The constant threat to children by conflict and violence globally has led to the formulation of policies and rules to govern and protect children from unnecessary, deliberate, and direct exposure to violence and conflict. Children are beings of social construct, shaped by the environment they find themselves in. They are molded, and their minds instructed, by everyday realities which, during contemporary times, are frighteningly violent. Children, formerly regarded as symbols of peace and innocence, are now often seen as weapons for war and illustrations for conflict. This shift leads to skepticism over the future of sustainable peace. Even when children are not actively involved in conflicts, there is the possibility that they might, due to violent influences during their developmental years, be pre-disposed to conflict. It is with this possibility that this article concerns itself.

Subliminal influences or messages are the ones that affect our minds without us being aware of it. Studies abound on both sides of the spectrum as to whether subliminal influences or messages actually work and to what extent they are effective at affecting behavior or personal development. This is an attempt at exploring the concept of subliminal influences as pertains to conflict and violence in relation to children. It then highlights the peace building potentials of children and the importance thereof, with the possibility of harnessing the potentials of the children maximally, for sustainable peace.

Subliminal Influences

The term subliminal is derived from the Latin words sub (below) and limen (threshold). The threshold, in this case, is the threshold of conscious awareness; the level at which things can be perceived or understood through the senses. Therefore, a subliminal influence could be defined as something that affects the way a person responds to certain stimulus. This “something,” though it operates below our conscious “threshold,” might lead us to act, think, or feel a certain way or affect our mind without our being aware of its effects.

The area of subliminal influences is one of interest to researchers, especially with regards to advertising, and has prompted debates over the years as to whether subliminal perceptions or persuasions exist or work. A 1985 study to assess the effectiveness of subliminal influences in advertising and popular music concluded that they were not effective. Studies, such as that conducted by Theus, K. T. (1994), concluded that subliminal messages actually do affect people. Interestingly, studies that were based upon visual stimuli tended to agree more that there was an effect than those based on audio stimuli (music in particular). It was also suggested that children are more susceptible to being affected by subliminal influences than adults.

This paper aligns with the school of thought that believes that subliminal messaging exists and can significantly influence human motivation and behavior. The theory is that people can be emotionally and behaviorally affected by visual or vocal stimuli whose presence they do not report. The question then is, how does this theory affect children in particular?

Subliminal Influences in children

“The subliminal aspects of everything that happens to us may seem to play very little part in our daily lives. But they are the almost invisible roots of our conscious thoughts.” (Carl Jung)

From 0 to 15 years old, children are reported to be of an impressionable age—an age where they learn or unlearn, as the case may be, behaviors and values that shape who they will turn out to be as adults. For researchers such as Massey (1965), as put forward by Herron, R. (2010),
this is also called the “imprint period.” Between ages 0 and 7, the mind is like a sponge and unconsciously absorbs everything around it with no conscious filters. Between 7 and 14, children develop “heroes.” That is, other adults they look up to apart from their parents, and they consciously begin to emulate or model themselves after their heroes. Thus, Herron is saying that children are very impressionable at the ages identified above. He states that many behaviors are learned behaviors through body language.

It is important to note at this point that it has been suggested—and understandably so—that children are less able to identify subliminal messages for what they are. Ironically, this fact also means that they can be more effectively affected by them. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) suggested that children in Europe are bombarded with subliminal digital messages regarding (and almost glamorizing) unhealthy foods. These messages often appear seemingly unnoticeable on screens when children play video games or watch television. A 2004 study asserted that “…too many children are watching too much television and the shows that they are watching (even if they are cartoons) have become violent and addictive.” It further asserted that while the violence in cartoons seems downplayed mainly because the characters are not real, some of the scenes may subliminally cause long term damage as the children might start to see the use of violence as acceptable (Choma, S. G et al). Given that this study was conducted in 2004, two decades since then it has become even more challenging for children to know any better for it is not only TV they are exposed to such subliminal messages.

Through the media, body language, and everyday reality, the minds of youth are inundated with imagery of violence, conflict, and war. They are subliminally exposed to fighting, suffering, and death. This is not to say these activities are unreal, but the problem is the fact that continuous exposure to this kind of imagery leaves children desensitized and unsympathetic to these realities.

Television shows of pain and suffering are often some of the most watched. This is worrisome, as many youth might begin to believe that violence is a normal way of addressing conflict, and that pain and hurt can be funny. They may begin to develop the notion that conflict is funny, and, unless it happens to them, it is none of their business. Often, this happens through subliminal influence.

Children as Potential Peace Builders

It goes without saying that children are potential peace builders. Indeed, if one were to accept the notion that they are not, what future could we have? Children are not merely hapless victims of conflict. To begin with, if children do not begin to participate in peace building, their needs will be ignored during any peace building exercise. Also, children that lack any form of peace education, may eventually become obstacles to sustainable peace.

Children with deliberately devised peace education would be armed to think critically, identify positive role models, and manage conflict without resorting to violence. Children are often found to be resilient. They devise ways of staying safe during conflict. It is important that these children are involved in discussions about peace building. Children may raise awareness for peace; promote social values necessary for peace; and mend bridges and repair damaged social relationships. They can do this by:

1. Organizing youth meetings where they can share about how to live together and survive;
2. Preparing advocacy material on children’s rights and peace;

• Promoting conflict transformation and dialogue as well as supporting peer advice, counselling, education, and support;

1. Encouraging all children to get an education including those that might have been actively involved in conflict;
2. Speaking against discrimination, violence, corruption, and other vices in both school settings and within the community; and
3. Promoting youth participation in school and local governance.

Although children have actively participated in peace building with some levels of success in Uganda, Nepal, Guatemala, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, there is still a lot to be done. Their successes are limited by factors such as societal perceptions of the role of a child; prejudices, which they often “learn” from people of influence; discrimination on the basis of class, gender, etc.; and education. Many of these factors could be affected by subliminal influences.

Subliminal Influences and the Capacity of Children as Peace Builders

Values and beliefs are the core of our thoughts and behaviors. They form the driving force behind what we do, and why we do them. The older generation is therefore obligated to impart the right values, including the ethics of “humanism, tolerance, diversity, democracy and critical thinking,” to the next and much younger generation (Degesys, 2008).

Because most behaviors are learned, they can equally be unlearned and replaced with behaviors associated with non-violence and peace building. Degesys remarks that as education systems can sustain conflict within schools, they can also liberate it. Just as racism, sexism and xenophobia (concepts that are sometimes more primordial in nature than we think), can be subliminally learned through certain curriculums, the same power structures can be unlearned and replaced through transformative learning, which encourages students to engage and participate (in peace building) as conscientious citizens using transformative methods necessary to change their attitudes towards conflict.

The family (immediate and extended) is the first circle of influence and needs to begin to understand how to better train children to deal with current issues—and especially conflict. Parenting styles need to be adjusted to accommodate changes in our present reality. Children’s mindsets need to be re-engineered. Just as the mind might have been “poisoned with violence” through subliminal messaging and influence, it can be reconstructed and reshaped toward peacebuilding. Children need to learn how to handle their emotions and learn social arts and graces as well as personal responsibility.

Schools and other educational institutions form the second circle of influence. It is imperative for an increase in peace education resources targeting the 0-13 age bracket in schools. The younger youth receive a peace education, the better, because what they learn at this stage will be very difficult to unlearn as they grow. Therefore, they should be taught the positives rather than have them absorb the negatives. Just as people are taught to walk, they can be taught to be peacemakers and peace builders. Most of the education children get today is targeted at incidents that occur after conflict—that is, post conflict education. We need to teach them how to avoid conflict.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The concept of peace building is wider than the idea of state building and reconstruction. It is a core component of the conflict resolution process. Because it is part of a process, we take it for granted that it should be the first stage of the process and not the last. Peaceful habits and education need to be mainstreamed into our minds and our lives—and especially into children’s development from as early an age as possible. Peace education needs to be part of the educational curricula at every level, not just secondary and above. Nursery and primary schools need to adopt peace education, too. Teaching peace building is everybody’s business.

