"The Key to Our Inner Treasure..."

"... is our suffering."

This is a rough translation of an ancient Iranian saying. In Farsi, it goes like this: "kilide ganje adam, ranje adam-e".

Embrace your suffering. Hold it in your arms, look at it with curiousity instead of regret. It may very well be a potion for a new you. When taken into your heart without resistance, suffering can transform into something refreshing... ultimately, something glorious even...

... even though it stings at first (and maybe for a while).

American and Iranian Unite With Message for Peace

The more my vacation in Iran unfolds, the more furious I become about America's bellicose stance of "taking action" against Iran.

It seems that the rhetoric from Washington is completely devoid of any sense of the sanctity of daily life here in Iran, where the people are living as dignified lives as any American in the U.S.. Iran is a proud nation with a rich and tumultous history, struggling to give birth to a higher ideal of itself where democracy, rule of law, and civil society finally take the upper hand. A large segment of the people are themselves tired of the present theocracy, and are open to change.

But only change from within!

We do not need America to come in with soldiers to "bring us democracy" like they claim to have tried to do with Iraq, or to bomb our nuclear reactors (while America herself has thousands of nuclear bombs}, even when the Iranian government is cooperating with the IAEA (against a backdrop of utter disrespect and hubris from the current U.S. administration). American interference in Iranian affairs is to no one's benefit and the desires of the current American administration go flat against the noble principles of America's respectable Founding Fathers.

Fortunately, more and more Americans are waking up and taking action for peace with Iran.

One of them is Leslie Angeline, from the American women's peace group Codepink. She recently went on a trip to Iran and says that she "fell in love" with the people.

Iranians are also taking pro-active steps for dialogue and peace between Iran and America. One of them is Ali Nasri, from the Iranian peace group Miles for Peace, a campaign of cyclists who have ridden across Europe and the U.S. with a message of peace from the Iranian people.

I recommend to everyone who is interested in peace between the two great nations of America and Iran to watch this interview with these two courageous individuals who are working hard to form bridges of dialogue and mutual understanding between their respective nations.

Kudos to Ali and Leslie!

The Wise Esfehani Taxi Driver

(As I am writing this post fast due to limited time at a hotel Internet cafe, please forgive any spelling errors)

This morning, me and my family took off from Tehran Airport at 7am toward Esfahan.

The flight was pleasant and the pilot was very cool (before take-off he said "Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, just relax, and let us fly up high into God's sky"... the prose was very poetic in Farsi, and had no intonation of religious forcefulness).

When we arrived in Esfehan, we took a taxi (an Iran Khodro Samand) toward the City Centre.

My father sat in the front passenger seat, with me, my mother and my sister sitting in the backseat. Father started talking to the driver, and they entered a conversation. It was a pleasure hearing their conversation about Esfehan and the state of Iran, not least because of the peculiar and rather sweet Esfehani accent.

I am very curious about Iran. I am especially interested in why such an ancient nation with such great wisdom borne throughout the ages and contemporary high-achieving people (at home and abroad), has chosen an autocratic regime that most Iranians themselves are not pleased with (one proof of that is President Khatami's overwhelming popularity prior to Ahmadinejad).

So I asked the driver: "I would like to ask you a very general question and I know that it may not be easy to answer: what do you think about the current Iranian regime?".

He answered (and I will highlight the main points of his response): "the current government is kind of like a mafia... especially economically... we Iranians are a wonderful people, the warmth and sense of humanity we have is unparalleled... during the Iran-Iraq war we treated our POWs with unparalleled respect (this is verified), we passed an important test as a nation... Iran is a wealthy nation... the people are most capable... but our current government is taking advantage of its own people."

Then I asked: "what do you think about Khatami?" Khatami represents a period of reform and movement away from autocracy toward democracy, rule of law and greater individual liberty.

He said: "Khatami was a great man... he brought dignity and pride to Iran, and worked at restoring our reputation within the international community... but Ahmadinejad has destroyed all the hard work that Khatami did."

I asked him a final question: "well, why do you think the autocratic mullah regime has been able to maintain power for so long?"

He answered (and his last sentence finished exactly as soon as we arrived at the hotel!): "no government can stay in power without the support of the people... so a segment of Iranians are supporting them, and that is simple why they are still in power."

Even though the time I had with him was short, I really liked this man's realistic perception of Iran. It is the people that ultimately uphold leaders in their political positions. When people are unaware of their power, then it will seem as if they have no power.

Next question I have (but didn't have time to ask him): why do the people support a theocratic government in a country where a substantial portion of the population (including many of the youth baby boomers born after the revolution) aspire toward democracy, separation of religion and state, free enterprise, the rule of law, and equal rights for men and women?

I am not yet sure about the answer to this complex question. However, my personal opinion beyond this question is that Iran is evolving... it is in process... it is moving - slowly but surely -towards its glorious destiny (where spiritually is ingrained in the fabric of society, yet not forced upon anyone). There are dark depths to move through before reaching blessed shores.

(Note to self: next time, I will get email addresses from interesting Iranians I meet on the way)

First Impressions of Tehran

I am now in Tehran, Iran.

It is my second day. I slept most of the day yesterday, and spent the evening being with my cousins whom I hadn't met in 24 years. The connections were made instantly, and I had a lot of fun.

I also met my near-90 year old former-colonel, good-looking grand father. I will write more about this interesting man in future posts.

What has struck me so far is the warmth of family, the wonderful taste of the food, the modernity of Tehran, and the heat of summer. One can also see just by looking around that this is a country under embargo, even though in general, the standard of living is quite high. Among my relatives (which are part of the upper-middle class), the standard of living is on par with middle class Western living (first-hand cars, nice condos, AC, really good food, good clothes, mobile phones with SMS, DSL Internet connections...).

However, I'm sure that for many in Tehran, life is a struggle in a way that I personally have not experienced.

Now, I am heading out for a ride on the Tehran Metro with my mum, sister, grandmother, and aunt... towards the city's grand baazaar.

Thoughts Before Visiting Iran for "First" Time

Tomorrow, on July 8th, I am flying to Tehran with my mother, father, and sister.

It is the first time that I will visit my country of birth since I was two years old.

Right now, as I write this, I do not have strong feelings for Iran herself. I have no memories of the land.

However, I do know that I have deep reverence for the finer aspects of Iranian culture. And I love those Iranian people who embody these finer aspects. The more time I spend with my Iranian friends, and with my family (immediate and extended), the more gratitude I feel for the warmth, passion, intelligence, creativity and liveliness of the Iranian people.

I am the type of person who chooses friends irregardless of ethnicity. I look upon the merit of the individual. However, this does not mean that I do not sometimes feel a special "thing" for the Iranian "vibe". I am sure people of all cultures feel the same (except maybe those with inferiority complexes). To claim otherwise is dishonest.

I will make an effort to write about my experiences in Iran (hopefully Internet access will not be a hinder). I will write about the good and the not-so-good that I encounter...

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It is when we let go... that the door can open...

While clinging to the door handle, it is impossible for the door to swing open...