Mostafa Malekian's Lecture: 'The Surge Toward the Streams'

With greetings and respect to the audience, and thanks to all the organizers and officials of the Doostan-e Ashna Cultural and Artistic Institute.

I will begin the discussion with an example, and I believe this example can illuminate the entirety of the forthcoming discussion from beginning to end. Suppose it is necessary for us to travel a path to get from point A to point B, and there is no escape from this movement and journey; but the road connecting these two points is very unsuitable and rough, full of rocky ground and potholes, and is an un-engineered road. In this situation, where we must necessarily get from point A to point B and the condition of the road is thus, it is obvious that what must be done is for all who use this road to strive to repair it and to correct the crookedness, rocky ground, potholes, and unevenness of this path for travelers, and to remove the obstacles. However, if we find ourselves in a situation where, despite the necessity of using the road, we lack the power to repair the road, or we have the power to repair the road but its repair is time-consuming and years and months must pass before we can repair and restore the road to make it usable, and our power is contingent upon the passage of time, what should be done in these two cases? In these two cases, it apparently seems that one must procure automobiles that have shock absorbers, which can control the impacts caused by the rocky ground and potholes and reduce the severity of the blows inflicted upon the passenger's body. Considering this situation, having shock absorbers on the automobile with which we travel the path is important, and an automobile that has shock absorbers is better than an automobile that does not have shock absorbers. Strong shock absorbers make the automobile better, and weak shock absorbers make the automobile worse, and in judging between automobiles, the shock absorber must be taken into account.

It should be noted that despite the importance of the shock absorber in a car, the shock absorber does not repair the road; rather, it lessens the damage of the unrepaired road for the car's passengers. In fact, in human life, what is very important and significant, and what I emphasize, is that it is imperative that the road be repaired and improved, and the curves, rocky patches, and potholes in the road must be eliminated. However, if we lack the power to repair and mend the road, or if we have the power to repair it but need time for this repair, then, as long as the road remains unrepaired, parallel to our activities for repairing the road, we must acquire a car with shock absorbers and pay the utmost attention and care to the car's shock absorption. In this case, no rational person would say that if the road is not repaired, I will not travel and will not use shock absorbers either; because many roads are unrepaired, and we have no choice but to traverse them. What was said about the road and the necessity of its repair and the use of shock absorbers also holds true for social life; because we have no escape from living in society, and in social life, we also bear two duties: one duty is to reform the society in which we live and of which we are citizens, and the second duty is that, parallel to our reformist activities, we should have shock absorbers for ourselves that reduce the severity and force of social blows, so that when these blows strike our inner being and psyche, they have been mitigated and possess degrees of relief and gentleness. It is clear that psychological shock absorbers do not improve our situation in society, and society remains as it is, but as long as we have not been able to reform society, the use of psychological shock absorbers is necessary, and one cannot abandon shock absorbers. It is not rational to accept the blows and injuries of an unhealthy society within ourselves and wait for society to be reformed; because there is no guarantee that society will be reformed within our lifetime; therefore, the use of shock absorbers is a rational necessity. It can be said that all philosophies, schools, and currents of intellectualism and reformism in the world can be divided into two categories: one category consists of philosophies that tend to reform society, and the other category consists of schools and currents that seek to provide shock absorbers for our inner selves so that, as long as society is not reformed, we suffer less injury and harm. I emphasize, and I emphasize greatly, that reforming society is our moral duty, and it cannot be neglected at all; but the issue is that society is not reformed merely by our will to reform it, and therefore, periods of our lives and our society are spent on reforming society while society remains unreformed; thus, we need psychological shock absorbers. For further understanding, I will use another example. Consider an ocean full of turbulent and rebellious swells and waves.