Specifically, in terms of subliminal influences, there is need for parents, and indeed the authorities, to pay attention to the content in children shows and other children-targeted media. As mentioned above, subliminal messages are sometimes tucked away innocently within seemingly harmless content. If children are continuously exposed to such content, it will have dangerous consequences for global peace and security.

There is also the need to thoroughly screen school curricula to flag any content that has the potential to subliminally influence children to respond with violence, prejudice, or other negative stimuli. More importantly, teachers should be trained on how to ensure that they do not project any personal biases or prejudice unto the children in their care.

References

• Anyadike, Z. and Ikelionwu, N. (2019) Nigeria’s Peace Initiatives: Chapter 13: Subliminal Influence and Nigerian Children: Implications for Sustainable Peace. 2019.
• Bornstein, R. F. (1989). “Subliminal Techniques as Propaganda Tools: Review and Critique. Journal of Mind & Behaviour, Vol. 10(3), 231-262.
• Degesys, A. (2008) Transformative pedagogy in conflict resolution as an alternative route to peacebuilding – roads less explored, in T. Woodhouse, ed., Peacebuilding and Security in the 21^st Evanston, II: Rotary Centers for International Studies.
• Egermann, H. et. al (2006). “Is There an Effect of Subliminal Messages in Music on Choice Behaviour?” Journal of Articles in Support of Null Hypothesis, Vol.4(2)
• Fiernstein, C., et al (2010): Children participation in armed conflict and post-conflict peacebuilding in B. Percy-Smith and N. Thomas (2010): A handbook of children and young people’s participation perspectives from theory and practice. Oxford: Routledge.
• Herron, R. (2010). “Proactive Parenting: Through Conscious Communication.” Xlibris Publishing Company.
• Kaplan, E. (2005) “Child Soldiers Around the World” Council on Foreign Relations. Available at www.cfr.org/backgrounder/child-soldiers-around-world. Assessed May 14 2019.
• Ramsbotham, O., Woodhouse, T., Miall, H. (2011): Contemporary Conflict Resolution – The prevention, management and transformation of deadly conflicts.
• Theus, K. T. (1994). “Subliminal Advertising and the Psychology of Processing Unconscious Stimuli: A Review of Research.” Psychology & Marketing, Vol.11 (3), 271-290;
• UNICEF: https://www.unicef-irc.org/article/1059-from-victims-to-peacebuilders-children-and-youth-in-the-digital-age.html
• study.com – Subliminal Influence: Definition and Overview.
• visualmeditation.com – Subliminal Messages: How They Work and How They Affect Us.
• psychologytoday.com – Hidden Persuaders: The Psychology of Subliminal Perception.
• https://www,unicef-irc.org/article/1059: From victims to peacebuilders. The 1990 African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. 2000. Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict Security Council Resolution 1460.

In a March 11, 2021, interview with Philosophy Magazine, Karl Lauterbach, now Germany’s health minister, concluded, “Corona policy is covered by Rawls.” Lauterbach, who advocates for limiting freedoms in favor of health protection during the current pandemic, had studied with Rawls in the 1990s. John Rawls, who would have turned 100 in 2021, is one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century. His Theory of Justice was published 51 years ago.

Personal experiences may have contributed to the fact that Rawls devoted himself almost exclusively to the topic of justice (his second main work deals with international law). He came from a well-to-do family and enjoyed a private school education. He fell seriously ill twice in his childhood but survived while two siblings died. Rawls felt this was an undeserved privilege. In addition, he had personal experiences as a soldier in the war against Japan. He considered the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to be unjust, as he believed the war would have been won even without them.

The ancient understanding of justice

Rawls’ conception of justice has little in common with ancient virtue ethics, such as that of Aristotle. Virtue here means something like fitness to achieve an end (télos) inherent in a thing. Who should get a flute? For Aristotle, it is just to give it to the person who plays it best, because the purpose of the flute is to be played well. The fact that people enjoy its sound and thus benefit from it is secondary. Rather, the idea of merit plays a role.

With Plato, justice (dikaiosýne) means that all soul forces (reason, courage, desire) fulfill the activity assigned to them in the correct measure given by reason and thus fulfill the virtues of wisdom, bravery, and moderation. But justice implies also having the “right” inner order of the soul forces, as there is a “right” outer order, the cosmos ruled by the logos. The goal of justice, taken for granted, is the attainment of happiness (eudaimonia).

Kant’s categorical imperative

Rawls’ thinking, on the other hand, bears certain similarities to that of Immanuel Kant. With the categorical imperative, Kant had formulated a general rule on the basis of which personal or collective (traditional) principles of action are to be examined: “Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law.” This imperative demands the generalizing of the personal: my norm must apply to everyone. For example: you shall not kill or lie. The similarity with the golden rule, which is based on the reversibility of actions, is obvious: “Do not treat others in ways that you would not like to be treated.”

Kant is not a utilitarian or consequentialist—i.e., someone who focuses on benefits or consequences. He is not concerned with advantages for society nor with the consequences of an action, but solely with the internal consistency of a will that declares itself to be good.

The original position in Rawls

Whereas Kant’s imperative represents an (ethical) norm of the verification of real (moral) rules of conduct originating in the living world, Rawls assumes an “original position,” a primal situation in which a rational subject oriented to self-interest must decide on a social constitution. In this way, he joins the contractarian thinking of the modern era, whose best-known representatives are Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau. This had led to very different results, ranging from the authoritarian state (Hobbes) to the liberal state with separation of powers (Locke) to a state oriented to the common good (volonté générale) in Rousseau.

While the classical contract theories wanted to justify the emergence and thus the legitimacy of states, Rawls is only concerned with their institutional configuration and, in particular, with how economic life (markets, wealth, and income) can be fairly regulated in them. For him, justice means fairness of the initial conditions. The point of his primal choice is that it takes place behind a “veil of ignorance.” This image is reminiscent of the allegorical representation of Justitia, who makes her legal judgment blindfolded—that is, “without regard to the person.” The blindfold thus ensures impartiality.

With Rawls, man in the primal situation does not know his future social position (class, standing), gender, ethnicity, religion, etc., but also personal characteristics and talents are unknown to him [1]. Furthermore, he also does not know how often certain positions in society will be occupied—for example how many rich, how many poor, and how many middle-class people there will be. His choice is therefore not made under risk but under uncertainty. In a sense, it is a lottery, not a chess game, in which one must consider the behavior of other participants and calculate the best possible outcome. This represents a major preliminary decision against utilitarianism, which was dominant in the Anglo-Saxon world in his time. One variety of this doctrine holds that a society is just if it maximizes total and, consequently, average, utility. Determining this maximum utility, however, is impossible under Rawls’s specifications, since it presupposes that one can form the product of social position and “wealth” (benefits of all kinds). At most, one could assume that each of the possible social positions is equally probable (here, 1/3). However, this implies the completely unrealistic assumption that the number of kings (billionaires) and the number of slaves (unemployed, low-wage workers) would be equal.

Behind the rejection of utilitarianism lies a genuine ethical principle. According to Kant, man possesses dignity insofar as he is never only a means (e.g., an employee working for a company), but always also an end (a moral subject whom I must not deceive, etc.). Utilitarianism in the sense of the greatest happiness of the greatest number would mean, however, to instrumentalize a human being for the common good if necessary—for example, to withhold rights from him, if the loss of freedom is (over-)compensated for by the good of others.

Two principles

Rawls holds that, given ignorance of themselves, people would choose the following two social principles on rational grounds (i.e., without being driven by envy):

First principle: Each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar system of liberty for all.

Second principle: Social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both: (a) to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged, consistent with the just savings principle, and (b) attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity [2].

In this context, the goods falling under the first principle, namely freedoms, are superior to those falling under the second—(a) income and wealth and (b) opportunities—and must not be impaired.

A rational person, Rawls argues, would decide according to the maximin rule in the face of complete uncertainty. He will not choose the state that promises him the most money, the most power (billionaire, king), but will take his orientation at the lower end and choose the state that grants the most rights, the best opportunities, and the highest income to the worst off. Not knowing what his future situation will be, he will seek to maximize the minimum because he shuns risk. As a loser in the lottery, he would eventually find himself homeless on the street.

