to insults and degradation, we never responded. We never responded despite the fact that we had many legitimate reasons to do so. We endured various forms of abuse and humiliation, but we considered retaliation in kind as a cruel principle. We always believed the eternally inherent honor and privileges of being human should not be forsaken for temporary attributes like grudge, hostility, anger, and barbarity. Hoping to express these emotions without causing doubt or confusion, we even humbly bowed our heads and placed them on the ground, hoping to serve as steppingstones on the paths of those who we thought possessed good intentions. Such behavior for the sake of tolerance is a form of humbleness and submission; and while behaving in this manner, if we have unconsciously insulted our faith in any way and sinned, may God forgive us! We have continuously exclaimed, “Respect for all humanity.” We tried to live like shadows, to prevent being obstacles. We never anticipated anything from those whom we embraced with understanding, whose ideas we welcomed with respect. All we asked was mutual respect; this much we would expect simply out of our humble appreciation of their being human.

Indeed, we have never singled out anyone. As our hearts beat with love for the whole of humanity, we never demanded anything in return for our compassionate care. If we had made such demands, continuing our broad and sincere relations with all the nations of the world would have been impossible; ties based on expectations can never survive. But we want our relationships with others to last forever, and for that matter we chose to establish these relations on the belief that every human being is an example of God’s art.

We lived our lives accordingly, offering our love and respect to everyone (perhaps we have gone too far in showing our love, and some people mistook our kindness for hostile intentions). We showed kindness and displayed our humanity at every opportunity. We did not discriminate against anyone based on “worth”; we tried to live beyond such measures. We waited for the propitious moment when the eye of reason would convene and integrate with sound judgment. I believe that, as humans, we have a right to this basic expectation. Lesser expectations would be disrespectful to the honorable human being, whose potential exceeds that of the angels.

Indeed, for many years, while opening our fountains of deepest love, we’ve often been overwhelmed by the hope that our seeds of affection would germinate in lands of hatred, hostility, anger, and conspiracy. And many of those in our society that share this dream responded positively from their hearts:

Make a sound, my brave one, or don’t you hear me?
For years I have stood with you in my imagination.
I live with the hope that you will rise up and come…
My heart, shining with hope, awaits you.
At times it flies in the skies; at others it crawls on the ground…
Everywhere is in ruins, a festival for owls.
Bridges have fallen one by one and the roads are without travelers.
No one stops by anymore, the fountains have run dry…
Arise and come just like in the dreams!
Early one morning on your white horse,
While watching you in my spirit with my closed eyes.
Arise and come just like in the dreams!

Overcome by the magic of this splendid ideal, millions began to utter words of love. Though at first this love was only a trickle, in time it has transformed into a cascade. Now it is a symbol of revival for everyone.

This is another dimension of God manifesting His greatness. Sometimes, by allowing the weakest ones to fulfill great achievements, God shows that intermediary causes have no real significant value and reminds us of His sublimity in many different ways. What we have lived through was of a similar nature. It was as if the One of Eternal Power opened the gates to the hearts of others for ordinary, simple individuals like us, virtually bestowing upon us to become Solomon with his vast kingdom of love; and even if it was only temporary, the evil spirits of grudge, hostility, and conflict were so shocked that they became delirious with their evil desires.

Then, it was the time for the heroes of tolerance to speak. The Earth turned into pure gold in their hands; coal transformed into diamonds, and poison turned into sherbet. While they were satisfied with the willingness of society to reclaim its true nature, society also rejoiced at discovering its own spiritual depth and essence. Indeed, kindness converged with graciousness, and the souls, weary from years of bloodshed, tears, and the festering of evil, rejoiced at their good fortune. At last, everyone sat beneath open skies singing songs of love. Everywhere, light overwhelmed darkness, and the roars of hostility and animosity were replaced by the comforting ballads of love and brotherhood. Revenge and grudge idly awaited their fate, and hostility and resentment slowly shrank and faded away.

We were delighted and anticipated that those who were conscious of their humanity would adorn their souls with feathers from Gabriel’s wings, reach the heavens frequented by the angels, and raise a new voice composed of the divine. A new voice that would not allow the groaning of conflict, lies, slander, and defamation.

