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The Great Ocean of Truth

The Fountain

Mar 1, 2012

"I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me." Isaac Newton

Perspective, or how you look at events, is pivotal for happiness in our lives. To be able to look positively and see the good behind everything is not always easy, for it entails a set of beliefs and convictions to be well nested in the heart and mind. But it is also a fact that if we are seeking happiness, there is no other way than this prescription: "The one who sees positively will think positively; one who can think positively can take pleasure out of this life," a trendsetter saying of Bediuzzaman, the giant trendsetter scholar of the twentieth century.

The lead article "Love for Truth" in this issue opens a door to us on how to set that perspective, the one through which we can see things beautifully, and glimpse across "the great ocean of truth" in the words of Newton from the epithet. From the angle the author of the lead article stands "the whole nature or entire existence is an exhibition of beauties, a gallery of art and marvels, a promenade of pleasure and delight." His advice is to look at this exhibition and gallery with the eyes of our hearts and with the light of faith, so that it is as if we listen to special lessons of wisdom from every being, and the world becomes a travel to Paradise.

Dr. Kristeller confirms this perspective when she mentions that cancer patients who are caught in a struggle with the thought that they are being punished are not doing well in recovery or in their quality of life. Her research on the role of spirituality in the treatment of cancer patients is worth reading.

The Fountain is rich with psychology and religious thought in this issue. Tosun and Mette are analyzing how psychology is "essentially" a useful discipline for Muslims offering a beneficial body of knowledge and why a special focus is needed for the peculiar settings of a Muslim community. Namik Top delves into character education programs in schools for achievement and to reduce violence. Ozsoy discusses how divergent thinking is significant for authentic interpretations of religious texts in order to "discover the unveiled aspects of it." Camery-Hoggatt addresses the cognitive and neurological effects stemming from shifts in "culturally mediated systems of external memory" - such as writing and images - and how theological communication could expand in response.