With the first principle, Rawls specifies the freedoms of Western democracies (free elections, freedom of speech, assembly, religion, etc.). It states that one must compare the situation of the respective worse off in a “system of rights.” For example, with regard to religious freedom, Rawls would argue that a fundamentalist who wants to establish a state religion is less disadvantaged in a secular state, where religion and state are separate, than a person who does not belong to the state church is in a “fundamentalist” state.

The second principle also involves organizing the state “to the greatest advantage” of the worst-off. Thus, it is not enough that the worst-off also have some benefit from the distribution of goods (for example, according to the trickle-down principle, which states that the money of the rich “leaks out” to the poor), but it must be the greatest in comparison with other distributions. Intergenerational equity (“consistent with the just savings principle,” no state may incur excessive debt at the expense of the next generation) must also be considered, with which Rawls already anticipated a debt brake. (However, he did not yet have the destruction of the environment in mind).

But there is a second side to the coin: differences, i.e., inequalities, are permissible if they improve the situation of the deprived. Rawls called this principle the “difference principle.” As another example, a market economy would be justified, despite all social and financial differences, if it provided the weakest in society with a higher income than an egalitarian state economy in which everyone pro forma owned the means of production (without ever being able to sell them). Whether this is actually so, however, is a matter for economists to decide.

Rawls is thus not fundamentally in favor of an equal distribution of goods. The situation is different for rights and freedoms, but also for opportunities, such as access to education and public office. Here, the state must intervene—for example, by increasing the supply of good schools or introducing universal health care (which still does not exist in the United States). However, for the most part it is not at all clear who the worst-off in a society are. During the Covid-19 pandemic, is it the elderly who get sick, or the children who can’t go to school or visit friends? Does data protection (e.g., tracking cases of illness via apps) beat health protection? Or health protection the right to physical integrity (vaccination), freedom of assembly and movement (lockdown, breaking up demonstrations)? Incidentally, Lauterbach argues for the latter, citing Rawls, by pointing out that securing life is a prerequisite for being able to make use of freedoms at all. Whoever dies from Covid no longer has liberties to use.

Criticism

Philosophical theories suffer from a lack of ultimate justification. As a rule, they contain assumptions—e.g., about the “nature” of man—which are empirically disputed by others, such as with reference to presumed scientific evidence, personal observation, or introspection. Rawls, for example, considers humans to be risk-averse, which a philosophical optimist would probably doubt.

Above all, however, the conception of a primordial situation has been criticized. From a liberalist point of view, it lacks the historical dimension. According to this view, property goes back to free actions of individuals and thus to rights of entitlement (taking of nature, exchange, inheritance, donation, etc.) and has nothing to do with distribution patterns of any kind. Thus, even in an egalitarian society, new distributions (injustices) will emerge very quickly (which can be well observed in the game of Monopoly), necessitating constant new interventions.

Communitarians, on the other hand, emphasize the importance of community. With the fiction of a primordial choice and a veil of ignorance, behind which is chosen according to the rules of a calculus, a tabula rasa is arbitrarily established, from which neither solidarity nor substantial justice can be derived. Rather, the individual is involved in socially established cooperative practices that have internal rules, virtues, and purposes. In the background of these considerations is Hegel’s concept of “Sittlichkeit” (ethical life). Sittlichkeit implies more than an abstract system of (moral) norms, as conceived by Rawls. It is the form of life passed on by a community, which also includes religions with their canons of values.

Finally, especially in Germany, there is the position of discourse ethics, whose most prominent representative is Habermas. It differs from Rawls’ original situation in that it is not an abstract calculation that decides on justice but a discourse free of domination—a deliberation in which everyone can participate as a speaker equally but in which, turned against communitarianism, traditional practices, discourses, and virtues can also be questioned. Even if such a discourse does not take place in reality, so the assumption goes, it is implicitly presupposed in every utterance insofar as it lays claim to validity. Where Rawls considers the maximin principle to be generally agreeable, Habermas believes in the “unconstrained compulsion of the better argument” and the self-commitment of speakers to truth and reason. However, in view of the testy public debates, especially those around fake news that we are currently experiencing, this position also seems doubtful. One might suspect that they are rather “monologues” for the assertion of interpretive power, which, moreover, do not end in agreement but in the audience’s exhaustion.

Notes

1. From a moral philosophical point of view, this assumption can be justified by the fact that neither genetic endowment (nature) nor environmental conditions such as education and social milieu (nurture) can be attributed to merit. From this it should follow that also “strength of will” and “weakness of will” and consequently the use I make of my abilities are morally arbitrary. Diligence, decisiveness, resilience, etc., which are crucial for developing talents, would thus also not be in the hands of the individual. However, Rawls seems to be reluctant to accept this consequence, since it would have far-reaching consequences for the punishment system, for example.
2. John Rawls (1999): A Theory of Justice. Revised Edition. Cambridge, Massachusetts, p. 46, p. 266.

Muslim psychologists and psychiatrists recently published an eye-opening book titled Applying Islamic Principles to Clinical Mental Health Care. I had learned about Dr. Rania Awaad and her work in mental health at a talk hosted by Salaam Islamic Center. She is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Director of the Muslim Mental Health Lab. Discussing how traditional Islamic texts meet with the modern disciplines of psychology and psychiatry, Dr. Awaad uses the “biopsychosocial” approach; she claims that psychology, mental health, spirituality, and religion cannot be separated. As someone who shares the same understanding, I was deeply impressed with her and her team’s clinical treatment methods and their new book. It is a book about introducing Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy (TIIP), which is the culminating result of the Khalil Center’s research.

I attach importance to this book because I truly believe in the power of holistic approaches to healing. I am also involved in the Association for Psychological and Spiritual Sciences (APSS), which is similar to the Khalil Center because it also encourages psychologists, psychiatrists, students of medicine, theologians, and researchers of human sciences to discuss and conduct studies to solve many problems of individuals and societies. Additionally, the APSS mirrors the Khalil Center due to its similar work of analyzing conceptual religious and spiritual sources of oriental history with an emphasis on Sufism. Thus, predominantly Islamic sources are discussed to develop universally applicable theories, concepts, and therapeutic strategies.

Two halves of a coin

The recently published book, Applying Islamic Principles to Clinical Mental Health Care, is built upon three profound principles. First, researchers combed through traditional and foundational Islamic texts, such as the holy Qur’an, sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (hadith), actions of the Prophet (sunnah), and other general Islamic guidelines for spiritual and material well-being. Then, this well-established and prosperous literature review was evaluated, and then combined, with modern psychology. Last but not least, practical methods were then synthesized by using traditional Islamic literature in the psychology field and current modern psychotherapy techniques.

The book delivers a detailed and lucid account of the differences between the approaches utilized by modern psychiatry and the TIIP. Contemporary psychiatry is largely based upon “The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders” (DSM) and “The International Classification of Disorders,” (ICD) which are used for diagnosing mental disorders. The TIIP utilizes these texts and the vast amount of clinical research that they possess, but on the other hand it also takes the Qur’an, hadith, sunnah, and other Islamic spiritual traditions into consideration. The critical difference in between the two is that the TIIP advocates for a more holistic approach to mental health that includes a person’s spiritual well-being, while modern psychiatry does not consider a person’s spiritual pathological character in order for them to require clinical treatment. 

The TIIP’s perspective is that the concept of health and pathology cannot be adequately addressed with current clinical diagnoses. According to Islam, proper psycho-spiritual health is heavily associated with each person achieving a strong understanding of their own unique ethereal purpose, and the proper treatments for gaining and maintaining psycho-spiritual health can be achieved through training. For instance, a person that suffers from an abundance of arrogance, which negatively affects various aspects of their life, does not require modern psychiatric clinical treatment. Since arrogance is mentioned as a spiritual disease in Islamic sources, a TIIP practitioner addresses this condition with a psycho-spiritual integrative approach.