Disappointingly, however, a marginal but adamant group, driven by hostility, aggression, anarchism, and slander, a group whose strength and extraordinary efficiency lie in its destructiveness and its bellicosity, has obstructed this awakening like fiends. They have attempted to block this progress by swaying some people who were confused and undecided. They have attacked religious thought and defamed religious people. They have labeled everyone with an ideology; for them, some people were “religionists” – whatever that means – while others were members of a cult, thus sowing fears for fundamentalism, they ignited flames of discord.

Tyrants have oppression on their side,
but the innocent have God on theirs.
Persecuting people may be easy today,
but tomorrow they will certainly go before God.

We have remained silent; silence is the way we respond. Retaliation in kind is a tyrannous principle in our book. We do not fight back physically, nor do we reply to their curses. Acting without force against those who use force, and remaining silent before those who utter abuse: these are requirements of the covenant between us and our consciences. God never created us with teeth to bite, nor did He create us with claws to savage others. Each individual acts upon their character, and we consider acting violently as disrespectful to ourselves. Thus, we have swallowed our words when we could have spoken out loud.

While others have revealed the darkness in their souls, we are presented with the opportunity to praise God’s favors upon us.  We will not overshadow our time in this transient world by harming others, speaking evil words, or hurting others’ feelings; in the spirit of Yunus the poet, we will appeal to everyone to love one another. 

While doing so, we will remain loyal to these words, as written by Bediuzzaman: “I am forgiving all the troubles, tortures, and calamities I had to suffer for so many years. During my whole lifetime (of over eighty years), I have tasted nothing of the worldly pleasures. My life has passed on battlefields or in prisons or other places of suffering. I was placed on disciplinary segregation for months. They have treated me, at war tribunals, as if I were a savage. As for those who persecuted me, who banished me from one town to another, who tried to imprison me with many charges, and those who reserve a place for me in the dungeons: I forgive all of them.”

Indeed, I vow that as a believer I will share these emotions. I vow that I will not be upset with anyone or break away from them. I vow that I will welcome death with pleasure. I vow that I will accept the suffering from His Majesty as one with the loyalty that comes from His Beauty. And finally, I have no authority to speak on behalf of God’s rights, but with the regards to my violated personal rights, I vow that I will not demand them from anyone on the Day of Judgment.

Since we cannot help micro expressions, they can expose us when we lie. Psychiatrists, scientists, law enforcement officers, and other professions carefully study micro expressions, hoping to better recognize them. The study of micro expressions is a developing scientific field.

History The modern idea of analyzing micro expressions originated with Paul Ekman and Walter Friesen. Ekman and Friesen used micro expressions in their study of deception, published in 1971. According to his book Telling Lies, published on January 26, 2009, Ekman was asked by his colleagues if there was a way to tell if a patient was lying to a psychiatrist. As a result, he started looking through his old patients’ filmed interviews and found a perfect example in Mary, a forty-two year old housewife, who had attempted suicide three times.

Mary was suffering from midlife depression: her kids had grown and they didn’t need her assistance anymore, and her husband was always at work. She felt useless. In the first few weeks in the hospital, she was treated with medication and psychiatric therapy. She appeared to respond well to the treatments, telling her doctor that she was feeling much better. In one of her filmed interviews she told the doctor she wanted a weekend pass. Before she received the pass, she admitted to her doctor that she had been lying about the way she felt so she could get the pass and confessed that she still wanted to commit suicide. The group of doctors gathered and watched the filmed interview to search for any clues which showed that Mary was depressed the entire time. The filmed interview fooled many of the doctors because they all thought that she seemed genuinely happy. They watched the interview over and over again. They tried viewing it in slow motion to see if any micro expressions would appear. Eventually they found something. Before she answered the doctor about her future plans, the researchers saw a quick facial expression of agony; it was so quick, they had missed it before. Using this ability to identify seemingly hidden micro expressions, Ekman did more research and has worked with many individuals. Eventually, seven universal micro expressions were discovered.

Types / definitions of micro expressions The seven types of micro expressions are: Anger, Sadness, Happiness, Disgust, Fear, Surprise, and Contempt. Here is how the seven are defined:

Anger Anger tends to get people in trouble because it triggers the need to react to one’s environment. People tend to release their anger when triggered. They won’t always know what caused their explosion; it could be as simple as something familiar being out of place. Their anger can be expressed in many forms. Not all of these forms will be violent, of course. For example, a person might get angry when they are driving and traffic starts to form. Even if they do not want to express their anger, it will still be there. A sudden, quick glimpse of anger will form in the person’s face, lasting less than a second. This is the micro expression. When expressing anger, the eyebrows and nose scrunch up, the mouth tightly closes, and the eyes will give a certain glare.

