Page 11 - The Debased Culture of Superficiality

Harun Yahya - Adnan Oktar 9

behavior of a superficial person who thinks too little, if at all.
Muslims have nobility of spirit, high personal qualities and a
deep understanding, whereas superficial individuals are
debased by the weakness of their character.
Superficiality—an aberration in behavior, thinking and
speaking—stems from a basic inner poverty that, for some
individuals, becomes a way of life. But when we speak of
superficiality, we must not get the wrong impression.
Natural, unpremeditated behavior is not superficial; being
natural has its own appealing beauty and integrity.
Therefore, avoiding superficiality does not mean restricting
spontaneity. Superficiality is quite something different; it
comes not from the natural expression of intimacy but from
a closed consciousness that remains unaware of compulsive,
negative, and trivial behavior that goes against religious
morality. In ignorant societies, some individuals think that
avoiding superficiality entails a false show of sobriety and
dignity. But these individuals have another behavioral aber-
ration at least as false and compulsive as superficiality; they
think that dignity requires coolness, officiousness, haughti-
ness and artificial refinement in behavior. However, the way
to avoid superficiality is not through false dignity, but only
through the moral teachings of the Qur’an.
Many people see superficiality as an inevitable fact of life.
Regarding it as normal, they are not made uncomfortable by
either their own or others’ behavior in this regard. On the
contrary, they urge this unseemly behavior on one another
and feel obliged to practice the same superficial behavior that
everyone else does. So conditioned are they in this regard