Mollasalehi: Modern Man Is at Risk of Forgetting His Existential Truth

A veteran archaeology professor at the University of Tehran said at the session “Ontology of Memory and Forgetting” that modern man is at risk of forgetting his existential truth.

According to Ambassador Arjan's reporter, under the initiative of the Iranian Philosophers Forum and with the participation of the City of Philosophy of Iran, the "Ontology of Memory and Forgetting" meeting was held this evening, October 21, with the presence of Inshallah Rahmati, the head of the Boali Sina Scientific and Cultural Foundation, and Hikmatullah Mollasalehi, the senior professor of archeology at the University of Tehran.

Emphasizing the relationship between remembrance and human existence, Molla Salehi, a veteran professor of archeology at Tehran University, said: One of the fundamental problems of contemporary man is to distance himself from the source of his existence and get caught up in memories, attachments and unstable preoccupations of everyday life. A situation that can be considered one of the roots of human existential crises today.

At the beginning of his speech, referring to the relationship between recollection, poetry and mysticism, he referred to the verses of Rumi and stated: In the mystical tradition, recollection does not simply mean remembering an event or returning the mind to the past, but rather refers to the recognition of a fundamental truth in human existence. The truth that is forgotten in the course of daily life and among transitory attachments.

Referring to the theme of Rumi's poems about unity and plurality, he added: In Rumi's view, before being caught in the forms and multiplicity of the world, man had a relationship with a single truth and a common source. The main issue is how a person can get past the transitory appearances and relationships and regain his relationship with that fundamental truth.

This university professor asked the question, "What does reminding mean?" He stated: To understand the deep meaning of Yad, one must distance himself from the usual and everyday perception. Remembering at this level is not simply bringing past information back to the mind, but a kind of existential awakening and returning to the truth that man has neglected.

Referring to the concept of historicization of man, Mullasaleh pointed out: When man is trapped in historical time and place, he may lose his relationship with the truth that is beyond his historical situation and everyday attachments. In such a situation, the question of existence and man's relationship with it is under the shadow of life's preoccupations and conflicts. From this point of view, forgetfulness cannot be considered only a psychological or memory issue; Forgetting can mean human neglect of his existence.

Reciting Rumi's mystical themes about consciousness and recollection, he explained: When a person distances himself from unstable memories and relationships, he is able to establish a live, direct and sincere relationship with the truth of his existence. This distancing does not mean denying life and the world, but it means getting rid of dependencies that take away the possibility of presence and deeper awareness from humans.

The member of the Board of Trustees of Iranology Foundation continued: Part of the contemporary human crisis can be found in this gap; Today's man, despite having extensive material and educational facilities, does not necessarily feel more relaxed and satisfied. Increasing the possibilities by itself does not mean having a meaningful life. A person may lose his relationship with the truth that gives meaning to his life in the midst of a multitude of possibilities and everyday experiences.

The moments of familiarity that a person feels at once can be a recognition of the order of existence

Referring to the link between remembrance and deep human experiences, he stated: At some moments, a person feels that he has faced a familiar truth; A truth that he had a relationship with before, but he forgot it in the course of his life. Such an experience cannot simply be reduced to the recollection of a personal memory, because its subject may be the recognition of an order of existence that is less likely to emerge in ordinary life.

This professor of archeology of Tehran University discussed guilt and moral conscience and said: The experience of guilt and guilt can also be examined from a deeper perspective. Guilt is not just the awareness of committing a wrong act; Sometimes this feeling originates from the fact that a person compares himself with a level of purity, perfection or moral dignity that he recognizes in the depths of his being.

Mullasaleh added: From this point of view, the deeper a person's awareness of that moral and existential level is, he may become more sensitive to his mistakes. In religious and mystical traditions, sometimes those who are known for purity and spirituality feel guilty and need to return more than others. Therefore, the feeling of guilt should also be understood in relation to the idea that a person has of the truth and dignity of his existence.

This researcher and writer of our country further emphasized the importance of the link between knowledge and memory by referring to ancient Greek myths and thought and said: to understand some concepts of Greek philosophy, one should pay attention to their mythological and spiritual background. In this tradition, knowledge does not always mean gathering information or acquiring new knowledge, in its modern sense; Sometimes knowing means remembering and recognizing the truth that we had a relationship with before.

Referring to the concept of "muses" and their connection with memory in Greek mythology, Mollasalehi explained: In Greek mythology, memory and remembrance have a fundamental place and are connected with poetry, music and cultural creation. This connection shows that remembering is not just a mental and individual function, but can be related to the experience of beauty, artistic creation and the revelation of truth.

He added: In such a horizon, poetry and music are not just entertainment or forms of artistic production; They can take a person beyond the level of everyday habits and allow them to reconnect with the deeper layers of being. For this reason, in spiritual traditions, music, poetry and memorial rituals have had a special place.

Spirit and truth beyond material life

Referring to the concept of the soul and its relationship with a truth beyond material life, this university professor stated: In philosophical and spiritual traditions, there is talk of a truth that connects man to a source beyond his material and historical situation. In this view, man is not just a creature that lives within the limits of physical needs and mental calculations; In his existence, there is also the possibility of experiencing meaning, beauty, greatness and truth.