Sadness Sadness is seen more frequently in a person’s life than one can imagine. It can be caused by the loss of a loved one, getting hurt by someone, an unhappy marriage, and more. Even though these kinds of events happen to everyone, people still tend to try hiding their sadness. They may want to hide it because they feel threatened by the situation, or they think other people will consider them weak. They may not want to admit to feeling sad. Of course, they are not exactly hiding their sadness. If someone is observant, they can see the hints of sadness concealed in another person’s face. It will be a quick expression but it will contain of slight pulling down of the lip corners, droopy eyelids, and a loss of focus in the eyes.

Disgust Have you ever discovered stinky leftover food in the fridge or watched a video about a person eating bugs? Either one leads to the same reaction: a scrunched up nose and a raised upper lip. This is another micro expression: disgust. And like all micro expressions, it cannot be stopped. If a person is at a dinner their friend cooked, but they do not like the food, they will try to hide their feelings out of kindness. But even if the person is good at convincing their friend the food tastes good, their disgust will still show in their face.

Fear Fear might be caused by a spider or a frightening mask, but the face reacts the same way: the eyebrows raise and pull together; the upper eyelid rises; the lower lip is tense; the lips are stretched horizontally back to the ears. All of this happens in just a split second. Some criminals have the expression of fear when they are about to get caught. It can also be triggered by simple things, such as flipping through channels and seeing a scary scenario or face. A person will still express fear, even though they know that the threat is not real.

Surprise The micro expression for surprise is very similar to the one for fear. The major difference is that a person is not scared, but shocked. The elements of surprise are raised eyebrows, open mouth, and widened eyes. A perfect example of this is when a person walks into a surprise birthday party. Sometimes people may try to hide their surprise because they don’t want to be embarrassed. But a micro expression of surprise is evident whether one tries to hide it or not.

Happiness Happiness occurs when a person is filled with glee and joy. Genuine happiness causes the lip corners to raise, making wrinkles around the mouth. Wrinkles also appear in the corner of the eyes. A person can be happy for many reasons. For instance, a person might feel happiness when his or her daughter visits for the holidays. Something as simple as receiving a compliment might also make a person happy. A person might want to hide their happiness for many reasons. It might be because they don’t want to reveal the cause of their happiness, or maybe because they don’t feel it’s right to feel happy about the cause of their happiness. Even though they try to hide it, the emotion slips out and reveals a micro expression. Observant people might be able to notice this.

Contempt Contempt happens when a person is full of him or herself. It occurs when a person believes that they are better than someone else. For example, a student might score the highest grade on a test. Though he might try his best to not reveal his pride, it will still show. One corner of the lips will rise. This can also occur when a rich person looks down on a poor person. These are the seven micro expressions scientists have identified. Knowing them can only help you if you know how to interpret them in the real world.

Micro expressions in the real world Knowledge of micro expressions can be used for many things. Many professionals are trained to see micro expressions and observe body language. Ekman has a training program and states that ordinary people can learn a lot about micro expressions in a short period of time. This knowledge can allow them to see things they’ve never noticed before. This training program is called F.A.C.E. (Facial Awareness Compassion Emotion) Training and it is available at Ekman’s website (https://face.paulekman.com). Many of the professionals who receive training need to recognize micro expressions for their job. FBI and CIA professionals, for example, deal with people who lie. If they cannot tell who is lying, they will have trouble doing their jobs.

Recognizing micro expressions can help in many other jobs, too. It can even help teachers who may want to see if a student did their homework. Micro expressions help us to see lies. A person might be suicidal but might smile and say that she is fine. But that smile might be masking agony, if you know how to see it.

There is also the Facial Acts Coding System (FACS). FACS uses Action Units (AUs) to measure micro expressions. FACS is more about measuring than training: its coder breaks facial expressions down into the specific AUs that caused the movement This enables the software to measure expressions, as there is a different measurement that goes with each expression.

It has been scientifically proven that micro expressions are universal. Ekman proved this by going to New Guinea and testing out if a tribe that has had no contact with the outside world still had the same micro expressions as every other society. His results concluded that the tribe’s facial expressions were the same as everyone else’s. No matter what nationality, age, or race, people all have the same universal expressions. We all feel the same emotions. We are made from the same material.

