In this 54th issue a variety of topics are presented which are all geared toward enjoyable contemplative activity. M. Fethullah Gulen draws our minds, puzzled with a global trauma, once more to the fair judgment. In the Lead Article he portrays the ideal person, who embodies modesty with an abstinence from material obsession, jealousy, selfishness, and lust. “They open their hearts to everyone, welcoming them affectionately . . . People of heart are lovers of God, and devoted seekers of God’s consent.” This is what all religions preach and enjoin upon their followers. Those who share numerous commonalities-which unfortunately are only realized after probing deep under the veils of baseless prejudices-or who at least share the common denominator of believing in God Almighty, the Merciful, should also learn to respect and welcome each other as they are. Today, believers of all faiths should stand together against insolence and blasphemy, actions which are motivated by unbelief and target not only one faith, but all types of religious convictions, irrespectively. Human dignity calls for collaborative refusal of any kind of mockery against what people hold sacred; yet it takes no great insight to see that future disrespect may leave no religion untargeted. Muhammet Mertek expounds on the integration problems of minorities in Europe and analyzes why marginalized young people resort to violence to make themselves heard and why integration policies have just not “worked.”

Did you know that we are actually stardust? Most probably, you didn’t. Nuh Gedik lifts our eyes from the ground into the depths of space. In his thought-provoking article he describes how a star explodes to present a marvelous celestial supernova show. Supernova explosions are actually “the only source of heavy elements, including iron . . . the carbon that makes our cells, the hemoglobin that carries oxygen in our blood, and basically almost everything in our body are all made of elements produced in these explosions.” “Supernova Explosions” explains more not only about stars, but also about our chemical make-up.

The mysteries of nature are disclosed a bit more by another show, this time on earth: The glowworms of the Waitomo caves in New Zealand are bioluminescent flies which present stunning shows that rival the star-lit sky at night. The theory of evolution fails to explain the complex nature of this minute insect which can yield light at an output of 100% with no energy wasted as heat. Have we yet reached such a capacity of power production? Safak Ozturk tells us more in his “A Message from Glowworms.”

Inefficient use of time is something that we all complain about. Everyday, we get up in the morning and rush to our jobs to start work in time. However, today, more frequently than ever, we end up having spent our days having done little more than checking several e-mails, making telephone calls, and going to meetings to change schedules and deadlines. Cafer Tayyar Yavuz highlights the importance of even the smallest slice of time we usually ignore and explains how better efficiency can be achieved in our use of time.