If we build breakwaters on the shore of this ocean, these breakwaters do not eliminate the ocean's surges and waves; but when the waves collide with the breakwaters, their intensity is reduced, and what passes through the breakwaters from the surge is no longer a wave or a surge; rather, it has been transformed into a stream. The same holds true in the realm of society; that is, in an unhealthy society, there are social surges, distortions, and disorders; but when these surges enter the realm of our mind, psyche, and emotions, they are transformed into psychological streams. In an unhealthy society, no one's inner self is completely healthy and sincere; but the degree of individuals' psychological health differs depending on how strong their inner shock absorbers are. It seems as though some people appear naked and bare against social blows and surges, and these blows enter their inner selves with the same intensity that exists outside, while others living in the same society receive a lesser intensity of social blows due to having psychological shock absorbers; therefore, transforming social surges into psychological streams is an art; because a human being cannot forgo their right to life, and there is no escape from living in an unhealthy society; at the same time, our moral duty is to transform an unhealthy society into a healthy one. The question now is, what are these psychological shock absorbers? What I am expressing is according to my, Mostafa Malekian's, rationality and may be contrary to the opinion of some esteemed individuals. The first shock absorber, in my opinion, is that every individual must establish a constitution for their own existence, and each of us having a constitution for ourselves is the greatest psychological shock absorber, making a person less exposed to afflictions and destroying the mind, psyche, and emotions of a person less. To elucidate the concept of a constitution, I must first address the definition of intuitive propositions, for which I will use an example. Imagine you are listening to a lecture, and the speaker utters about two thousand sentences. These two thousand sentences can be divided in various ways; but because it is not relevant to our topic, we will pass over it. Among the sentences of this speaker, a sentence or sentences profoundly affect you, as if what is being said settles upon the soul and psyche of your being, and, so to speak, you say to the speaker within yourself: 'Ah, you hit the nail on the head.' These sentences can, in fact, be divided into two categories. One category consists of sentences whose concept you have been familiar with for years and which you accept; but you had been unable to express and articulate them, and now you enjoy the speaker's linguistic and expressive formulation of them. The other category consists of statements whose content you had not grasped or understood in the past; but when they flow from the speaker's tongue, it is as if that sentence or sentences are the master key to resolving your issues and problems, and in your heart, you confess that if you had been aware of them until now, many challenges and problems would not have arisen for you.

Psychologists call the psychological state of the individual when encountering these sentences and the 'Ah, you hit the nail on the head' experience, an 'Ah experience,' and epistemologists call those sentences intuitive propositions and state that this individual has encountered their own intuitive propositions. An intuitive proposition is a non-inferential proposition that our mind is incapable of denying or not affirming, and we believe in its truth and cannot but accept that proposition; it is as if the individual's entire being witnesses its truth and testifies to its correctness. When our mind is incapable of not affirming a proposition, that proposition is intuitive. Intuitive propositions are not the same for everyone and are propositions unique to each individual.

 Now let us turn to the concept of a constitution. The constitution of any country is its foundation, and all laws follow and are subordinate to it; all laws must be in agreement and harmony with it and conform themselves to the constitution—just as the superstructure of a building must conform to the foundation, not the other way around. All laws enacted in a society in the various domains of politics, culture, family, law, economics, and other spheres must be consistent with the constitution, and if a law passed in the legislature conflicts with and is incompatible with the constitution, that law is null and void. Just as countries have constitutions, individuals, too, must have a constitution for themselves. The constitution of each person's existence is the criterion for that individual's policies, actions, thoughts, and way of life. Every choice a person makes in the various domains of their existence must be based on the constitution of their being. The constitution contains within itself both a moral and a prudential aspect, and the morality and prudence of a person's conduct lies in its not being incompatible with their constitution. One of the greatest causes of psychological and nervous illnesses is the incompatibility of our actions with the constitution of our being; therefore, from a philosophical and psychological standpoint, it is essential for every individual to be aware of the constitution of their own existence. If my choices, actions, and thoughts are incompatible with one or more articles of the constitution of my being, then those choices and actions will not bring me goodness or happiness, and my life will not be fully functional. We must, while being aware of the constitution of our being, act on its basis and avoid behaving in conflict with it. The constitution of our being is, in fact, the guarantor of an ideal life, provided that, first, we have correctly discovered the constitution of our being, and second, we have a complete theoretical and practical commitment to the discovered constitution; thus, the ideal life is a life in accordance with the constitution of each individual's being. Once the constitution of each person's being is specified and made known, others also become aware of it and, in their actions, judgments, and encounters with that individual, pay heed to the constitution of their being. For example, imagine a situation where you are talking with one of your friends about another mutual friend who is absent. In your judgments about your absent friend, you state that they do not refrain from certain behaviors such as lying and stealing, but they will never, ever commit betrayal in friendship—in a sense, such an act is beyond them. This judgment stems from your awareness of one of the articles of your friend's constitution of being (the prohibition of betrayal in friendship). It is evident that, just as different countries do not necessarily have the same constitution, individuals are not only not obliged, but are not permitted to copy the constitution of their being from one another; for every individual is a unique and singular being, and the requirement of this singularity is having a constitution unique to each person. Of course, due to similarities in individual disposition and social personality, some articles of the existential constitutions of individuals may resemble one another, and to the extent that personalities differ, their constitutions become distinct and diverge from one another.

