In the 1930s, when the number and circulation of newspapers began to increase, British philosopher Bertrand Russell warned that forests would soon be depleted and argued that synthetic cellulose should be produced as an alternative to wood pulp, the raw material of paper (What I Believe, 1957, p. 112).
Toward the end of the 1970s, Necip Fazıl expressed disbelief in news about space shuttles docking in space. To support his skepticism, he cited certain English newspapers that claimed such docking events were fabricated. More importantly, he argued that once an object is launched into space and escapes Earth’s gravitational pull, it would travel infinitely in its own direction.
Long before the invention of mobile phones, the idea of video calling was imagined, yet no one believed it would ever truly be possible. The main question was: How could thousands of telephones be interconnected interactively over hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of kilometers of cables?
The common thread in all these examples is the inability—even among serious thinkers—to surpass the conditions of their time.
Russell, fearing the depletion of forests due to newspapers, proposed synthetic cellulose as a solution. He foresaw that if forests were destroyed, the planet would become uninhabitable. But how could it have ever crossed his mind that books and newspapers might one day be published without the need for paper?
Necip Fazıl, arguing that two spacecrafts could never meet in space, relied on Newtonian data from his own era. He chose to ignore the fact that Einstein and his followers had rendered Newton obsolete in many dimensions.
The reason video phones were deemed impossible was tied to a lack of answers about how such devices could be physically connected across vast distances. While even then it seemed technically conceivable, no one truly believed it could happen.
In each case, we see minds trapped by the technical limitations of their own time.
This is clearly not confined to the field of technology. The same vicious cycle is present in art and literature as well.
Yet, those in the world of thought and literature who manage to transcend the boundaries of their own era do not merely surpass their time—they often exceed the limits of future ages as well, reaching into our present.
All great technical inventions and artistic creations have stood the test of centuries precisely because they refused to be bound by the constraints of their time and succeeded in overcoming them.
However, transcending the conditions of one’s era is no easy task. Ordinary minds—the majority—do not dare to rise above their own age.
It takes daring, indeed. Those who possess the skill and strength to transcend the confines of their time are often condemned, ostracized, or even persecuted by the very society that cannot break free from those constraints. Overcoming them is no small feat…
One need not look far back in history. The era of the Prophet—the Age of Bliss—only 1400 years ago, provides enough evidence. The persecutions endured by the Companions are well known. There’s no need to remind anyone of the suffering inflicted by those who exclaimed, “How dare you invite us to abandon the religion of our ancestors?”
Likewise, in the world of art and literature, those who surpassed the limitations of their time were not readily accepted. They were mocked, ridiculed, or made to look foolish—but in the end, those who transcended their age are the ones who triumphed.
What I mean to say is this: Those who surrender to the conditions of their era perish along with it. But those who dare to rise above those conditions manage to outlive time itself.
If Necip Fazıl is still read today in poetry and thought, and if Russell is still remembered in philosophy, it is because they dared to transcend their age…
The key lies in overcoming the fear of failure—and refusing to surrender to it.
7/03/2021 – Rasim Ozdenoren