Micro expressions are extraordinary: they help people to see things that they have never noticed. Overall, learning about micro expressions can help increase your understanding of human nature – and it will help you to better read people. And though micro expressions let you know what a person is feeling, they won’t let you know why they are feeling it. So when you accuse someone of eating the last piece of pie, maybe they are really just hiding something else.

Reference

• Ekman, P. 1985. Telling Lies: Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage. New York: Norton.

Masses who have developed with different thoughts and objectives that are in conflict, and who have been deprived of positive cultivation, they form a society wherein passion, animosity, and hatred run rampant. Such a society promises nothing in the way of goodness and decency.

The harmony in this resplendent book of the universe continues with the mutual support of all things, living and non-living, and their coming together to form a cohesive whole. Every kind of destruction and devastation transpires due to the collision of opposing currents. Such destruction is proportionate to the intensity of the clash.

Human societies are united under the same feelings, thoughts, and visions. They reach spiritual perfection with the same edification and all have a promising future.

As for those masses who have developed with different thoughts and objectives that are in conflict, and who have been deprived of positive cultivation, they form a society wherein passion, animosity, and hatred run rampant. Such a society promises nothing in the way of goodness and decency. In such a tumultuous society, the odds of an individual finding his or her true purpose and attaining serenity are unlikely – and perhaps even impossible. This is especially true when that society’s chief institutions are at the epicenter of the upheaval. When this happens, the society has become completely disordered. As a result, chaos and confusion reign.

However, the regularity of human societies, as with the order and harmony in the universe, is necessary and indispensible, both so that humanity can conform to nature’s universal harmony and so that humans do not contradict their own innate disposition. Every movement that does not adhere to the general symphony present in the book of the universe is a debacle, and the populace that falls prey to this erroneous movement is very unfortunate.

As such, in a population where successive oppressions and counter aggressions in the name of reprisal form a vicious cycle, the turmoil and mayhem resulting from disputes, uncertainties, and above all, deficiencies of the heart and soul, will engulf its surroundings like a terrifying tornado. In the ensuing terror, none will have the security to consider and examine the events or the reasons behind them. And of course, in the meantime, with collisions taking place one after another, the nation-tree will be shaken over and over again; homes will be intermittently destroyed, and individuals left stupefied. If only those rushing to society’s rescue in the sphere of belief and thought possessed a sense of order, faith in renewal, the power of persuasion, and sincerity and earnestness. Alas! Not in the least!

Virtually none of them has embarked upon this task with a clear worldview, an initial plan and system, or any anxiety over their destiny. Perhaps, with respect to the majority, even those who first sensed and recoiled in the face of such danger, especially the sensitive and exceptionally spiteful, were so unrefined in spirit that they said “yes” to every kind of tyranny, attack, and domination for the sake of satiating their carnal selves…

How sad it is that in this struggle, which defies all reason and comprehension – or more precisely, in this uproar – those most wronged and perpetually subjected to tumult have been the innocent multitudes. These naive masses, united by their centuries old cultural and historical values, have been unable to determine quite where they have come from and where they are going. They have been dragged into error after error, unaware of whose account they were acting. They have been corrupted and afflicted even more as their intellectuals have been denying their past and all they ought to take pride in, who could have otherwise served as a beacon of light and direction. When, eventually, the seeds scattered on our soil with countless ill intentions sprang up and developed, all segments of society formed into “enemy-camps” ready for conflict.

The masses have become such an ill-fated and uninhibited horde-who excuse everything as permissible, obliterate in one stroke all that is sacred, and ridicule all their values-that an individual falling into their clutches is but a vagrant, not bound by any limitations. And, as such, the national spirit worn away for centuries by internal erosion, and paralyzed in these ill-omened hands, has become completely bedridden.

If only the behavior of those wanting to protect their spirit in the face of such destructive movements were heartfelt, valiant, compassionate, and constructive… Alas! They too, could not establish the expected balance and provide the people with a sense of security…

On the contrary, by responding to excessiveness with excessiveness, they sacrificed myriad magnificent, righteous, and beneficial things. In this chaos, truth was slaughtered innumerable times; on top of that, those who slaughtered it did so for another presumed truth. How many times the masses were fooled and the multitudes were set against each other with wrong being shown as right and right being shown as wrong! Time and time again, after the battles erupting between enemy camps exhausted both groups, rifts had already formed that were difficult to heal.

