Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan made evaluations on the importance of neighborhood relations.
Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, who states that neighborly relations have weakened in modern city life today, draws attention to the fact that the biggest nightmare is loneliness. Noting that neighborly relations were developed as a solution to loneliness in our ancient tradition, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan emphasizes that neighborly relations will keep people and society alive. Tarhan added that the biggest enemy of neighborliness is increasing self-interest.
Stating that neighborliness is very important in our culture, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that human being is a relational being and said the following:
"Neighborhood is important for this reason: neighbors are the closest people after the family. Recent neuroscience studies have revealed some facts. Man is a relational being, his genetic code is not programmed to live alone. For this reason, people become unhappy when they are alone. There is even an addiction modeling about this. There is an experiment with animals. Mice are made addicted to cocaine. As the mouse presses the pedal, cocaine water comes out. They take a cocaine-addicted mouse and put it in its natural social environment. The animal stops drinking the cocaine water. This study has made a great revolution. There are examples of this in society. In fact, one of the reasons why people become addicted is that they cannot fulfill their need for attachment. People who are addicted to substances have weak friendships, weak family relationships, weak human relationships, in other words, they are lonely. They have no friends, no one to call when they are bored. They find solace in a relationship, in drugs. They experience a temporary relief with it."
Modernism's nightmare; loneliness
Stating that one of the nightmares of modernism today is loneliness, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "This is the biggest social problem of the Western world right now. In 2018, the UK Prime Minister's Office announced the establishment of the Ministry of Loneliness. They appointed a minister. At an advanced age, 8.5 million Britons live alone at home and there are sudden deaths. The state cannot keep up for social support. The ministry is trying to produce solutions as an institution."
"Neighborhood" medicine against loneliness
Stating that our traditional culture found the neighborhood system as a solution to loneliness, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "Our traditions had found the solution to this. Neighborhood and family system. Modernism has put us in a competition for consumption within the earn-work wheel to encourage the consumption economy. Family and neighborhood ties have weakened when people engage in non-peaceful competition. Everyone started to see everyone else as an obstacle. They started to say 'me' first. I don't think there is an era in human history when egos have become so inflated. In this period, a result such as loneliness emerges," he said.
There are good neighborly relations in our culture
Stating that there are examples of good neighborly relations in our society, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "There used to be a neighbor's pot in Anatolia. So that what is cooked in our house would also fall to the neighbor. The food cooked at home was also taken to the neighbor. There is a famous saying of Mother Teresa. They ask, 'How can the world be a good place?' She says, 'By doing good to one another. The reason for the weakening of neighborliness is related to not doing good one-to-one. There are good examples of neighborliness in our culture. Like the tradition of Ashura and the feast of sacrifice. One third of the sacrifice is the neighbor's right. If there is someone in need of zakat, it is not given to someone else. Hz. Ali has a very nice saying: 'If someone builds his house next to my house, I accept him from the family because he chooses my house'," he said.
Neighborly relationship keeps the society alive
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that the neighborly relationship is important today and said, "A very important issue that keeps us alive is the neighborly relationship. Neighborhood is very important, especially in small places, it has decreased but it has not deteriorated. If your neighbor is in trouble and you sleep comfortably, it means that you are a selfish person. There are victimized, oppressed and disadvantaged people in the world. How human is it for us to sit and enjoy ourselves when people are in this situation? At the very least, we need to open a window in our mind map to see what kindness we can do for our neighbors. We need to think about what we can do for the victimized and oppressed people. If we have 10 liras, spending one lira for the oppressed makes the world more livable. In the belief system, a smile is charity. Sweet words and a warm smile are valuable elements in human relations. We need to be generous in these. If we are generous in these, our social environment consists of beautiful people. We need to create a human-oriented social network, not interest-oriented socialization. People should call their friends not for interest but to ask for remembrance."
The problem of our age is insecurity
Stating that social relations are decreasing today, especially in big cities, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "There is a serious decrease in neighborliness. We are in an age of distrust. Trust has weakened so much that people are worried even when they say 'Hello' to each other. In this age of selfishness and individualism, distrust has emerged after a while. There is a greeting gesture, it is done by raising hands. The reason for this is that in the Middle Ages distrust was so widespread that people greeted each other in this way to say 'I don't have a weapon'. With the Renaissance and reform, there was a serious transformation in this situation. There was a relationship of trust. The West is now losing that too. The level of material welfare is high, but the level of spiritual welfare is not as high. One of the reasons for this is the destruction of neighborly relations."
The biggest enemy of neighborliness is self-interest
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that there are no neighborly relations in big cities and said:
"Someone dies at home, they realize three days later. There is that level of indifference. Unfortunately, the diseases of modern life have infected us. Those who protect themselves from this make the world more livable and actually make the biggest investment in themselves. If one does these things, their children will see and model them. But there is a cynical philosophy. Cynical philosophy is to see everyone as self-interested. The biggest enemy of neighborliness is the increase of self-interest in the world. People are self-interested. Society is also made up of people who pursue self-interest. Nietzsche also defended this. The culture of charity is even mocked. 'Charity and humility increase the cost of business. Let weak companies fail, don't help those who can't take care of themselves'. Modernism has given birth to a culture that despises charity. Modernism's selfish sharing to increase production has led to such negativity in human relations and this is how we pay the price. Divorces and violence have increased. This age is called the age of mistrust. If neighbor does not trust neighbor, how can one sleep comfortably? Just as one cannot sleep well at home if he thinks that his wife might harm me, the same is true for the neighborhood. The house should be a place of trust. Safe relationships need to be established with neighbors. Right now people see raising walls as a solution. You can raise the walls as much as you want, but neighborhood is important."
Mental transformation must take place
Stating that architecture has an impact on neighborhood, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "Architecture represents an identity. In cultures with weak neighborhood ties, houses are very far from each other. As a society, we like to live close together, but modernism accelerated after the coronavirus. Houses far from the city in garden and villa style became popular. In neighbor relations, it is not very difficult to greet each other and ask how you are doing. We need to continue these in our culture. We will have a good life if we can bring warm relationships and close lives into our lives. In today's modern architectural system, people's contact has decreased. This has both positive and negative sides. The important thing here is the mental transformation of people. If there is no mental transformation, the shape of the buildings is not very important. It is a human desire to live comfortably and comfortably. The large house is in our culture. Therefore, we need to turn the house into a shelter. We cannot confront the whole world, but we can strengthen human relations."
