Iran
On the first day of basketball practice in my one high school Iranian town, I lined up all the prospective team members to take free shots. One after another they closed their eyes and threw the ball in the general direction of the basket. When I instructed them to hold the ball a certain way and to aim just over the front rim, I was met with looks as if I were seriously retarded.
"If Allah wills it, the ball will go into the basket."
I suggested that they could help Allah. Over half of the players did not return for the second practice. I was very lucky not to have been thrown out of town.
Iran is very much in the news lately. As a Peace Corps volunteer I spent two years in modern Persia during the Shah's reign. I found Iranians to be anything but warlike. In fact they have not launched an aggressive war against a neighbor since 1785. In that same period of time we have been in over a dozen serious conflicts and many more minor adventures. In the fifty or so wars around the globe since the end of WWII, the US, in most cases, has sold weapons to one if not both sides. Do not get me wrong, I have served my country not only in the Peace Corps but in the Navy where I became a disabled veteran. I am just stating the facts as I see them. While I am not a conspiracy theorist, the invasion of Iraq and our Iranian saber rattling do not pass the smell test.
For an insight into the Iranian people, I suggest a fun read of my book "Landsberg's Law". You can read the first chapter free by going to www.selfpublishersplace.com and followng the links.
Labels: Iran, Muslim culture, Peace Corps
posted by Mark @ 10:55 PM
1 Comments:
dear mark i've never blogged before and so this ends my blogging virginity. Indeed the Iranians do not have a bellicose history but and yet they are capable of terror I do agree that both sides have been posturing and blustering. Sadly,all this endangers all of us. All of us meaning the globe Another sad aspect of this situation is that the United States and Iran are approaching their 30th anniversary of not speaking or having diplomatic relations with each other. Step one is to begin to end the diplomatic freeze and begin conversation and cultural exchanges. All those people sitting in washington wearing hats that say pundit or panjandaram need to know the following basics: #1 Iranians love to talk in fact they're poets by nature
#2 Their poetic nature permits and encourages pride in their culture and historic civilization
#3 They yearn to be the regional power reflected in their geographic strategic location and let us not forget the the United States of America, once upon atime, recognized , supported and endorsed Iran's regional significance. Remember CENTO?!
I do because I invited Dean Rusk for brunch. You may remember that story. Now, returning to my lost virginity who gets to read this and at what personal risk to me and my family?! We really need to organize a group of us RPCVs to go to Iran and talk and walk and sing and eat and reinvigorate the friendship and understanding tragicly lost I feel this very strongly and I know you do too. May your shadow never grow less your think is very big.
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