The APSS explains this concept in more detail by arguing that the human being is a vast, profound, and complicated creation that longs for a sense of eternity, permanence, understanding behind creation and life, and connection to one’s Creator. Spiritual health is seen to be equally important as one’s physical and mental health since neglecting one’s spiritual health can have adverse consequences upon many facets of a person’s life. Thus, eternal satisfaction may be gained via spiritual contentment. 

Furthermore, these techniques are not exclusive only to Muslims despite their backing in Islamic theology; they could be applied to non-religious and religious individuals alike, regardless of their belief system, since Islam aims to take a holistic look at life in a way that everyone can relate to in some form.

Our “inner senses” cannot be ignored

Humans have external senses and internal senses. External senses include sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, and we communicate with the external world via these senses. On the other hand, internal senses are spiritual senses and are used to communicate with the inner world. They include metaphysical concepts such as the spiritual heart (qalb), soul (ruh), and different modes of cognition (sır), (hafi), and (ahfa), and much more. They are the separate depth of the heart. Humans have a wide range of uses for internal dynamics and mechanisms, and our internal and external senses should work together like two wings on a bird. Just like how we take vitamins to strengthen our physical body, we strengthen our spiritual “body” by honing our inner senses.

All of the chapters of the book are very intriguing, and it has a compelling and inspiring effect on readers to understand and apply TIIP practices. For instance, the whole chapter about “Intellect” and its methodization in Islamic Psychotherapy is remarkable. One of the most impressive indications is that the word “intellect,” which is mentioned about 50 times in the Qur’an and across various hadiths, is referred to the link between intellect and well-being. Thus, the importance of the mind is explained through a different lens. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) looks at our thoughts, feelings, and the roles that they have when it comes to how they affect our behavior. There is a direct correlation in between our thoughts, emotional health, mental wellbeing, and then our actions. The book refers to the writings of Islamic philosopher, jurist, and mystic Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and his modality in Islamic literature. Al-Ghazali offered to implement interventions among stages by addressing faulty thoughts, negative feelings, and actions. For instance, the Islamic ablution, which is often performed once before each of the five daily prayers, is given as an example during two of the stages. Those interventions would help change the focus on faulty thought and shift the state of emotion.

While the TIIP discusses the intellect it also includes three stages of “self” (nafs); the evil commanding lower self and the animalistic impulses (nafs ammarah), self-criticizing blaming stages (nafs lawwamah), and tranquil stage (nafs mutma’innah). These stages are interpreted as the spiritual elevation of the human spirit. A TIIP practitioner aims to achieve a tranquil stage for the client. TIIP gradually works with cognitive science by identifying and challenging a person’s faulty thought and then reconstructing situations, thoughts, and feelings. 

The seven stages of thought progression

In addition to the book’s description of intellect, the APSS mentions seven stages of the mind’s metacognitive dimensions and functioning system that are important information processing steps.

The first one is “imagination” (tahayyul); in this stage, false thoughts occur. The mind starts overreacting by imagining false thoughts, such as worrying about getting sick due to Covid-19 even if a person is self-quarantined and has almost no chance of getting it. In this phase, negative thoughts and apprehension happen. Then, the “envisage” (tasawwur) stage comes. Thoughts are conceptualized and shaped in this stage. An individual could start believing, or perhaps even convince themselves, that they have contracted the virus if they are constantly being exposed to negative news surrounding it. When both the imagination and envisage phases activate then thoughts start to attack an individual’s inner world. Toxic thoughts can begin entering the brain and can wreak havoc on a person in the form of abnormal behavior, anxiety, stress, and obsessive thoughts.

The fourth stage is “comprehending” (ta’aqqul), which also assess our thoughts with the goal of more clearly understanding them. Then, the “approval” (tasdiq) stage comes, and in this stage individuals understand and confirm positive thoughts in their heart. The next stage is foresight (iz’an) which starts where individuals begin to understand themselves very well and act according to their understanding. Next is favoring (iltizam). The last stage is faith (i’tikad), which involves having sincere belief, firmness, and not hesitating to act upon what a person believes to be right. The first two stages, imagination and envisage, compose the thought process and the outcomes of this process. To change faulty thoughts, individuals need to consciously intervene upon the first and second steps by “getting rid of habits.” Directly attacking the source of these negative thoughts allows a person to begin to change their faulty thinking processes. One should start with staying abstinent from being exposed to too much unhelpful information. Habits always need to be replaced in order to fill the void that is consequently made, and it is therefore recommended to engage in otherwise beneficial activities, such as reading the holy book, praying, spending time outside, engaging with people that bring joy and positive emotions, or pursuing a subject or hobby of interest.

Applying Islamic Principles to Clinical Mental Health Care: Introducing TIIP qualifies as a bedside book that every professional working with the Muslim population should read. The book structurally clarifies and demonstrates how Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy is utilized in therapy by discussing an overview of modern psychology and the traditional Islamic bibliography. Case examples are spectacularly and elaborately explained. After reading the whole concept and its case studies, readers will find answers to their questions. Whether the readers are an emotionally focused therapist, a cognitive-behavioral therapist, a behavioral therapist, or a spiritual therapy practitioner, they will benefit from this book. The book covers all four approaches under the “Treatment of the Domains of the Human Psyche” part. Therapeutic interventions can be practically implemented.

Following thirteen months behind my only sibling’s academic footsteps was hard. From elementary school on, she was a glowing student; absorbing, digesting, and understanding information seemingly by osmosis. She maintained straight A’s throughout her academic career and earned a college scholarship. I, on the other hand, struggled to maintain a C average and ran away from home at the age of fifteen.

Let’s take a moment and rewind…

I thought I was stupid. Compared to my sister, it certainly appeared that way. However, it wasn’t until many years later I discovered that I learn differently from how I was being taught.

There are three recognized learning styles:

• Auditory learners grasp things by hearing—the worst type of test for them involves reading passages and writing answers. They’re best at writing responses to lectures they’ve heard, and are also good at oral exams.
• Visual learners comprehend through seeing—the worst test type for them includes having to listen and respond. They’re best at diagramming, reading maps, essays (if they’ve studied using an outline), and showing a process.
• Tactile (kinesthetic) learners understand through experiencing/doing—the worst test type for them usually has lengthy tests and essays. They’re best at short definitions, fill in the blanks, and multiple choice.

When I was in school, the general teaching population were auditory teachers. A heavily tactile learner—with a smidgen of visual thrown in for good measure—I was missing the boat!

Fast forward…

Not having done any planning before running away, I didn’t know that if you leave high school before you graduate, you can’t test for a GED—General Education Diploma—until two years after your graduating class.

Biding my time, I went to work for a large, everything-under-one-roof store. Over the next few years I worked my way up to managing the women’s wear department, then added men’s wear, and topped it off with housewares and furniture.

I gained valuable life experience during that window of time. Part of this seat-of-the-pants wisdom was learning to say, “I don’t understand. Can you please explain that differently?” And that’s when I noticed that no matter how many times someone “told” me, it wasn’t until they “showed” me that I got it! When shown, I not only met, but exceeded what was expected of me.

I left high school as a sophomore in 1973. For four long years I waited and prepared to take the GED examination. On a hot day in late June of 1977, with the cut-grass tang of summer in the air, I slipped into a front row seat at the testing center; one of about twenty other people enveloped in the sterile classroom setting.

The all-day test was given in seven parts: Language Arts (writing), Language Arts (reading), Social Studies, Science, Math (calculator allowed), Math (calculator not allowed), and United States Constitution.

Hours later—head held high with a face-splitting grin—I left the facility with every confidence that I’d aced the test. Six weeks later I received my GED certificate, and that was just the beginning. Over time I earned my associate degree, then bachelor’s, followed by a master’s degree. Finally, two weeks before my fiftieth birthday, I sat and defended my Ph.D. thesis.

Hard-wired for buoyancy and tenacious as a terrier, when I set my mind on something I go after it with tremendous resolve. It took a while, but I eventually went from GED to Ph.D. And while I’m Ph.inisheD with brick-and-mortar academia, I’ll never be done learning.