Indeed, in this collective chaos, however harmful and destructive this ravenous “miscreant-spirit” has been, those naive immature spirits unable to rest their defense on a sensible system and who return “hate” for hate and “anger” for anger, have been just as detrimental. And thus, on one side are those miserable creatures who have rejected all their human values, have denied their past and their source of pride, and through an ever-increasing estrangement, have completely altered their nature-those irreverent, unloving, rootless, disbelieving slaves of their desires. And on the other side, up against these wretched creatures, are only those simpletons, deprived of the fighting spirit and ideal, who respond with anger, coercion, and brute force… For years on end, people grappled with the waves emerging from these opposing currents, resisted all these eddies, were assaulted again and again, and were repeatedly abandoned to hopelessness…

At this time, we await a community of devotees, who will “neutralize” these damaging currents. They will be respectful of the truth, hold the sake and pleasure of God over everything else, possess reason and conscience, have enlightened minds, radiant hearts, and souls that take flight in the realms high above. They will be reverent towards all the universal values we inherited from our forebears, to traditions and customs, to art and culture, and to morality and sound upbringing. This cadre would not overturn the spiritual roots and historical values that have held us on our feet for centuries. On the contrary, they would revive these in the face of changing world conditions; and, viewing each of these as a part of the national structure, would take complete ownership of them.

At a time when our sense of identity faces annihilation, this group of blessed ones-the possessors of this “sense of sacred suffering” who take upon themselves the task of its rescue-will applaud goodness and neutralize evil. They will do so by thwarting the internal decay and discord that has gnawed away at society for years on end, by ensuring a road for peace, and by removing the archaic methods, damaging fanaticisms, and monopolist designs used by both groups and which have crippled our society.

Today, when society’s ailments have reached their peak, when real enmity and our enemies have clearly emerged, and when the dialogue we have with the world to which we are connected gains strength with every passing day, we are exceedingly hopeful for humankind and hold the belief that we will rise once again.

The nature of human beings bears both material and divine aspects. Some other expressions, like angelic-satanic, material-moral, corporeal-spiritual, and sensual-conscientious, are also used to refer, with nuance, to the same dichotomy. To us, it is much more suitable to handle and assess the moral and material aspects of human beings, one by one, as distinct mechanisms apart from each other. I would rather call the moral one as “the mechanism of the conscience” and the other as “the mechanism of the soul.” Innermost faculties such as the heart, the spirit, the secret (sir), the private (khafiy), the most private (akhfa), willpower, the conscious, feelings and senses form the mechanism we call the conscience. All kinds of lust, caprice, spite, hatred, anger, and obstinacy – the features endowed to human beings for particular reasons and purpose – compose the mechanism of the soul (nafs). These two mechanisms almost always function against each other. However, if the mechanism of the conscience overcomes the other, the mechanism of the soul, too, is transformed to positive, and becomes a mechanism serving human beings to rise and be exalted.

As classified by sufis, the mechanism of the soul may become useful for human beings if “it” breaks away from the state of evil that commands it (ammara) and moves on to higher levels of self-condemnation (lawwama), inspiration (mulhama), serenity and peace; these represent the soul at rest (mutmainna), the soul well-pleased (with God) (radiyya), the soul pleasing to God (mardiyya), and the purified or innocent self or soul (safiyya). Due to this fact, it is deficient to only deal with the mechanism of conscience of the human beings.

Let’s take lust as an example. If this feeling is merely employed for its own sake, it shall become a complete source of evil. However, it can become a means of sainthood when used within permissible conditions, say between married couples whose love and marital relations will be rewarded. When the companions of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, were surprised to learn this, he explained that “if a person does not fulfill that desire within permissible conditions, he or she would do it through forbidden means. By keeping himself within lawful terms, he avoided the forbidden.” Avoiding a sin is as rewarding as if one has fulfilled a required duty. This is a very logical explanation, as much as it is very much in compliance with human nature. So, even through this feeling belonging to the mechanism of soul, one may gain Paradise.

As a matter of fact, we may use all senses under the mechanism of the soul as inducements for the beauties of Paradise. I mean, just as one may live some dimensions belonging to Paradise through the feelings and senses belonging to the conscience, he or she may, in the same way, feel and comprehend the incidents belonging to Paradise through some senses belonging to the soul, assuming those senses have been followed with a particular discipline. Indeed, this may be one of the mysteries and causes of the fact that Paradise shall address both the soul and the corporeal body. (As a side note, it would be rather reasonable to interpret Adam’s creation from soil such as loam, dried clay, etc., as to inform us of the nature of human beings. Otherwise, interpreting them as the clay and loam of the world known by us shall be a deficient interpretation.)

