Can it be the reason?

After the “ Land of No Lands” I got some e-mails with different opinions mainly telling me that I am not alone in how I feel. One big reason was stated to be the lack of unity among Persian community. So, it made me think why aren’t we united? What you read is just a theory. Basically I am just thinking loud and nothing is written in stone for me so feel free to share your views!

Now, everybody tells me we should reunite, we should look at the Hispanic and Jewish community and see how unified they act to protect each of their civil and social rights. They tell me the pain comes from lack of this unity. At school they thought me to look at problems “systematically” to find an “ engineering” solution. So, what does it translate for an engineer side of me with a screwdriver in hand to start working on? Simply we need an action item as straight forward as this command: go and loosen the screws of this society to put an end to this story! But things are not that easy! My system mind comes out and more strongly puts this question in front of my bewildered eyes: Why there should be a need for an action item? Why aren’t we united? If we cannot find the answer to this question, you will be writing action items with failing results till the dooms day!

And this is what I do not see in all that they told me. They told me how they feel, how they suffer, what we should do but no body told me what the reason could be. I sit back and think about my dear Persian culture in form of a smiling sunny lady (Khorshid Khanoom) smiling at me from across the room.

It occurs to me that this lack of unity is due to the duality concept that our ancestors pioneered for us and we have been carrying it with us all these centuries long. Look at the first official religion that we exercised those days: Zoroastrianism. The foundation of this religion was duality: never-ending war between Ahora and Ahreman. No offense to this religion, I am just trying to picture how this concept is tied with our culture historically.”(The time of Persian /Iranian History shows that it dates back to 261 AD)(1) “Allame Iqbal expressed that Iranian thought unfolded according to a definite and logical pattern, with certain underlying patterns shaping its development from its earliest phases in Zoroastrianism- duality of light and darkness, for example.”(2)

It has started at that time but has been in no way limited to a religious philosophy. It has grown its roots deep within other aspects. To give an everyday example:” This concept of duality is typically Persian, and it extends beyond moral issues. We often balance light and darkness, sweet and sour, hot and cold. For us, food is also classified as "hot" (garmi), which thickens the blood and speeds the metabolism, and "cold" (sardi), which dilutes the blood and slows the metabolism. Dates, figs, and grapes, for example, are hot fruits; plums, peaches, and oranges are cold.”(3)

At my era, this translated to what I call: “self censorship”. I was always thought to have a dual personality. It started when I was sent to school with this big note in my forehead that what I hear/see at home is different from what I should repeat at school, that if they ask me at school I should say that my mum wears scarf at home when we have guests, that when we have parties, men and women are in separate rooms. I was confused at my childhood world for some time till I figured out yes, at home you have a different life than what you show at school. Later when I want deeper inside the pupils of my friends I saw the same concept is flowing like a wild river in each life. It was the result of the revolution at that time that a certain generation of middle class educated families to the best of my knowledge were adopting themselves to it. It grew up with me, with all the generation and then I learned that traditions in our society have been imposing that duality more strongly than the revolution all these years. When that girl next door was would take out her chador out of the school bag with shaking hands and wear it in an alley next to her home in fear of her father catching her without it. She would not wear it during day, as she does not like it. When I heard by my ears the lies that was being transmitted to faraway parents. Yes, then I learned that this duality has been stronger than revolution, it is more deeply rooted than I could imagine in Iran. A brilliant example can be the coincidence of religious Islamic ceremonies like “Ashoora” with the Iranian New Year: “Norooz”. People really get confused should we be happy and celebrate or sit and cry?

Then came my coming to Los Angeles, same story is what I am facing, people with new faces and old minds are propagating this dual personality every day. Still youngsters hide their lives from their parents who use the latest technology in the service of the oldest fashion thinking, still any girl is a unique virtue that wants each boy to know that he is the thousandth hero to ask for her hand but the first one to touch it … and my list goes on.

When a creature lacks personal solidarity and integrity, he gets caught in a vicious loop that consumes his time and energy. This way he will not simply have the chance and energy of seeking solidarity at a higher level. He will get trapped in the load of his dual character on his daily affairs. Just as an example: You feel in tune with people that share the same feelings and interests as you do so if you are wearing a mask all the time, how can you know what your real interests are and who are the people to share them with?

Please feel relaxed. I have an engineer here inside me. That is right but I was no way capable of putting a detective electronic eye in this piece to track the movements of your face muscles as you remember all those moments. Just lay back and think how true you think it is, how much of it have you experienced and one last question:

“Can this be the reason?”

That is what my engineer side asked. You know, it has been quiet all this time playing with the screwdriver and listening to this long story of system mind. Now have you got any screws for this engineer to turn?

Come on. It is waiting!

Katayoon Hadizadeh

Los Angeles

20^th October 2002

References:

(1) http://www.on-the-matrix.com/mideast/IranTimeline.htm

(2) Allamah Iqbal’s First Book,A Lecture at Lahore College for Women on the Occasion of Iqbal Day, 2000 by John Walbridge, http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~bahai/notes/vol5/iqbalmet.htm

(3) New Food of Life by Najimeh Bhatmangliji, http://www.mage.com/cooking/UFLbody.html