The morning had withheld its sunlight and left only a gray hue to open its doors when the man turned aside to his wife facing him, her Cantu-scented curls waving in his face. The sunlight compliments her already perfect face even though the gray brings gloom to others, but not him. The sounds of breakfast cooking brew an ambience that acts as lenses onto her beauty while her eyes secure her innocence. The appreciation of sunlight comes natural for those who don’t have it, but alternatives are the only option with no availability. As a result, he finds the sunlight captured in her beauty while her eyes take the picture.

“Want some eggs,” she asks, her words softly layered.

“With syrup please,” he replies as his words stick to his mouth.

Her response echoes through the whole house, her laughter bounces off the walls. Her eyes close when she laughs and he wonders what she sees. The sight she sees contains an expression of her love with him at the center of her photograph. In the meanwhile, a whole dictionary was consumed in the process of describing what she feels towards what she sees.

The day passes them by in a swirl of heartfelt emotions. A haze of old music lingers in the house as she takes two steps back while he takes two steps forward.

She asks, “Where did the day go?”                                                                                      

“With you in my arms,” he responds.

“Ha-Ha-Ha,” she says sarcastically.

Her laugh gets softer and softer as he feels the heat escape her body. Her eyes flash red not with pain but with a warning. “Low Battery! Charge Now!” but a recharge isn’t possible, at least not in an electrical sense. With this he holds her memory tightly, tighter than the grip of death itself. He carries her soul in his heart as he steps to the cellar. Her brown hair now twisted with curls, rooted in the insecurities of others. The door creaks open to deliver a gust of contempt for death and a sense of resurrection. Human sized tubes litter the wall. The same face stares back at him at least a dozen times, providing twelve instances of relief. A transaction is made with his heart and mind, and one of the tubes opens. He feels elated but the air still chills around him, and an aura steps out followed by a hand reaching for him.

The morning withholds its sunlight and leaves only the gray to open its doors when the man turns aside to his wife facing him, her strawberry scented hair waving in his face.

Following a soft negotiation of price with the rickshaw driver, I finally had initiated my way back home from the Time to Help foundation. Next to a quick introduction of our names, the driver asked me where I was from. I smiled at him. It was an easy-to-answer question for the majority of people, but not for me.

I was born in Russia, but my family left the country when I was only two; so I don’t remember much to feel part of it.

Perhaps I could say India, as I had lived my childhood within its peculiar, sweet but dirty, and adaptable environment. I saw clean walls filled with images of deities adjacent to walls filled with human excrement. I made friends who were Hindu, Christian, Muslim, or Jain. My friends taught me the language that is spoken by nearly 1/3 of the world. I also sang the national anthem with pride in every assembly. “Where there is love there is life,” says Mahatma Gandhi. The colors that covered everywhere in the “Holi” celebration were the clear message of love and joy lived by the people of India. I simply had been part of the “Bollywood” of the world. The Bollywood where I lived my childhood, gained my patience from its traffic, and celebrated diversity from its people and culture.

Yet, I could not ignore what was written in my passport and I could not ignore my parents, who raised me with the language and values of Turkey. The majority of the books I read when I was a child were in Turkish. I learned about Turkey by listening to Turkish songs, reading Turkish literature, and on top of all I spent a full month every year in Turkey, which gave me a chance to observe the country with first-hand experience. I have therefore socialized within a modified and extended family. Turkey was not a place where I felt at home to the fullest, however the importance of all these past experiences were revealed following the coup attempt of 2016 since which we no longer could visit what my father used to call our “place of rehabilitation.” Thus, my visits to Turkey temporarily ended.

For a moment, I looked at the driver as he was in the middle of a phone call. The loud African music playing behind me reminded me of the fact that I have been living here in Tanzania for 6 years now. As Turkey was waning from my annual calendar, I thought to myself, “Hakuna Matata.” Tanzania had been where I had built a character and made hundreds of friends in schools, orphanages, on streets, and with rickshaw drivers such as Emmanuel sitting in front of me. The smile on the faces of little orphans when I speak to them and play soccer with them has been part of my favorite experiences in life. The day I tried to dance like those children had placed me into the rhythm of their tradition and culture. I learned the true meaning of benevolence and gratitude as I observed the joyful moments of villagers approaching their water well when it was filled with a pure water supply, or orphans who untie their gift boxes in extreme excitement. I learned that true satisfaction was found through serving others. I learned that life could be sincerely enjoyed only when one would explore himself or herself. Life was, indeed, different in the eyes of each individual. I saw many of those vulnerable people becoming only “happier” than they used to be, while many people in wealth have lots to complain about. This relation had always enhanced my curiosity over psychology. I always felt that I had to understand myself, my existence, and my own sense of being before trying to benefit others. In Tanzania, I developed an ambition; an ambition of living, so that others may live.

I suddenly regained my consciousness as the driver threw a glance at me, still waiting for a response. I looked at him and answered “Natoka Tanzania siku hizi” (I am from Tanzania these days), and watched him, as he was laughing, in satisfaction of making someone happy at least for some part of his day.

Irritated
by trivialities,
overwhelmed
by brutality
and innocent suffering,
disappointed
by our own inadequacies –
–in anxiety, confusion and hope
we turn to You.

Pry us loose from our self-absorption
that we might look for You today,
for Your comfort, Your Peace,
Your power, Your direction.

Break the hold
of the posturing, presumptuous
yet finally false powers of this world.

Awaken us to Your magnificence
that we might live in awe
of nothing but You.

Free us, then, from our fears
that we might, at the least,
be courteous to all whom we meet,
and thereby offer
an opening for Your grace.

Our Friend

in the beauty of

countless vibrant hearts

strongly sinewed

in purifying love.

We meet you

Our Friend

in the steadfast

prayerful care

of blessing hands

and radiant faces.

We meet you

Our Friend

in attentive minds

and quickened spirits

devoted to guiding

our journey together.

We meet you

Our Friend

in crescendoed voices

reverberating the praises

of the Only Holy One

Whose lowly servant you are.

Salaam.

– Bernadette & Daniel Skubik

Bernadette and Daniel live in Riverside, CA. Daniel Skubik is a professor of law, ethics, and humanities in California Baptist University.

(Ibrahim Abu-Rabi)

During the nineteenth century, Turkey underwent an unprecedented process of modernisation and secularisation at an accelerated rate. This was not witnessed in any other part of the Muslim world. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Ottoman capital, Istanbul, had become a bustling laboratory for the ‘westernisation experiment’. How Islam kept on pulsating under the external pressures and encroachment of the Western powers, and among the colossal debris left by the crumbling Empire is an issue that many have grappled with. Cantwell Smith, Bernard Lewis, Niyazi Berkes, and Fazlur Rahman, to name a few examples, have all revisited Turkey in an attempt to throw light on this issue, but none actually investigated the ‘Nur Movement’, or glanced at its founder, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (1875- 1960) in their accounts. An oversight perhaps, but a very a significant one indeed: to try to explain the position of Islam in today’s Turkey and to speculate about its prospects tomorrow without taking account of Nursi’s oeuvre and actions necessitates that the task will be incomplete and difficult. No doubt, Serif Mardin’s “Religion and Social Change in Modern Turkey” is the first work in a direction that seriously takes notice of Said Nursi and adds him to the equation. Mardin’s work, as its title suggests, “approached Nursi’s work from the point of view of the sociology of religion”. Its purpose is to elucidate, “How Nursi’s ideas formed against the backdrop of the economic, social, and political conditions of his times.” In “Islam at the Crossroads”, no less than nineteen scholars from Islamic, as well as from western academia, have gathered to discuss the thought, life and times of Bediuzzaman (the non-pareil of his times). In this enterprise, the variety of the contributions produces a multi-faceted approach, which can only be welcomed considering the enigmatic, ambiguous, and nuanced character of Nursi and his times. Indeed, “Islam at the Crossroads” may be seen to be the most significant complement to Mardin’s groundbreaking work. “Glory be to Him who is hidden due to his sheer apparence.”