Another example could be feelings of rage or anger. The feeling of rage has the potential to make people turn rotten; they can so far as to become murderers, like Pharaohs who have blood in their hearts and minds, hands and eyes. However, if one can activate the feeling of rage when he or she needs to fight for honor and homeland, they will be ennobled with praise and reward. You see, such anger is welcomed by God, just as favorably as mildness is. Now, take into consideration that merely using our earthly aspects correctly can make people rise so high, and then imagine what may happen if we use our conscience well!

Yes, one can reach the levels of angels, even through his or her earthly side. And if the conscience, in addition, becomes part of this ascension, he or she shall be superior to the angels. Indeed, there is no compulsion for angels; their will power is manifested in the form of choosing from alternatives, all of which are good anyway. Human beings are charged with using their will power to make a choice between good and bad. As the award shall be proportional to the difficulty, a human choosing goodness, despite the temptations of their carnal soul, shall be superior to the angels.

Conscience originates from a root that means “to find” in Arabic. One uses his conscience to find both himself and his Lord. Hundreds of thinkers – from great figures of Islamic thought like Imam Rabbani, Imam Gazali, Rumi, and Bediuzzaman, to many others in the West – have handled the question of human conscience with their particular inner discoveries and perceptions.. Here, I want to draw special attention to the terms of “inner discovery and perception.” In fact, saints experience the pleasures of the conscience through inner discoveries, as truths are unveiled in their hearts. Thinkers and philosophers, on the other hand, experience this “finding” through perception. Interestingly, both groups agree with the fact that the conscience never lies. Among the main and essential evidences demonstrating the existence of God, Bediuzzaman counts the conscience, too, in his early works. But later, as he did not consider the conscience as an objective everyone could understand, he discounted it.

Yes, indeed, not every one is able to comprehend the cryptic language of the conscience. Thus it cannot be considered as objective evidence. But, for those who can understand that language, the conscience is the greatest and keenest of all the evidences. No other information or wealth of knowledge can make one attain a higher level of awareness than what they can attain through their conscience.

There are two main points about the realm of the conscience: the point of support and the source of help. With these, we comprehend very clearly that we are impotent and destitute. And, with this comprehension, we rely fully on God Almighty and wish from God whatever we wish. In as much as we bear that need to seek help, it becomes clear that there should exist Someone to give that help to us. Otherwise, giving this need to human beings would be absurd. Indeed, there exists no absurdity in the universe. There is definitely a counterpart to any feeling we human beings bear. In the same vein, there shall undoubtedly be counterparts of those points in the conscience. Nevertheless, it is not possible to sense this for someone who has not listened to his or her conscience in his or her life. Though consciousness is a part belonging to the conscience, it does not bear any value, for it is a single entity. At the time, when willpower is controlled by feelings and the heart, it, too, becomes almost another center of conscience. Like all the loquacious, eloquent witnesses of the existence of God, the conscience, too, is a holy and heavenly resonance that calls out the truth. But, this merely happens if a particular conscience is one of the consciences we have described above. Otherwise, to expect those results from a conscience yoked by its carnal soul would be impossible.

Yes, imagine someone who has completely become a slave to lust, animosity, anger, or worldly status. Whatever he or she does, this person is under the impact of these negative feelings that are wrapped around his or her soul. Such a conscience is bound hand and foot, and it lacks any influence. We call such a person “conscienceless,” in the fullest meaning of the term. These kinds of people do not have any kind of knowledge about the mechanism of the conscience; it is not possible for them to feel the meaning it denotes and its objective beyond objectives. Another significant remark on the matter is from Immanuel Kant, in the Critic of Pure Reason. He notes that God shall be known through practical reason, but not a theoretical one. That is, the nice behavior and actions of someone become, through time, the very nature of him or her, and help them reach the point that may not be attained through abstract knowledge. Yes, abstract knowledge and information can never ascend people to those high positions. No matter how many books they read or memorize, those lacking resolution and deprived of theological practice cannot attain the peace felt by believers. The necessary practices are clear to us: the practices that are approved by faith as good, and defined as “righteous actions.” In this way, we properly utilize the conscience, and can implement its lessons to carry out righteous acts in real life.