Referring to the content of some of Rumi's poems about food for the soul and benefiting from a truth beyond physical needs, the member of the board of trustees of Iranology Foundation said: Just as the body needs food, the human soul also needs some kind of spiritual nourishment. If a person's life is limited only to material needs and fleeting pleasures, it is possible to ignore his deeper needs. The main issue is not the negation of physical needs, but rather paying attention to the fact that all dimensions of human existence cannot be explained by material needs.

Emphasizing the importance of silence, prayer and spiritual rituals, he continued: Some human experiences are possible to emerge when the noise of the mind and everyday language subsides. In this situation, a person can achieve a layer of experience that is less likely to occur in normal speech and among the multitude of thoughts.

Referring to the place of "silence" in spiritual traditions, Mullasalahi stated: silence in this sense is not simply not speaking, but can be a context for listening and understanding; An opportunity for a person to distance himself from the continuous accumulation of thoughts and pay attention to what is present in the depths of his being. In such an experience, speech can also acquire a different quality and go beyond the level of normal speech.

Referring to religious rituals and their role in remembering, he added: Many religious rituals can be understood from this point of view. They remind a person of a truth that he may neglect in his daily life. Fasting, prayer and remembrance, in this view, are not only a set of outward acts, but can be an opportunity to review the relationship between man and himself, the world and the truth.

In the Greek school of philosophy, reaching the truth is accompanied by a kind of forgetting

Referring to the concept of truth in the Greek language and its philosophical interpretation, this university professor said: In some philosophical readings, the concept of truth is related to the issue of forgetting and revealing. The importance of this perception is that the truth is not considered only in the sense of the conformity of a proposition with reality, but it can be understood in connection with coming out of neglect and revealing something that was previously hidden.

Mullasaleh added: From this point of view, reaching the truth is associated with a kind of liberation from oblivion; It is as if a person has to remember what is hidden among the habits, relationships and forms of daily life. In the Persian language, words and expressions related to memory and learning provide a basis for reflection on the link between learning and remembering; However, this connection should be examined according to linguistic and historical differences.

Referring to the role of memory in culture and artistic creation, he clarified: poetry, music and art can be the custodians of experiences that are not easily expressed in conceptual language and everyday reasoning. Sometimes, before being able to define beauty or greatness, a person experiences it. This experience shows that not all human perceptions go through conceptual definition and reasoning.

Mullasalahi continued: before formulating a concept theoretically, a person may find out his relationship with it in a direct experience. For example, experiencing beauty, mercy, or greatness does not necessarily begin with defining them. In such cases, conceptual formulation can be formed after experience; Therefore, one should not limit the full capacity of human cognition to what he can express in the form of propositions and arguments.

Emphasizing the importance of self-forgetfulness in some spiritual traditions, this university professor said: In addition to the forgetfulness that takes a person away from the truth of his existence, we can also talk about a kind of liberation from the limited and everyday self. In order to reach a deeper presence, man sometimes has to distance himself from the constant preoccupation with desires, calculations and the image he has made of himself.

Philosophical forgetfulness leads to the passing of self-centeredness

He added: This self-forgetfulness does not mean the destruction of identity or ignoring individual responsibilities, but it means overcoming self-centeredness and opening a broader horizon of experience. A horizon in which man is not limited to his individual wishes and considerations and it is possible to find out his relationship with a truth beyond himself.

Referring to the relationship between natural and learned experiences in human life, Mullasaleh stated: All that man knows or does is not the result of direct education and reasoning awareness. An important part of human life is based on abilities and mechanisms that operate without conscious decisions and direct orders of the mind. In addition to these capacities, human beings have abilities to experience and receive, which are related to beauty, greatness and sense of meaning.

He emphasized: It is important not to reduce man to a calculating and thinking creature. In spiritual and philosophical traditions, other dimensions of human existence have also been considered; Dimensions that are related to mention, presence, intuition and recall.

Referring to the position of "Zikr" in Rumi's thought, this university professor said: "Zikr" should not be considered as only the verbal repetition of a phrase. Remembrance can take a person out of mental distraction and constant preoccupation with everyday thoughts and provide the context for deeper presence and attention. In this sense, dhikr is not just a mental activity, but a way of being and establishing a relationship with the truth.

Comparing this view with the image of man in the new era, Mollasalhi stated: In the new world, man is often defined based on rationality, thought and the ability to calculate; But in many philosophical and spiritual traditions, human truth is not limited to these dimensions. In these traditions, there is talk of an order that goes beyond conceptual thought and is revealed in the experience of presence, silence, and remembrance.

Referring to the story of Chinese and Greek painting in the Masnavi, he pointed out the difference between representation and receiving the truth and said: In some narratives, what is important is not just the accumulation of images and roles, but the quality of mirroring and the ability to reflect. The clearer the mirror of human existence is from darkness and obstacles, the more the possibility of receiving and reflecting the truth in it. This theme can be related to mysticism's emphasis on the purity of the heart and the role of dhikr in enlightening the inner human being.

At the end, by returning to Rumi's themes about the relationship between thought and remembrance, Mulla Salehi emphasized the necessity of re-paying attention to remembrance in contemporary life. From his point of view, in order to get rid of fragmentation and existential pressures, today's human being needs to give a place to silence, remembrance, experiencing beauty and recognizing the truth of his existence in addition to thinking and calculation; Because human life is not only organized by increasing information and expanding possibilities, but also requires establishing a meaningful relationship with the truth.