6 February 2011 Lefke, Cyprus
(Translated from Turkish)
As-su`al nisful `ilm. There was müstemleke idaresi, a colonial government here. A governor would be sent from the empire, and with that governer, they had an advisory committee made up of five people: three from themselves and two from the Turkish people. They would, for example, call a learned person like you, call this learned person and that learned person--five people who are suitable for this. They all come up with a decision, and thereupon govern the whole country by it.
But now, however many people there are in the country, half of it consists of government employees. No one is thinking of how to overcome this (love of power). There’s only ambition for the chair--to be something, to appear in a certain way, to make a good salary, to rule the nation as I like, to be respected. Can this country or Turkey or Russia stand on its feet like this? Perhaps Russia was a nation of 800 or 1000 years; the czars ruled for 1000 years. Then came those lousy people and put an end to it in 80 years; they massacred and destroyed millions of people!
Now you’re a professor and you say, “O Mr. Rector! Today I am busy, I have an excuse. I won’t be able to make it (to class). Please try to manage with someone else.”
“Okay, sir,” he replies (and calls the doorkeeper:) “Doorkeeper, Mehmet ağa! Come here!”
“What is it, sir?”
“Go put on a suit and sit on the chair in front of the students.” The students become astonished at this. “Try to take-over until the real teacher gets back.”
This is something that is fake. Can a doorkeeper fulfill the job of an administrator? He cannot! Today no work is handed to its expert.
A man gets hit by a car and cries out, “Aaah! My back!”
“But I hit your head.”
“But it came to my back!”
He had strong back-up, and therefore sat there (on the chair). He vindicates the civilians as well as the army. For what? He bribes them and then sits on the chair. And it will end up the same way as in Egypt. Egypt, Tripoli, Tunisia, Algeria, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Turks, Chinese, Russians, Germans--all have fallen into the same thing. They weren’t happy with “the old’. (They said,) “We will bring a modern system.” What modern system are you speaking of? You’re leaving that which is original and going to plastic. This is the period of plastic governments--they’re from plastic! If we brought plastic fruits in front of you, you’d look at it and say, “But this isn’t anything!”
“Sir, it’s apple. Eat!”
“It can’t be eaten.”
“Then eat the banana.”
“The banana is even worse!”
Everything has become plastic, fake. They left the essence of everything behind; they didn’t like it. What are they calling it now? The Revolution of Technology. There can’t be a revolution with technology. Man is not only a physical being. He is, at the same time, dominated by a power within, creating distinct emotions inside him. Man is not a being that can operate only through eating and drinking. As soon as you fill Man’s stomach, he won’t hear you, because he is looking for something that can satiate the human mind and heart. Technology does not give that, and therefore, the Age of Technology has failed. Now there is chaos everywhere.
Whatever work there is to be done, technology is already doing it. It’s bringing Man’s power down to the level of zero, lowering his value. They bring in a machine to a place where ten people are working and say, “Nine of you can leave. There’s no more work for you because this machine is serving our purpose. I only need one person.”
Now the whole world is in such condition. The revolution of technology ruined and sank the entire world, physically and spiritually, from both sides. And that’s why they can’t bind the two ends of a thread together--it’s impossible!
They fly in the air. But what’s the use of flying in air, to go and come back so quickly? Let them move slowly. What’s wrong to stroll through the lands? There’s life where Man walks. When it would normally take an hour by car, for example, it would take one day by walking. There is bereket, blessing where Man sets foot.
Then what is this? There’s been so many changes in our undoings. The enslavement by this energy, this technology, has greatly consumed Mankind. Physicality is not the only entity which makes human beings human. They have a unique existence. Unfortunately, they’re not able to come out of it.
(Visitor: The understanding of our existence is unclear to them; they don’t know the meaning of life. What is the meaning of existence? That is the big question.)
Well what is its purpose? Is life’s purpose to become technology’s slave? No! Man has become technology’s servant when technology should have been serving Man. It’s a complete mess! They’ve finished it: the concept of humanity no longer exists.
(Visitor: Man fell in his own trap. He invented but then regretted.)
He fell in it and now he won’t extend his hand to anyone offering to pull him out. He says, “I will sit here.” Well then, sit there; sit and keep staying there. That’s why I had a discussion with the professor, as in the old days they had assemblies called, Encüman-ı Dânış, Advisory Committee, in which learned men would sit and discuss. Through such meetings, their knowledge would increase and the end result would be to their own advantage.
