8th of March

The International Women’s Day. Some pictures of protests that might have turned violent via here.

It is hard being an Iranian. It is especially hard being a woman. Ours is a fundamentally intolerant milieu. Part and parcel of the culture as it exists today. Sadly, it remains the land of avarice, brutality, obscene expectations and plunges, false hopes and disappointments, insults, and mindless abuse. Not too different from other places, mind you. Just a tad more pronounced in manifestations!

None of us let each other be, ever.

I don’t know if it is going to get better any time soon. But I have my hopes.

And the patriarchal authoritarianism, highly polarized nature of our society and all the inevitable partisanship make it even more difficult to lucidly—without equivocation, or qualification—express fundamental respect.

Respect for an-other’s existence. In that ancient simple sense of the term, standing out.

So, it often becomes difficult to fully acknowledge another’s voice as she strives to make herself heard. Risks of distorting, and missing the significant ripples!

But lucky for us, ours is also a milieu that consistently re-produces many individual voices that refuse their oubliettes. And the sooner our culture--each one of us--come to seriously grapple with this simple fact, the better our chances of helping bring about a more humane, civil, tolerable nation.

As partisans, of course, we find it difficult to practice what we preach. And all the strife and wars don’t make it any easier. It is a perpetual struggle.

Perhaps this is as good a time as any to simply do what I hope to be able to do at some ideal point in some imaginary future. Here then is my link for today:

An audacious woman, poet, loving mother, blogger, adoring daughter, nurse, concerned sister, responsible citizen, wife, activist, and one generally tireless, principled warrior.