The study of the life and testaments of Said Nursi leads to diverse questions and paradoxes. In what way did the historical context influence his thoughts? How did his views radically shift following the war to end all wars? What is the relationship between his dictated writings, the enlightenment philosophies of Europe, and the various streams of Muslim thought? What drives the popularity of his collected works? How did external imprisonments, exile and loneliness become for him a home, a freedom?

A significant figure who stands at the crossroads of 20th century history and the geography of empires, at the modern crisis of philosophy and faith, Said Nursi cannot help but provoke a variety of reactions. So it is that this book brings together a range of perspectives – from the historians and biographers, to the philosophers and activists, to the followers and translators.

The editor, Ibrahim M Abu-Rabi`, provides a context for reading the Risale-i Nur. He draws in the threads of Nursi’s self-perception, the deep-rooted nationalist movement in Turkey, and the Sufi traditions that informed Nursi’s early education. He notes the theme of exile, prompting an association with the exodus movement to Madina that began the first Muslim community, and reminds us that Nursi’s exile was forced on him. And he surveys the ideas that Nursi draws from saints, such as Ghazali and Sirhindi. The scholarly authors of these articles, as already mentioned, come from both Muslim and Western perspectives, which creates some striking contrasts.

Taha ‘Abdel Rahman’s article aims at clarification, with a distinction between philosophy and wisdom. Nursi views the former as processing the strange, the ‘extra- ordinary’ and as being anomalous until there are no answers left of consequence. ‘Abdel Rahman argues that instead, Nursi’s thinking is characterized by wonder and a sense of the miraculous in the midst of the ‘customary’. This is not so much a suspension-of-disbelief, but an attitude which seeks purpose in its questions. So it is that ‘Abdel Rahman connects Said Nursi to Immanuel Kant, both of them upsetting the assumptions about the relationship between philosophy and wisdom. But where Kant reaches the Enlightenment conclusion that “the pure concepts of the understanding never admit of a transcendental, but only of an empirical use”, Nursi finds that wisdom has no purpose unless it leads one to the transcendent. Philosophical reason becomes the servant of wisdom, and the ‘will to meaning’ takes over the ‘will to power’ of a turbulent Europe, in which wisdom had been trodden beneath the feet of a selfish, calculating and controlling reason. For Nursi, then, everything becomes a ‘proof’, not as a gratuitous and philosophical argument, but as a sign of the Creator – whether it be the person of the prophets, the rightness of the cosmos, the witness of the book, or the consciousness of human nature. It is not that this multi-faceted universe is an analogy to the Qur’anic text; but in a deep sense, it actually is the recitation of God’s words.

(By M.Fethullah GULEN…)

In our contemporary world, our self and our ego have become unbridled, insolent arrogant and inflated, as if the ego knows everything. This becomes apparent when we look at such phrases as “self-respect” and “I did.” Developing one’s personality, character, and abilites is necessary. However, if the achievement of such a goal involves the spoiling of the self, throwing an individual into the turbulence of ego, it is better to avoid such exercises, for adding this to the limited possibilities and abilities of one’s self, when added to one’s weak will-power, makes everything more difficult . Those who say “I” in everything they do put their ego at the center and take it as their essence. Thus, all accomplishments and good works only feed the ego. If such ego-centered and self-trusting people stumble and slip, they lose their hope and can find nothing on which they can hold, and so cannot stand up again.

Actually, without falling into such an abyss, individuals can be very productive. First of all, they have to trust the One Who created them. They just need to use the abilities that the Creator has given them, and then ascribe the resulting accomplishments not to themselves, but to the Owner of those abilities. They strongly believe that success comes from the Creator’s, the most powerful, hand. They take this faith with them when they are walking toward the target, and after every accomplishment and bounty give thanks to the real Owner of Everything. Acting in such a way is like an invitation for their Creator to send other bounties.

When compared with those individuals who trust in their egos, those who trust in the Creator are more motivated and encounter less stress when accomplishing great tasks. Believers have the power, which comes from their inner faith and trust in the Source’s power; they have the wealth, knowing that they are fed from the Creator’s treasure of mercy and love; and they have the courage to challenge the whole world, yet remain devoted to the truth of “faith is the light and power, and the person who obtains real faith can challenge the whole world” and “there is no power except the power of the Creator.” Both of these truths are the source of their power.

Certainly, if people place their trust in the One Who is Trustworthy and then strive to better themselves, acquire wisdom, fulfill their duties, and turn accomplishments into opportunities to give thanks to their Creator, they will achieve a very high level of performance and reach goals that those who trust only in themselves have never and can never reach. Every achievement causes such ego-less people to enter a new realm of thanksgiving and protects them from falling into the morass of the ego. They follow the same path as many others, but walk upon it without falling, or pursue the middle way of accepting the ego’s defeat.

Reflections on Self-Improvement

(By Fatih Ferda…)

Introduction

Self-improvement is a mysterious expression, one that sounds impressive, like “human resources”. It is both fashionable and modern. Many people are asking: “What is the aim of self-improvement: improving your self, starting a personal quest for peace, or adhering to the Qur’an’s teachings and taking refuge in God?”

People do not try to improve themselves for the sake of improvement alone; improvement should be purposeful and in accord with our character. Given that there are many characters, there are many ways of improvement and perfection. Maybe the ways to the truth are as many as the heartbeats of creatures, a different recipe for everyone. One of them, at least for Muslims, is Said Nursi’s Risale-i Nur collection.

Not everybody has been enchanted by self-improvement. In fact, some people are completely against it, for self-improvement has a deceptive side. For example, it gives you the feeling that you can do everything. It flatters the ego and makes you say: “Actually, if I tried a little harder, I would become an Einstein.” Many people have become addicted to such books in order to improve themselves, such as the overweight couch potatoes who fall asleep with “Wake up the Giant in You” on their laps. We must beware of the addictive side of this prevalent understanding and self-improvement concept. Obviously, an understanding of improvement that is not all-embracing does not have much to offer.

Take Einstein, Edison, or any other successful person. Which one of them used a self-improvement book for success? Except for one or two, the only success that such writers have obtained is that of writing about success. Self-improvement, now so fashionable, also has a considerable commercial side. There is self-improvement in the essence of religion, but not as we currently understand it. Each member of humanity, who was created in “the best of shapes,” strives to live on the levels of the heart and soul, away from the prison of the human ego. They try to improve their heart and mind within life and without excluding it. Our understanding of self-improvement is that people work to improve their material and spiritual sides in accordance and in balance with their characters.

Self-improvement is not always benign

Capitalism is successful because it assimilates and makes its opponents adapt, keeping them within the system. Nobody tells Muslims not to pray, but they are offered thousands of other choices. Muslims think that they will have no time for praying with other things to do. The West’s strategies of control and assimilation do not depend upon oppression and deprivation, but upon making people believe that they are free or at liberty to transgress the limits set by God. In other words, westerners are trying to assimilate Muslims into western cultures – a “westernization of Muslims”. At this point, we come across an incorrect understanding of Islam that is redefined into a dual worldview. This process results in Muslims becoming westernized, but also in the West becoming Islamized. If we Muslims remain ignorant of the dangers inherent in this process, and do not take due precautions or adhere to our faith clearly and properly, we face the danger of westernization.

The “New Age” movement

The so-called New Age movement is the harvesting of ancient far eastern cultures. The main reason it is attractive is western civilization’s quest for some kind of a spiritual life, which it has neglected, and its presentation in a consumable form … not a philosophy or a worldview, but just a strategy or an object of consumption.

In its most comprehensive meaning, New Age is the totality of systems covering every kind of knowledge (e.g., astrology and tarot), belief (e.g., Buddhism and Sufism), art figures (e.g., totems), physical exercise (e.g., yoga), spiritual experience (e.g., astral projection and meditation), and music (e.g., world music and Sufi music) about life’s spiritual/metaphysical side. Western culture, which already has exploited and consumed the Third World’s natural resources, is now exploiting its spiritual/cultural resources without fully understanding them, and thereby distorting them and spreading misconceptions.

