Friday, March 18, 2011

Wishing a Happier New Year

Another new year, stuck in loneliness. Half of the family is in Iran, the country that has now become forbidden for me. Another half in America, the country that is too far to travel to when on a time-budget. Well, who says being busy is bad? It keeps the mind off of a lot of things; off of Iran; off of loneliness; off of the fact that I did not do spring-cleaning; that I decided against having a party. Last year, I kicked myself and did all that I had to do. I even cooked my famous soup (here's a picture of what that soup is, from 4 years ago).

This year, I am not going to anything but set a table, with cookies mother brought for me from Iran last year, with a tiny plate of wheat sprouts I bought for 2 Euros; the narcissus flowers I cut from a friend's house; and a pudding called Samanu, made of germinating wheat. It is apparently imported from Iran; and is reportedly a delicious brand. But, I have always hated Samanu, so I am not going to try.

I will also wear a new piece of clothing; I have an Indian silk shawl that I bought last year and never wore. If the weather is nice, I am going to wear this magenta/ruby/black piece of art and take my camera on a stroll on Thames, wishing for a streak of sun and little rain.

My only resolutions for the new year is to be a better friend and see as many old ones and make as many new friends as I can.

Prayers are for the believers, and I am not one. I am not a particularly wishful person either. In general, my faith in order and structure is more than in entropy. Entropies can cause miraculous growth but I think the disastrous probabilities dominate. Therefore, I cannot "wish" that Iran will become a heaven of respect and humanity next year.

There is a long way to go and a lot of infrastructure to set before building a different order in Iran. The old order, until it becomes entirely dysfunctional shall go on; just as it has been going on for at least 3000 years that our history is Occident-documented.

But I do wish for more dialogue, more understanding and more foresight to develop out of the order of things.

The order of things commands that leaders in Iran take a look at what is happening in the region, all those anti-state revolutions, and will see themselves in the mirror of the dictators who are affronted by their people.

The order of things commands that all of us pause on a moment of reflection and learn lessons that nature has just recently taught: that man, even the uberJapanese one, is helpless before the nature; and that our interventions in nature should perhaps not touch the nuclear cores of the maters of which life is made.

What makes our Persian New Year, Nowrooz, sacred to me is that it begins with spring; that it is tied to nature, to the sun and to the earth, and depends on the mercy of the galactic forces that keep the earth and the sun in an order that makes our humanly being possible. May this metaphore inspire all of us to keep a balanced order of things, as our lives spin and revolve.

Happy 1390!

7 comments:

Debashish Bose said...

Happy 1390!

am going home. In large part of India its going to be a new year as well, and all over India we celebrate the festival of Spring/colour :- Holi.

I have never been a religious person and was always afraid of crowds and gatherings. I earlier used to hate people but now I appreciate their sense and ability to live life and celebrate it.

The spring has come!

Thanks for this :-

What makes our Persian New Year, Nowrooz, sacred to me is that it begins with spring; that it is tied to nature, to the sun and to the earth,

we forget that so often:- and get burried in our mental construct.

may you feel the warmth of the sun and love of mother earth as you go out on your walk by the river

Your Indian friend

Vagabond

Gene said...

Best wishes, Naj!

Naj said...

thank you Vagabond. Happy to know Spring is celebrated in large part of India. Please tell me more. And happy new year to you too.

Gene, happy to see you and thanks for your kind message. Happy spring!

adrian valdes said...

Hi, I am a cuban. Pretty interested in the culture of Persia. Hope your nation could be free sooner or later from all the crazy theocratic stuff. Courage!

nunya said...

Hey

goatman said...

I am trying to talk my doctor, Ali Khojesteh to take me to Isfahon to see the beautiful mosques.

He came here after the '79 revolution and is waiting for the next one, in order to return.

Do you suppose two older fellows, one a Doctor, one an Engineer would be allowed to wander around Iran freely these days?

goatman said...

Guess giving names is a bad idea.

Just not used to the secrecy.