But now the whole world is under the hegemony of a single material entity. Man’s value has withered. Whoever pushes the button does the work of ten people. Whoever pushes the button, does the work of one-hundred people. But there’s no value in this. Man was created to be ruler on the face of the Earth, not a prisoner. However, Shaytan opened such a way that he made Man mahkum, prisoner when he was hakim, ruler. Technology made us its subject, its servant; it oppressed and extinguished humanity.
That’s why I am saying, as in Encüman-ı Dânış, there may be perhaps 100 or 200 professors along with other people outside. Let them sit and meet together so they come up with a decision. Let them use their minds. To assume, “I can solve all things with technology” is foolishness. Technology cannot solve everything. In particular, technology cannot solve Man!
Man is the source of problems. In every regard, he has a strange quality. Technology cannot unravel the reality that pertains to us, as this is our own peculiarity. Only we can unravel it. Machine cannot unravel us but we can unravel Machine. And when that is the case, now the whole world has become a ruin. If we want reform in the world, the first action to be taken is to reach technology and say, “Stooooop! You destroyed our human nature. Stay where you are! We don’t want you anymore. We want to live as humans, not as machines. We don’t want to be robots. We’ll raise the flag of Islam!” Who is there to say this? If it is something wrong, let them come forward and say a better truth if they can. This is just right!
One person came to us saying, “I’m selling a car.”
I asked him, “How much are you selling it for?”
He said, “I’ll give it to you for 20 TL (around 20 dollars).”
“Huh! You’re giving for free, o crazy Devro.” Than I said (to our people), “Just buy it; give him the twenty so he leaves.”
He said, “Shaykh Effendi, since you are buying it, in the morning, I’ll give you another car so you can replace the car’s defected parts with it. That one is for free.” (Laughter)
He’s underground now. May Allah forgive him and forgive us. I asked our dervishes, “Is there anyone to test drive the car?” Baba Tahsin said, “I can drive it!” They took the car to the gemi konagi. I said, “Test the car and lets see how it is.” One hour passed and they were yet to come. “Where’s our new car, the one Devro sold us?” Then someone came running and said, “Shaykh Effendi, the car was moving down the hill very well until it reached the gemi konagi. But as soon as it turned around and came to the bridge, it was stubborn to go back up!”
“Huh!? Hay, shameless one! Where am I to find Devro? Shaytan can’t even find him now! He ran away!”
Later, they found and brought him to me. I said, “You shameless! What kind of a machine is that machine?”
“Shaykh Effendi, it is as they said. I didn’t want to take too long assuming you may be in need of a car, so I gave it to you like that. That’s how it really is, but don’t worry, in a few years this car brand will become antique. Save this! You’ll get one-hundred times more in return!”
“Hay, shameless! The car still waits there.”
“Don’t worry. I didn’t cheat you; I did you a favor. The car will go backwards, but when it doesn’t go up, just have them tie an ox behind it and let them pull it from the other side. Then take it and put it somewhere.” To this day, the car is still waiting on a mountain-top, where the shepherds are. I’m still waiting for it to be antique. (Loud laughter).
What to do? Now people are like this. The car already doesn’t work. We were able to move when we found a downward slope, but when we took the hill, now people have become angry and depressed: “Turkey did this!” and “We did that!” Don’t do. I tell them, “Go to Devro’s grave and ask him what kind of a car he sold me. Be a little patient. They will also put you in the grave saying that you are antique.” So this is how it is now. Everyone has become like Devro. When the situation is like that, how could you ever prosper?
(Mawlana Shaykh Nazim recites a famous poem by Yunus Emre [q])
Ehl-i Irfân meclisinde aradım kıldım talep,
İlim en geridedir,
İllâ edep, illâ edep!
In the gatherings of the People of Understanding
have I sought and rendered my request,
knowledge is the furthermost,
manners, above all!
manners, above all!
They are not teaching adab, manners. That’s why, the subjects they teach resemble a rose cut from its branch; you’ll end up throwing it after two or three days. These men have nothing that is of importance, and they don’t even ask. Now let them try to come out of this situation. It’s the same here and in Turkey. They can’t come out of it.