At this point, such openings are no more than a passing interest. That is why Sufism, rather than Islam, is popular in the West. Within the West’s consumption perspective, ideas and beliefs are just products in the supermarket. Buy whichever one you fancy and as much as you want, and then consume it. The capitalist West is open to any type of experience, just as long as it does not affect anyone’s comfort level. Whether it is Buddhism or Sufism does not matter. If these people feel sure that Islam will not disturb their comfort, they will have no problem with it.

There are some grains of truth in the New Age and the self-improvement movements, such as emphasizing the significance of one’s spiritual side. However, those beliefs that have some authenticity in their roots are being made into models for the New Age. At this point, the beliefs of various cultures are blended together and the end product is a culture without a base. Some grains of truth found in this culture can dazzle us and cause our viewpoint to go astray. In fact, the New Age is simply imposing on us the mistaken idea that we do not need religion to find happiness and peace in this world. New Age culture, which leaves the spiritual/metaphysical dimension to a gutted mysticism, highlights the importance of self-improvement when it comes to the physical dimension. Here, if we present the relation clearly, the New Age movement is blending these cultures in a self-improvement understanding unique to itself. Thus, the understanding of self-improvement being formed within this culture threatens Muslims.

Two different ways

There are two paths and two different ways of looking at events: philosophy and Prophethood. The path of philosophy says that self-improvement is possible by existing on one’s own and for one’s self, thereby adopting a Pharaoh-like attitude. Its followers say: “I exist for myself and am the owner of myself.” They adopt an unwarranted degree of pride, but are easily scared by such news as a comet passing by the Earth. In the path of Prophethood, however, perfection and improvement are possible through the realization of one’s impotence and helplessness and, as a result, the choice of God as the only Supporter. Its followers know that they are overwhelmed by reality and thus are impotent and that their faith, which causes them to rely totally on God, enables them to challenge the universe. The Creator, the universe, humanity, and society all have different approaches to social life. The resulting behavior, systems, lifestyles, and thoughts generated by these differences are also completely different. One of them yields a Tuba tree (Heaven); the other yields a Zaqqum tree (Hell). Philosophy says: “The ultimate goal of a person’s perfection is to adhere to the Creator’s position,” while the Prophethood says: “The Almighty is the true owner of everything.” Followers are aware of their impotence and thus rely totally upon God.

Common points and deceptive aspects

Representatives of these two paths have some points in common in their thoughts and lifestyles, rights and wrongs. Yet for the most part their presence can be misleading for us. When we consider the Prophetic saying of “He whose two days are equal (He who makes no progress) is in loss,” we see the Divine perspective that regards the human as the most honorable creature. It sees each person as a being who comes from the mother’s womb, proceeds toward the resurrection, and bears the responsibility that even the mountains would not accept. Thus, it instills great significance into human beings, as well as into other creatures.

On the other hand, many self-improvement books tell you to “grind the axe,” an expression meaning that you should renew yourself. This expression seems to be quite parallel with your beliefs, and so you read the rest of the book eagerly, falling for that expression. You savor the pleasure of having your beliefs confirmed, of looking at life through a new paradigm. Meanwhile, a process of which you are unaware begins. As you read the book, incorrect ideas, along with a bit of truth, enter your mind, for it is wide open. More importantly, despite having something in common with what you already believe, that pleasant expression is based upon a different basis: that of philosophy, which says: “I am my own master; the world exists on its own.” Thus it guides you to a one-sided, perhaps a capitalist, kind of improvement. Even if the principle set forth is the same, the examples, behaviors, and attitudes are totally different.

People should try to renew themselves. However, renewal has an ambigious meaning; it can be understood as a person’s physical renewal of his or her image, or as the making of daily spiritual discoveries. When renewal is mentioned, one understanding is rediscovering beings and events every day, reading, setting sail to new horizons, and describing it accordingly. The other understanding is status, money, and reaching knowledge (but only knowledge that can be transformed into money), and is described accordingly. Those in the first category try to reach the target by using the power granted to them in return for their awareness of their impotence; those in the second category try to reach the target for themselves and by believing in themselves. Therefore, there are great differences between seemingly similar approaches.

If your ideas are not based upon a firm infrastructure, what you learn will be unsound and therefore damaging to your heart and soul. For example, both Buddhism and Islam talk about love and tolerance. But as they are fed from very different sources, they counsel tolerance for different reasons and so take you to different destinations. As we see: “There can be some grains of truth in every false cause.” The presence of a minor truth should not make us believe so navely. Hence, we must know the difference between the path of philosophy and that of the Prophethood. If we have a proper understanding of the Creator and the universe, humanity and society, we will recognize the possible damage by filtering what we read and perceive. However, if we have not discovered ourselves and the true meaning of existence, we will be prone to the damaging influences of both eastern and western philosophy.

Holistic improvement and the perfect person

Our perspective is to take humanity as a whole and offer a balanced line of improvement. The worldview underlying this path is that the body and soul, matter and spirit, the physical world and the metaphysical world are so closely integrated that they cannot be separated from each other. We see the physical and metaphysical worlds not as mutually exclusive, but as two different faces of the same world. Thus, far from being irrelevant to each other, they have a mutual relationship. The West’s dualistic Cartesian understanding divides the world into two and claims that each one has it own set of rules. Islam, however, proclaims that these two worlds (e.g., physics and metaphysics, body and soul, matter and spirit) are not separate; rather, they are closely integrated with each other. Thus, since there is no conflict between the rules of this world and the metaphysical world, for they complete each other, perfecting the human being means improving the individual’s material and metaphysical aspects.

If you take the position that “matter and metaphysics are separate” as a starting point and educate people accordingly, certain problems inevitably arise, for the material and spiritual worlds are not separate. Rather, they are like two sides of the same coin. If we take them separately, as is the case in the West, we would conclude that “Divine books appeal to spirituality, but this world has different rules.” Even if we do not say so openly, our behavior will reflect this. Unfortunately, we are slaves of Cartesian logic, of dualism. We face excesses, deficiencies, and false notions in our lives, for we make this discrimination without being aware of it.

The current understanding of self-perfection focuses only on the spiritual side of life, thereby undermining the material side. On the other hand, some self-improvement approaches consider only the material side. Focusing on only one aspect of a person’s life means that such techniques are deficient; being based upon far-eastern religions and philosophies means that they are of no use to Muslims, for they are not rooted in Islam. Unfortunately, most of the time we fluctuate between excess and deficiency, thereby showing just how alienated we are from our values.

The Path of Truth

Islam is a religion for all humanity, its Prophet is the last Prophet, and the Qur’an is the final Divinely Revealed Book. Therefore, the Islamic perspective embraces all of humanity and considers all human faculties. Such a path teaches us the necessity of reviving our self-discipline, the spiritual soundness of the Sufi lodges and knowledge of the Islamic academy, as well as the necessity in recognizing the individual’s mental, physical, and emotional dimensions. We must practice a balanced self-improvement, based upon the material and spiritual worlds, self-perfection, and our own values, for both worlds are related to each other, as are self-improvement and individual progress. Each of these two paths affects and completes the other and reflects each other’s beauties.

Saving ourselves from dualism depends upon correcting our perspectives. We should pay attention to the relationship of the Creator-human-universe. Our principle should not be to abandon it; rather, it should be a principle like the staff of Moses, bringing out water from every rock that we strike. We must be active in every aspect of life in order to reveal our differences.

If one does not have this viewpoint, one of the two aspects is ignored. The person either develops only partially or in an undesirable way. We, the Prophet’s community, are the real inheritors of Earth, for he said: “He whose two days are equal is in loss.” Therefore we must improve ourselves. However, our understanding of self-improvement differs markedly from the one that is prevalent today. We do not accept today’s understanding of self-improvement, for it ignores human nature and is based upon the Darwinian theory of “the survival of the fittest.”