So far we have addressed several points: the definition of intuitive propositions, the necessity of having a constitution, and the point that an ideal life means a life in accordance with each individual's constitution. Next, the important point is: how do we discover our own constitution? The answer to this question is that the set of each individual's intuitive propositions is the existential constitution of that person; therefore, the more we are aware of our intuitive propositions and the more serious and sufficient our theoretical and practical commitment to them, the more ideal our life is. The next issue is addressing the method of discovering intuitive propositions: how do we discover our intuitive propositions? I have previously mentioned in this regard that there are four ways to discover intuitive propositions, the most precise and easiest of which is studying the books and articles of the great thinkers of humanity. Based on one classification, the thinkers and great figures of the world are divided into five categories: philosophers, mystics, sages, theologians, and empirical scientists (natural empirical sciences and human empirical sciences). Every thinker fits into at least one of these five categories, and this classification is not mutually exclusive. However, among these individuals, some have addressed anthropology and others cosmology; some are more successful in understanding the inner world of the human being, their psyche and soul, and others in understanding the outer world; for instance, Socrates held that one must abandon the knowledge of the world and turn to the knowledge of the inner self; of course, in my opinion, both knowledge of the outer world and knowledge of the inner world of the human being are necessary, but in any case, among these thinkers, some are considered masters of psychology and the study of the soul, while others are less strong in this area and know more about the outer world, including politics, economics, and society. If we succeed in studying the most prominent books of these thinkers (great books), we can encounter our own intuitive propositions; it is as if these books serve as mirrors that confront us with ourselves, and each individual can find themselves in a corner of this set of books, discover their intuitive propositions, and the set of discovered intuitive propositions is the existential constitution of each individual.

The constitution of our existence can free us from many psychological and mental disorders and, due to its influence on inner purification and cleansing, also changes our external relations, making them healthier and better. Those who live according to the constitution of their existence are less affected by adverse external events. Theoretical and practical commitment to the existential constitution is the first psychological shock absorber of our existence, which transforms social surges into psychological streams.

Regarding the constitution, other points can be raised, a few of which I will mention in general and pass over their interpretation. Among them is that I believe the existential constitution carries ethics and expediency within itself, and there is no need to propose a separate ethical system and a system of expediency; and that the constitution can resolve human nervous disorders that have a physiological aspect to the same extent as psychological and mental disorders that have less of a physiological aspect. The third point is that merely having psychological shock absorbers does not make society completely healthy, but it steers it towards becoming healthier; and the next point is that when facing situations that, in the terminology of existentialist philosophers, are boundary situations and occur in life, those who have a constitution and are committed to their constitution make better existential decisions.

The important and significant point that was addressed is the necessity of having a constitution and theoretical and practical commitment to it, in the shadow of which the individual's commitment leads to the following occurring within them.

1. In those who are committed to the constitution of their existence, a kind of tranquility, inner peace, and strength of heart is achieved; it is as if external turbulences penetrate only to the boundary of their physical skin and rarely find their way into their inner being.

2. In those who do not turn their back on their constitution and follow it, strength of heart and, in other words, courage is formed within them. To the extent of each individual's commitment

to their constitution, their speech and actions become more steadfast, and less instability manifests in them.

3. Individuals who are endowed with a constitution receive a kind of grace from existence that protects them against calamities and spiritual losses, greatly reducing their inner sorrow compared to those who lack a constitution, and events lose their severity and intensity when confronting such individuals. This is why, in Socrates' words, to become strong one need not weaken one's opponent; rather, one must remedy one's own weaknesses, and the constitution remedies this weakness.

In psychology, too, Jung states that we must not turn our backs on our dreams; even if turning away from dreams brings us the seven social desiderata, it still empties our lives of joy, goodness, and functionality. Individuals who live according to the constitution of their being lead highly functional lives; but those who turn their backs on their dreams and neglect their constitution squander their inner forces, and this renders their lives dysfunctional compared to those who proceed based on their constitution and dreams.

We have addressed the necessity of having a constitution for transforming social surges into psychological streams and discovering it through intuitive propositions.

The second point I will mention falls under the general heading of decentering. Decentering helps us become less sensitive to the data of our external environment, meaning we endure less pain and suffering. The increasing inclination toward decentering through various methods such as meditation, yoga, and other forms does not signify an adherence to historical and institutionalized religions like Hinduism or Buddhism, but rather means that the collective psychological knowledge of humanity has converged on the understanding that to the extent a person centers upon themselves, they protect themselves against adversities, wrongs, and pain and suffering. Decentering, whether through meditation, yoga, or other forms, increases our attention to our inner selves. This increased inward attention by individuals is not aimed at escaping society and the external environment; rather, it is aimed at equipping oneself through decentering against the external environment and social relations so that the external environment and society cause us less harm. The main current of decentering throughout history has been aimed at increasing inner readiness and equipment against the current of society, so that individuals do not stand naked and without proper inner covering before social challenges and adversities, and not aimed at escaping society—though some have indeed turned to decentering with this latter approach. In the words of William James, the mystics had realized that standing naked on a high mountain peak exposed to fierce storms is not a wise act, and since there is no escape from standing on the peak, they should provide themselves with an inner covering. The mystics intended to remedy their weaknesses so that they would not be harmed in society because of these weaknesses. Decentering upon the inner self means discovering inner weaknesses and finding solutions to remedy these weaknesses; devising remedies, treatments, and cures for the weakness within, which we only become aware of through centering. In fact, it is through decentering that we attain self-knowledge. We cannot discover ourselves through others, and as long as we are in transaction with others and immersed in friendships and enmities, we do not understand ourselves and do not become aware of our weak points. In the words of a nineteenth-century mystic of Hinduism, through centering one can discover the enemy's fifth column within oneself. If we receive blows and harm from others, it is because of our inner breaches and flaws, and through decentering, these flaws can be identified and remedied, and the severity of the injuries others inflict upon us can be reduced. Meditation, yoga, and other forms of decentering have the capacity to make us known to ourselves; therefore, turning to decentering in the form of meditation is not for the sake of people's religiosity but for the sake of strengthening oneself in relations with oneself, others, and the natural world.

What I emphasize is paying attention to the fact that decentering is not aimed at escaping society; rather, decentering is a turning inward to the inner world for self-knowledge and self-discovery.

The third point I will address is the necessity of having deep, select friendships. One of the distinguishing features of tradition from modernity is that in the traditional era, kinship was a very important matter and was highly valued, whereas friendship, in comparison, held less value. In the age of modernity, the opposite is prevalent, and friendship is more valuable than kinship, and we have friends who are as valuable to us as close relatives. In fact, a fundamental difference between the modern and traditional worlds is that in the traditional era, natural and genetic bonds prevailed over subsequently formed social bonds; that is, individuals' relations with relatives were far more extensive than their relations of friendship. An issue that sociologists have addressed is what psychological and social factor has emerged that has made friendship more important than kinship? It seems that with the formation of friendship relations, relatives have been excluded from the circle of relations, and subsequently, the volume of these friendships has expanded to such an extent that, due to the vast volume of friendships, the rights of friendship are not properly fulfilled. Friendship is a committed relationship, and when we become friends with someone, we have duties towards our friend that we did not have before the formation of the relationship; therefore, in a friendship relationship, the right of friendship must be fulfilled. One of the very important factors that keeps a person largely immune and protected against external events is deep, select friendships. When the number of our friends is such that we are able to fulfill the right of friendship, our friendships become deeper and more intimate. Aristotle placed great value on friendship and considered it one of the three pillars of human happiness, and it is clear that Aristotle meant deep, select friendships. Friends who are placed in the circle of deep, select friendships empathize and sympathize with a person in the face of events, and psychologically, the person feels they have a support in life and are not exposed to dangers. It is for this reason that some who are active in psychological or philosophical counseling recommend to their clients that, based on the fundamental constitution of their being, they limit their circle of friends and fulfill their duties towards their true friends so that the intimate relationship of friendship is preserved. An article mentioned that a philosopher engaged in philosophical counseling, due to the importance and value of the friendship relationship, would advise his friends to increase the dosage of their friendships, and not the dosage of their medications; therefore, our extensive deep friendships protect us against external events and their effects.

