THE IMPORTANCE OF SCIENTIFIC THINKING

The stunning image in the photo is of the YILDIZLI HOTEL, where the TV series “Bodrum Masalı” (Bodrum Tale) was filmed. First of all, I would like to express my endless gratitude to the invaluable actors and crew of Bodrum Masalı, and also to Yıldızlı Hotel, for their hospitality and warmth.

In Bodrum, I am together with parents, teachers, and educational consultants living abroad, as well as scientists working in the fields of genetics and biochemistry and conducting research on the microbiome, to manage a foundation project of a company with a chain of branches in Turkey.

During our conversations, I had the opportunity to discover, learn and develop the differences between the Turkish education and health system and the education and health system in the world, and most importantly, “applications”. The following dialogue took place between us:

“Mr. Uğur, in our own countries, we strive to educate our children to discover that ‘the greatest science is to continue being curious.’ The reason for the lack of curiosity in children and young people is not simply a deficiency in their brains. The problem lies in the fact that the education system is not structured in a way that will awaken curiosity in children. We have experienced similar problems to yours and learned through very painful experiences to value the aspects of our children’s existence.”

I felt I grew during this conversation, and I wanted to share it with you. This discovery led me to start thinking:

As human beings, we have been living on Earth for 200,000 years. However, psychological effects on children and adults, the labels of depression and hyperactivity that are attached to people with unscientific diagnoses, and especially the alarming increase in drug use have never been this high compared to the last 50 years.

Especially in our country…

This situation is causing serious harm not only to individual health but also to our family health, our education system, and our economy. Our children are getting bored with learning. Because every child gets bored and distracted in a classroom environment where there is an abundance of fragmented and low-quality information.

But something far more dangerous happens. Our future, our children, react psychologically and biologically to such an educational environment, an education system that is far removed from exploration…

Children are born with an innate potential for learning and exploration, but unfortunately, this inclination can easily be lost in the current education system. Children who are aware of their own level but are not allowed to express it are, in the current situation, being subjected to a system that dictates levels within the classroom.

So what happens if this level is above or below our children’s capabilities?

Our children cannot be motivated in class, cannot concentrate, get bored quickly, and become angry, weary, and frustrated. When this happens, certain control mechanisms, far removed from scientific approaches and thinking, immediately kick in. Unfortunately, parents, teachers, and doctors are also part of this control group.

Thanks to this team, our children are stigmatized as “attention deficit children” or “hyperactive children,” and unfortunately, are often given prescription drugs.

ARE OUR CHILDREN REALLY DIFFICULT TO CONCENTRATE?

Living conditions are changing rapidly. Greater challenges arise every day. While we strive to provide a better future for our children, they are exposed to hundreds of psychological, biological, and physiological factors beyond our control. According to scientific studies, the greatest danger among these factors is the rapidly increasing use of attention-enhancing drugs.

Our children are taking a great risk when they try to solve problems they have no interest or curiosity in with the help of medication. This is because research and findings show that long-term use of these medications does not improve memory and attention functions; on the contrary, it permanently weakens memory.

WHAT DO SCIENTIFIC STUDIES SHOW US? WHAT CAN WE ACHIEVE IF WE ENCOURAGE SCIENTIFIC THINKING?

If learning and self-awareness in children are focused on exploration within family life and education, changes occur in GABA (a neurotransmitter that affects human psychology) levels in the brain, stress hormones decrease, the brain releases dopamine, and our children become calmer, more confident, more successful, and happier individuals.

In this way, each of our children can realize their potential as a scientist, discover this potential, and realize it in their lives. In such an environment, no one will have the opportunity to label them as hyperactive children.

Türkiye’s bright future is built not on dogmas and philosophy, but on scientific thinking. I love the people of my country. I trust and believe in what the people of my country can achieve.

Acknowledgement Note:

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude, on behalf of all the children in the world, to the foundation’s administrators who, with their mission and the strength they carry in their hearts, are “volunteers” and value scientific thinking, for providing us with the environment to carry out this vital project and scientific discussions, and for their valuable staff who supported us from transportation to accommodation.

With my respect and regards…

Dr. Uğur Uğural (October 12, 2017)