Cultural diversity has two vital benefits. First, individuals from different groups and cultures get to know each other, which engenders respect and consideration for each one’s beliefs, values, and ways of life. Achieving such a goal is a must for countries like America, which hosts many different cultures and groups. Such an understanding is becoming crucial for all nations, even for quite homogenous ones, as all are quickly becoming dwellers of the same global village. Humanity needs examples of successful multicultural societies. The second benefit is the exchange of knowledge and experience. This article elaborates on the second benefit.

Today, in many American-made movies and television serials (such as Kung Fu), we see a wise Asian man who is always calm, never panics, and brings such unique, humanitarian solutions to problems that the Americans on the scene are amazed. Although these are not real stories, they give the flavor of possible benefits to be derived from exploring different perspectives and philosophies.

The fact that all individuals living in the vast variety of societies found on our planet are human beings is often overlooked by individuals, communities, and even social science professionals, depending on the rate of their self-containedness. All individuals living in different societies are, without doubt, human beings; the differences separating them are merely external elements. Thus everyone, regardless of his or her society, experiences common problems; only the context changes. For example, a beggar and a king both feel anger at times. The beggar’s anger may lead him to hit his wife, whereas the king’s anger may cause him to engulf the nation in war. Another analogy is that of a pickpocket to a computer hacker illegally transferring funds.

Throughout history, human cultures and groups have dealt with the same characteristics and problems as we, the people welcoming a new millennium, are dealing with now. As contemporary cultures reflect inherited perspectives and philosophies, centuries-old cultures and civilizations may be invaluable resources for finding new points of view and approaches to our problems.

The emphasis placed on such a cultural exchange by both American individuals and institutions at all levels is not as great as that which has been placed on other, but less important, issues. For example, a typical American secondary school student’s knowledge of world geography and foreign languages has long been inferior to that of his or her European counterpart. This indicates a lack of interest toward the rest of the world.

The same indifference can be observed in American nightly news programs, even on national television channels. For example, the “World Report” news programs usually give domestic news (unless there is a war going on in which America is heavily involved). Might such an ethnocentric view of the world stemming from being the sole superpower be responsible for this attitude?

Sometimes people living in a system, even a well-functioning system, cannot solve their social and individual problems because they cannot raise themselves above the flow of events. The most frequently used tool to solve any problem is power, especially if it is abundant and readily available. Power often is seen as the best shortcut to the solution due to the deceiving ease of its exertion, which also allows its user to ignore or to not consider its potentially serious side effects.

The power applied may be physical, economic, military, or technological, depending on the nature of the problem. However, its exercise is not always the key to the solution. A mighty lion caught in a hunter’s net should have the modesty to request help from a tiny mouse, for the latter’s sharp teeth may work where the lion’s devastating paws cannot. One should have the wisdom to know a gallon of gas cannot attract that which can be attracted by a teaspoonful of honey.

A simple but enlightening example of how different perspectives can help to solve problems is given below. During the heated negotiations between two political parties for a coalition in Turkey, a simple but totally satisfactory suggestion by a Turkish newspaper columnist attracted my attention. The two parties, having an almost equal number of representatives in Parliament, could not share the ministries, for ministries have varying degrees of political weight. The columnist’s suggestion was not inspired by a similar case from a contemporary democracy, but from a parable describing King Solomon’s approach to a similar problem: Two heirs could not agree on how to divide their inheritance equally, because they could not agree on the value of the items to be inherited. King Solomon suggested that one heir divide the inheritance into two equal halves, after which the other heir would have the first choice. Thus, an ancient parable offered a practical solution to a conflict in a contemporary democracy. Whether his suggestion was considered or not is beyond our concern here.

One can find books of ancient and contemporary philosophers and different cultures in bookstores, but who reads them? The general public, especially the youth, should be made aware of these resources and directed to make use of humanity’s historical experience. For example, various herbs used in some parts of the world for centuries to treat specific illnesses are now preferred over drugs developed in laboratories, for they are all-natural, non-addictive, and have no side effects. Obviously, cultures and civilizations have much more to offer each other than herbs. I wish that Americans would look sincerely for the wisdom that different civilizations and cultures have to offer.

Note: Since this article is intended to reflect a broad perspective, I gave no specifics about the methodology to realize the goals indicated and no thorough examples. Such examples in different fields, along with their methodologies, can serve as the content of separate articles.