Skip to main content

Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

Subscribe to The Fountain Magazine

Articles

100

30 June 2014 | The Fountain | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

100 is an impressive number: It is the top score one can get on an exam; every soccer player dreams of the hundredth goal of their career. 100 is a yardstick we use to divide world history into slices of digestible pieces. Centennials are the most memorable anniversaries (other than millennia) of e…

The Sacred Suffering

30 June 2014 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

The human is a lone traveler in this world; we are obliged to travel for the sake of finding ourselves and to attain our essence on a long path with deep rivers and steep mountains blocking the way. It is a path with lots of perils and no gateways. On this long and unknown path, we have to reach ou…

Micro-regulators of Life

30 June 2014 | Ali Fethi Toprak | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

The inventory of the universe is composed of matter, which is located in stars and galaxies. Only a small fraction of the universe is considered ordinary matter (about 5 %); most of the universe is actually made of a mysterious force called dark matter (about 95%). In some ways, a human being is a…

Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow, and Thinking Together

30 June 2014 | Gokhan Aydin | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

Decision-making is a cognitive process that constantly runs in the background of our minds, resulting in choices made in a limited time based on available information and the cognitive ability of the individual[1]. The performance of this process has been challenged by the hectic pace of modern liv…

Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway: A Different Perspective

30 June 2014 | Mehmet Aslan | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

Looking at Virginia Woolf's contemplations of characters in "Mrs. Dalloway" and Said Nursi's ruminations on profound inner struggles, one might first sense some contradictions - as if two separate ideas or views. But a closer look reveals much common ground. The fear of death and search for immorta…

Hearts and Minds for a Country: Nation and the Construction of Self Identity

30 June 2014 | Donald A. Beecher | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

We can speak of an alienation that comes with the contractual culture of the modern state. Nevertheless, such states can represent a set of principles worthy of our allegiance. The self in the second experiential quality of nation was also redefined by opportunities as well as constraints, set out…

Perspectives on Identity and Religion

30 June 2014 | Alptekin Kavi | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

What is identity? What is its relationship to religion and culture? How does it relate to modernization? What role does religious identity play in explaining conflicting versus cooperative acts around us? The purpose of this article is to shed light on such questions from an academic perspective b…

Lullaby, My Baby

30 June 2014 | Safiye Arslan | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

Sleep, baby, sleep Your father tends the sheep Your mother shakes the dreamland tree And from it fall sweet dreams for thee Sleep, baby, sleep Sleep, baby, sleep.[1] Babies are such cute bundles of joy. They are simply adorable and very innocent. The birth of a baby is a miraculous event, and…

One Man, Equal to a Species

30 June 2014 | Ali Fethi Toprak | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

It was an interesting dream. In ancient times, creatures that were destined for destruction questioned why they were given this sentence. What was the wisdom behind such a decision? How could it be just? The answer was interesting and had deep meanings, but still left questions in my mind. The cre…

The Bricks of Mind and Culture: Memes

30 June 2014 | Hamza Aydin | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

Humanity exists, sustains itself, and builds civilizations upon a heritage, and genes and memes, which are altered and conserved for generations, constitute the fundamental building blocks of it. We've learned many things in the last 50 years about genes as biochemical polymers which carry informat…

Qabd and Bast (Contraction and Openness)

30 June 2014 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

Qabd (contraction) and bast (openness), emotions felt by almost everyone during their lives, relate especially to those who live their lives consciously. Literally meaning being caught, being in straits or distressed and being grasped by the hand, Sufis use qabd to mean that the link between an ind…

The Science of Courage, Compassion, and Connection

30 June 2014 | Kelli Angelone | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

I'm not happy with how I look ... I'm terrible with money ... My parents are so disappointed in me ... I have a mental illness ... I have an embarrassing health issue ... If anyone knew this about me, they would hate me ... I'm a bad parent ... I'm always late ... With so many expectations and obl…

A Greek Column

30 June 2014 | Lawrence Brazier | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

We are bound to confront Greece and the recent Greek experience with their affairs of state - meaning the one they are in. First and foremost, I have a theory. Please bear with me, for it may not be a good theory, but it is all my own. I contend that Money has acquired a character, a personality…

Major Task for a Tiny Fiber

30 June 2014 | Kadir Can | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

My name is fibrillin, also known as FBN. I am a protein whose synthesis starts while you are still in your mother's womb. I was discovered in 1986. I provide services to you in my mature form, once I go through a series of long and complicated processes. During my services, I work together with man…

Dream, Believe, Fly

30 June 2014 | Linda Oatman High | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

Dream. Believe. Fly. This is my motto in life, now that I am fifty-five. Dream, Believe, Fly. These three words have a ring, a truth, a purity. As an author of books for teen readers, I gave these three words to one of my characters, and these three words became her mantra. She was sixteen; I am m…

The Language of Leaves

30 June 2014 | Kemal Serce | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

The universe is a system with many secrets that are not yet understood. This perfect system is established of interwoven smaller systems, each one set in relation to the others. Looking at the relationship between leaves and other organisms, we get a remarkable glimpse into how different systems fu…

Interfaith Dialogue: Necessity and Principles

30 June 2014 | Hilal Guler | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

History has unfortunately witnessed many violent acts conducted in the name of faith. However, many have begun to recognize another role of religion - as a powerful source for peace and reconciliation. As such, the number of studies on "interfaith dialogue" is promisingly growing. Interfaith dialo…

The Amazing Coordination in the Brain

30 June 2014 | Omer Arifagaoglu | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

The human brain coordinates between its halves. Because of this incredible communication and coordination, the brain is able to seamlessly operate our body's most complex motor skills and functions. The human cerebrum is divided into two hemispheres, the right and left. These sides are not identic…

God Writes Me Poems

30 June 2014 | Jacob Winkler | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

God writes me poems with every sunset. The trees, stretching up like the hands of the whirling Earth-Dervish. Oh! When will I learn to love the way Hafiz and Rumi love? When will I learn to embrace every moment, to surrender everything to God? I hear you waiting for an answer. Perhaps when waitin…

Banana: A Miraculous Fruit

30 June 2014 | Adem Arikanli | Issue 100 (July - August 2014)

Among tropical fruits, bananas are probably the most popular, and with good reason. They are delicious and nutritious, and can be consumed by everyone, from babies to seniors. The banana plant belongs to the Musa genus. The varieties preferred for cultivation are two hybrid species, Musa accumi…

Most Read in 2023

Climate Change and Our Health

Climate Change and Our Health

Fatih Demirci | Issue 151 (Jan - Feb 2023)

Physiological Effects of Music

Physiological Effects of Music

Sinem Akbulak | Issue 151 (Jan - Feb 2023)

Dunning-Kruger Effect: Audacity Born Out of Ignorance

Dunning-Kruger Effect: Audacity Born Out of Ignorance

Fatma Gunduz | Issue 152 (Mar - Apr 2023)

What Happens After Death?

What Happens After Death?

Betul Gul | Issue 152 (Mar - Apr 2023)

Imbalance in Bowel Movement: Diarrhea and Constipation

Imbalance in Bowel Movement

Naim Yilmaz | Issue 151 (Jan - Feb 2023)

Magic Squares

Most Magically Magical Magic Squares

Hakan Oztunc | Issue 152 (Mar - Apr 2023)

You Are the Placebo

You Are the Placebo

Adam Sahin | Issue 153 (May - Jun 2023)

Our World of Faith or, Being Cool and Peaceful in the Fire

Our World of Faith or, Being Cool and Peaceful in the Fire

M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 151 (Jan - Feb 2023)