Another point that can be raised is the necessity of paying attention to books, treatises, and articles on psychology. Psychology is among the sciences that are very useful for human beings and help them greatly. Imagine you have purchased a television set of the highest quality; but to use this device, you do not refer to its instruction manual and do not know the proper ways of using the television. Neglecting the guidance of the television's instruction manual causes the quality and lifespan of your television set to be greatly reduced. Human existence, too, is like a television set in having an instruction manual, while the structure of human existence is far more complex and advanced than a television set. The instruction manual for human existence is the science of psychology. The science of psychology helps us, through a better understanding of human beings, to inflict less harm upon ourselves and those around us. Because we have not benefited from psychological knowledge, we cause pain and suffering to one another in our relationships. Psychology allows the angles of human existence—including the mind, psyche, feelings, beliefs, desires, etc.—to be known, and with this knowledge, we can behave better with ourselves and with others, and also, in the face of others' mistreatment and social events, possess a series of defense mechanisms that reduce the severity of the blows from others and social events upon us. Unfortunately, the science of psychology is very neglected in our society; whereas a good educational system, from the beginning of the educational period in kindergartens to adulthood in universities, acquaints the child with psychological realities; but in our society, this valuable knowledge has been greatly disregarded. Of course, what is meant by the science of psychology is psychology in its broad sense, and not pseudo-psychologies or even anti-psychology psychologies, such as teaching management in five minutes or teaching how to become wealthy in one day, and similar false approaches. Psychological literature, especially the three areas of developmental psychology, personality psychology, and motivational psychology, inoculates the human being against the external environment and reduces the severity of its blows; therefore, paying attention to the science of psychology is of great importance and necessity.

The last issue I will discuss concerns the course of study in Iranian society. As you are aware, the per capita reading statistics in our society are very, very low, and we have a problem in this regard; but in my opinion, a bigger problem for us is that even those meager book-reading statistics are limited to reading books that, in Wittgenstein's words, do not make us feel better, and in Sohrab Sepehri's words, are books in which the wind does not blow. Wittgenstein stated that at the beginning of my books, it should be noted: 'Dear reader, I hope reading my book makes you a better person, and not a more thoughtful, more learned, or more philosophical one.' We must engage in reading books that, apart from learning the skills necessary for acquiring a profession, improve our existential state and change our external relations in the direction of goodness, and read books in which, in the words of Nikos Kazantzakis, the spirit comes and goes, and not matter. Reading many books merely increases our knowledge and places us among the intellectuals, but does not improve our inner state and leaves us in a state of turmoil. On this matter, there is an anecdote in Saadi's Golestan where Saadi recounts that an astrologer entered his home and found his wife in the arms of another man. The man cried out that he had been betrayed and wronged. A man of insight passing by said to the astrologer: 'You, who have no knowledge of the state of your own house, what use is your knowledge of the heavens and the stars?' This tale is the parlance of our society's condition.

Therefore, by turning to books, we must engage in reading works that improve our inner state, and of course, we must, while preserving our spirit of truth-seeking, strive to improve our state and avoid improving our state through deception, superstition, and trickery.

What has been stated are methods that help us, while reforming society of its deviations and disorders, to be able to protect ourselves from the harms and blows of the external environment and reduce the intensity of their effects on our inner being.

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Audio of Mostafa Malekian's Lecture

Audio of Q&A Session

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Speaker: Mostafa Malekian

Title: The Surge Toward the Streams

Subject: Psychological Preparedness in the Face of Events

Organized by: House of Familiar Friends Cultural and Artistic Institute

Typing and Editing: Ms. Samira Rahimi

Sunday, March 16

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