In Defense of A Nation

Once upon a time there was a great emperor governing a great nation. There were poetry and art and hospitality and faith.

Now that nation is divided with several political borders. Perhaps the most central and largest border is called Iran today.

Today Iran is still thriving with heart filled poetries and soul touching movies and beautiful arts. Yet there are politics and greed and corruption and pollution too. Then there are other foreign politics who feed off of what's going not fully to their political tastes.

It aches my heart when the nominated Vice Presidebt at Democratic National Convention calls the harsh sanctions against Iran as a triumphant glory along with the constant mermer of several congress members who too, for whatever reason, take the harsh criricisms against the Iran Deal. It proves to me how much they don't know. How selfishly and narrow mindedly they think. How forgetful they are toward the history they built and we all built together.

From experience I must say: sanctions kill hope.

Sanctions destroy trust. 

Sanctions divide. 

Sanctions deepen the poverty and greed at the same time.

Sanctions, to me, are sucking out the blood from a nation and leaving them a weak prey for the vultures of global greed.

It doesn't change anything for good, if indeed that's their goal, which I highly doubt by now; because they too must have seen what I saw.

Iran has been destroyed time and time again. Romans. Greek. Arabs. Moguls. Americans. Iraqis.  I wished by now the maturity in humanity would have made a difference.

Alas.

I take my refuge in timeless Persian Poetry of Hafez-E Shirazi:

"Hafez! Since both the sorrow and the joy of this world are transitory

I better keep my spirit high!"

حافظا چون غم و شادى جهان در گذر است

بهتر آنست كه من خاطر خود خوش دارم

And the beautiful hopeful words of our beloved Molana which I try my best to translate from Persian:

"Verily! Don't be disappointed if the Beloved pushes you away

If He pushes you away today won't He call you tomorrow?

And would He shut the door at you, don't leave, wait there

Because of your pacience He will put you on high

And if He closes all the doors and passages for you

He will show you a different way which no one knows about"

هله نوميد نباشى كه تو را يار براند

اگر امروز براند نه كه فردات بخواند

در اگر بر تو ببندد مرو و صبر كن آنجا

ز پس صبر تو را او به سر صدر نشاند

و اگر بر تو ببندد همه ره ها و گذرها

ره ديگر بنمايد كه كس آن راه نداند

Peace! Love! Humanity!