Review of the article “Laborers of thought, building the future”

I have read thought-provoking article written by Fethullah Gulen for 99 Issue of the bi-monthly magazine of scientific and spiritual thought the Fountain. The title of the article is “Laborers of thought, building the future” and it is dedicated to the prototype of the ‘ideal’ generation of people who are capable to shape the future and next generations by their benevolent and selfless ideas. This beautifully and clearly written article should be read attentively, since it gives motivation and strategy, or a recipe if you will, to become of those brilliant individuals who brighten up the future with their dedication to humanity and spiritual elevation.

In this article Gulen describes the characteristics of people who are referred to as the “laborers of thought” or “elevated generation”. These people produce what the universe needs the most – ideas and thoughts which enlighten the humanity and bring in the light of faith in hearts of people. “The way they think and reason will redesign the world, and their messages will brighten the future,” writes Fethullah Gulen about these people.

The main characteristics of these people are patience, open-mindedness, justice, kindness, determination, modesty, but the most important – strong connection and faith in God.

Regarding the characteristic of patience of “laborers of thought” Gulen writes the following: “They will know to wait when they need to wait, and they will know to act when they need to act. At times, they will come down on the earth like lightning. Yet, at other times, they will know to avoid violent storms and wait for the season of clear breezes.” All actions of these people are carefully measured and weighted, so that they know the best timing of everything they do for the service of humanity.

As for being open-minded, Gulen describes the following: “They see no harm in relating to any idea or school of thought. But the direction of their hearts is immutably fixed on their own foundation of faith.” This means that these people are open to all schools of thought if only these schools do not fail to relate to their faith.

Another characteristic is that these people are kind, yet they never tolerate injustice in any way. “Their blessed atmosphere is free of the wantonness of the cruel and the wailings of the downtrodden,” – Fethullah Gulen says. These people serve as a connection between their communities and the divine truth, and even though malevolent individuals try to break this connection sometimes, they are not scared and intimidated by the persecution and evil deeds of their opponents. They prefer to counter the evil for the sake of pleasing the Almighty.

The most important characteristic of these people is eternal faith in divine power. The spiritual bound with God Almighty represents values and moral cannons which serve as the main guidelines for their service to humanity because they not only inspire “the laborers of thought” for the good actions, but also prevent them from asking anything in return from the people who have been helped. “They will never become beggars who seek reciprocation in return for the deeds they perform for the sake of their people. For them, beggary is to be abhorred, even if they are in utter need. For begging would mean doing what they despise most - receiving double of what they gave to their people.”

These people always remain humble and modest and never carry the seeds of pride and arrogance for their deeds. “They are never spoilt by their own achievements, grand as those achievements may be, or by the respectful ranks others ascribe to them. When the time comes that their names are heard everywhere and their reputation knows no limit, they will remain the same modest and unpretentious individuals they were when they first assumed the sacred duty. This modesty and this unpretentiousness will be embroidered with nobility and dignity,” writes Gulen as he concludes describing the characteristics of elevated individuals who have the capacity to save the humanity.

In conclusion, Gulen writes that the generation of these “laborers of thought” is about to appear on our horizon soon. The world needs these people, and everybody from us can become of them if we only strive to purify ourselves and shape our character accordingly.