We understand improvement to mean educating ourselves in life and striving for individual perfection by working on our heart (and soul). We must become successful business people, scientists, teachers, and parents who possess an inner depth in their personal lives. The improvement of our material world and the perfection of our spiritual world must support one another. Improvement should lean on spiritual perfection, so that a positive transformation will take place. Our perspective is based upon improving our spiritual and material faculties by employing the principles of absolute impotence, absolute ardor, and absolute thanksgiving before the Lord. If we do not build up this understanding, we lean toward abuse and misguidance.

Conclusion

Given all of the above, different approaches must be seriously considered, and personal instead of generalized strategies must be devised. Hundreds of self-improvement books are available, but they deal only with one dimension of human life. Thus, those who are attracted to them have certain characters. If the individual is not considered as a whole, he or she will be condemned to remaining a half-person who will raise more half-people and work with other half-people.

The Pitfalls of Self-Improvement

(By Ahmet Ertugrul…)

NLP (neuro-linguistic programming), also known as brain-learning programming, is a very common self-improvement field. Self-improvement activities have become more widespread in recent years, and have resulted in an explosion of courses, seminars, and certificate programs for those who are interested. However, the whole arena of self-improvement contains information that only confuses and misinforms some people

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NLP actually means neuro-language programming. This method, invented by Richard Bandler and John Grinder and based upon the principles of psychotherapy and rhetoric, has been developed further by experts in psychotherapy, psychology, anthropology, and the like.

Joseph Connor and Ian Mc Dermott, both NLP experts, provide the following information in their The Principles of NLP: “The word neuro is related to the mind and how we regulate our mental life. The word linguistic is about how we use language and how language affects us, and programming explains repeated patterns of behavior and the motives of our actions. In this respect, NLP studies relations; in other words, it is about our thoughts, conversations, and behavior, which connect us to other people, the world, and the spiritual dimension.” (1)

Self-improvement techniques

According to NLP’s principles, human behavior is purposeful. A person’s body acts in accordance with his or her mind. NLP experts emphasize the importance of belief in our behavior and seek answers to various questions, most of which can be answered directly by religion. Even in NLP books, which contain useful and positive advice, the source of information is confined to philosophical or personal comments. Such subjects as anxiety, suspicion, fear, success, problem-solving, attitude, and behavior are evaluated subjectively. It could be said that people’s wishes, demands, and objectives are, in a way, abused. The methods used to obtain success, as well as the basic principles laid out, sometimes can conflict with religious principles or even misguide or deceive people. Such expressions as “Your mind is a source of unlimited power” and “There is an unlimited source of power inside you” can be counted among these.

In addition, these books give advice on such subjects as “the power of praying” or “the benefits of belief in health” without any religious content or reference.(2) Actual religious belief or prayer is not part of these activities, for NLP is only a path to partial self-improvement. Self-improvement covers a wide range of activities, from the art of meeting people to living healthily, from nutrition to studying, and from happiness to the effective use of time. In self-improvement books, authors tell us about how they used to be failures without talent or success, and then how they obtained happiness with the help of these books. They quote those who attended the seminars. Such books as The Legend of Kentucky Fried Chicken, which traces Colonel Harlan Sanders’ story, and those about Abraham Lincoln and other famous people, analyze their life stories.

In self-improvement books, experts make up their own numerical or symbolical theories, such as the rule of the 7As, the rule of the 5Ds, the rule of the 3 principles, the rule of the 8 abilities, the 5 keys to success, and so on. We do not claim that all of these books are completely futile, harmful, or devoid of any scientific value. A few good points can be found in any book. Like everything else, what really matters is the nature of these books as a whole. Furthermore, we also should mention that such practices as narrating fictional processes as real, correlating these processes with irrelevant issues, personalizing and nationalizing problems that emerged in different arenas and different circumstances, are in no way correct.

Another point to consider is that such books shift and direct the reader to another domain.

The propoganda of eastern beliefs through self-improvement

Some self-improvement books present completely personal, philosophical, or subjective sources of information, along with a new danger as well. There are people who try to manipulate such books to their best advantage, as well as publishers, whose names recall Indian, Chinese, or other eastern cultures and who have used belief systems associated with Taoism, Buddhism, or Hinduism to do just that. In many western countries, especially America, meditation sessions are held in luxurious hotels. Proclamations are made that exercise relieves not only the body but also the soul, and therefore the seminar leaders recommend such sitting positions known in Buddhist teachings as sukhasana, siddhasana, or padmasaya.(3) Buddhist-based views are scattered throughout the presentation or disguised so as not to alert anybody, and then are offered as novel ideas and concepts to be heard for the first time. For instance, some books refer to common sense as buddhi and introduce suffering within the meaning of dukka. Even in an innocent-looking book which discusses “the power of now,” a Buddhist doctrine correlating happiness to suffering, is imposed.(4)

Another important point to be made here is that Sufism, which offers the true secret of humanity’s real peace and happiness, is identified with Buddhism and Hinduism, whereas Buddhist or Hindu attitudes and philosophies are presented as prescriptions. Some groups introduce the Dalai Lama of Tibet as the world’s greatest spiritual leader and claim that Buddhist meditation is the only path to happiness. Many self-improvement books, which are widespread in this society, approach such basic concepts as soul, self, love, beauty, and eternity from Buddhist, Manichaean, Hindu, Taoist, and even Shamanist points of view. Such an approach confuses people who do not have a solid religious background.

Usually, ideas and superstitions that contradict Islam and other monotheistic religions appear in books containing Buddhist, Hindu, and Taoist teachings, as well as those of the Dalai Lama, all of which are written to spread eastern belief systems. It is a pity that these works confuse people when it comes to God, the Prophets, angels, the Hereafter, death, and similar concepts. Some people think that these books emphasize spirituality as opposed to materialism, just as some movies do, based in the Christian mysticism of Europe’s Middle Ages, with magic and myths, for these have points in common and parallel purposes with Asian creeds. Those who attend meditation sessions in fancy hotels attribute divinity to a man by prostrating before him, and fall for such non-monotheistic beliefs as reincarnation.

First, people were deprived of their spiritual needs, and then were deceived into believing that science and scientific concepts could satisfy all of their wants, in an attempt to replace these needs.

When all of this turned out to be a delusion, they were offered other delusions in the name of satisfying their souls and spiritual feelings. At all costs, they are kept away from Islam, which stands before all humanity as the sole alternative. The underlying purposes of such publications and activities, along with their desires and plans, is an attempt to take advantage of the deficiencies brought about by spiritual isolation. However, those beliefs or ideas that separate people from their Creator or deny the reality of their absolute dependence upon Him directly contradict human nature. Worldviews that burden people with loads that they are not meant to bear and cannot bear, by assuming that they can achieve everything, only deepen their unhappiness. By placing more demands and requirements upon them, they can never become truly happy. As in the past, such a function was given to science and people were deceived into believing that science would solve every problem. We face a similar phenomenon, one with the same purpose, today.

Conclusion

The unhappy people of today, while searching for the sources that will make them happy, pursue everything that is presented as a solution. On the other hand, some groups take advantage of the individuals’ ignorance of the subject and expose those people who are looking for correct information to a flood of misinformation. Those who impose superstitious views and rituals, which claim to have everything that a person needs, reject all religious beliefs and presumptions. They keep on confusing “the lonely person” with ever-increasing greed.

Above all, the most important thing to do is to supply people with those moral and spiritual values that they so desperately need within the basic Islamic framework. Developing such studies and presenting them as an alternative search, and taking its logic and schematic structure from the right basics, will reinforce the people’s self-confidence. Spending time with phony and misleading spiritual “treasures,” instead of the real treasure within the base of our own house, gains us nothing.

Footnotes

1 Joseph O’Connor and Ian McDermott, The Principles of NLP, trans. Demet Uyar Ezerler

(Istanbul: Sistem Publ., 2001), xiii.

2 Norman Vincent Peale, The Power of Positive Thinking, trans. Sahin Cuceloglu (Istanbul: Sistem Publ., 1998).

3 Henry Brunel, La mathode du chat, trans. Birsel Uzam (Istanbul: Civiyazilari Publ., 2001), 105.

4 Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now, trans. Semra Ayanba (Istanbul: Akasa Publ., 2001).