Inspirations
Alexander meets Diogenes
This painting by Gaspar de Crayer is like a snapshot of an epic meeting between two very different people. On one side, we have Alexander the Great, who was super rich and powerful, but always wanted more. He's like the ultimate overachiever! On the other side, there's Diogenes, who was broke but happy. He didn't want any fancy stuff – to him, owning things was just a big hassle.
So, when Alexander, the guy who conquered the world, asked Diogenes if he wanted anything, Diogenes had the best comeback ever. He said, "Stand a little less between me and the sun." It's like he was saying, "Dude, you're blocking my sunlight. That's all I need, so could you just move a bit?"
Having a copy of this painting on your wall is like a daily reminder that sometimes, less is more. It's a funny way to remember that true happiness doesn't come from having a ton of stuff, but from appreciating the simple things in life, like a nice sunny spot to relax in. It's like having a little piece of ancient wisdom right in your room!
Music of the Spheres
Bilkent Music Faculty is like my happy place on campus – it's a magical spot where I can open a window to the starry sky over Ankara and get lost in the heavenly sounds of musical instruments. It's like a cosmic concert for my senses!One day, I realized that listening to music and stargazing were tickling the same part of my brain. It was like discovering a secret connection between music and astronomy. I got so excited that I shared this idea with my awesome professor, Prof. Dr. Gökçe Altay Artar. She told me about a book called 'Music of the Spheres,' and I raced to the Bilkent Library to find it. When I opened the first page, this cool drawing greeted me like an old friend.
Music of the Spheres (Music of Spheres/Musica Universalis): It is an ancient philosophical concept based on the idea that the universe is arranged with numbers that show harmony, which considers the proportions in the movements of celestial bodies as a harmonious form of music that cannot be heard by the human ear.
A short transcript from the video above:
“The latest version of String Theory is called M-Theory, “M” for membrane. So the subatomic particles we see in nature, the quartz, the electrons are nothing but musical notes on a tiny vibrating string. What is physics? Physics is nothing but the laws of harmony that you can write on vibrating strings. What is chemistry? Chemistry is nothing but the melodies you can play on interacting vibrating strings. What is the universe? The universe is a symphony of vibrating strings. And then what is the mind of God that Albert Einstein eloquently wrote about for the last 30 years of his life? We now, for the first time in history have a candidate for the mind of God. It is, cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace. So first of all, we are nothing but melodies. We are nothing but cosmic music played out on vibrating strings and membranes. Obeying the laws of physics, which is nothing but the laws of harmony of vibrating strings.”
Michio Kaku, 21st century A.C.
Hussein Aga was an old Turk, a neighbour of ours. Very old, very poor, no wife, no children, completely alone. At night used to come in to see us, sit in the yard with my grandmother and a few other old women, and knit socks. He was a saintly man. One day he took me on his knee and placed his hand on my head as though he was giving me his blessing. “Alexis,” he said, “I’m going to tell you a secret. You’re too small to understand now, but you’ll understand when you are bigger. Listen, little one: neither the seven storeys of heaven nor the seven storeys of the earth are enough to contain God; but a man’s
heart can contain him. So be very careful, Alexis – and may my blessing go with you – never to wound a man’s heart!”
Zorba The Greek / Nikos Kazantzakis
Komşumuz ihtiyar bir Türk olan Hüseyin Ağa çok yoksuldu, hanımı, çocukları da yoktu. Akşam eve geldi mi, avluda diğer ihtiyarlarla oturur, çorap örerdi. Ermiş bir adamdı Hüseyin Ağa. Bir gün beni dizlerine aldı; hayır duası eder gibi elini başıma koydu; “Aleksi” dedi, “Bak sana bir şey söyleyeceğim, küçük olduğun için anlamayacaksın, büyüyünce anlarsın. Dinle oğlum, Tanrı’yı yedi kat gökler ve yedi kat yerler almaz; ama insanın kalbi alır, onun için aklını başına topla Aleksi, hiçbir zaman insan yüreğini yaralama.”
Zorba / Nikos Kazancakis
Pale Blue Dot
"Pale Blue Dot" is a famous photograph of Earth taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft in 1990. The image was captured at the request of astronomer Carl Sagan, who also wrote a book titled "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space."
In the photograph, Earth appears as a tiny, almost imperceptible blue speck against the vastness of space. The image was taken from a distance of about 6 billion kilometers (3.7 billion miles) as Voyager 1 was leaving our solar system.
Carl Sagan's reflections on this image emphasize the fragility and insignificance of our planet in the grand scheme of the universe. He used the photograph as a starting point to discuss the need for humans to cherish and protect our "pale blue dot," the only home we have ever known.
In his book, Sagan also explores the future of humanity in space and the search for extraterrestrial life. The "Pale Blue Dot" concept has since become a symbol for environmental conservation, humility, and the importance of a cosmic perspective.
Here's a famous quote from Sagan's reflection on the image:
"Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives."