Today I feel like dancing!
I lost what was left of my innocence when I began to pay attention to the political climate of our world shortly after 9-11-2001. Like most uninformed Americans, I believed the explanations of my government when they told me that the “terrorists from the Middle East” committed the atrocities of that day. Despite having had nothing but positive interactions with people from the Middle East in my life to that point (my first love was a beautiful Iranian boy) I became angry and afraid and looked to our government to protect us. And when our leader announced we were going to find and destroy the monsters he claimed did it, I put up an American flag in my yard for the first time.
I began to pay attention. I read and learned as first the Afghanistan and then the Iraq wars launched and raged. I saw the pictures of grief-stricken women in Iraq who’d lost their husbands and children—civilians all. The snapshots of young American boys lying in coffins. The photos of bloodied, dismembered children in Afghanistan. And I wept. For them..for us….for humanity. And I grew cold.
I became obsessive in my quest for understanding and the more I learned, the angrier I became. But not angry at the Iraqis or the Afghanis…not even so much at their governments. Instead, I became angrier and angrier at my own government because I finally realized how they have lied to us for so long that too many Americans believe what they’ve been told.
The Arab Spring, the Anonymous meme, the Occupation and worldwide protests last year gave me a glimmer of hope…but my anger and cynicism is rooted so deeply that I remained hopeless for our world. It has become a soul-sickness that affects me on a daily basis.
And then I stumbled across a new meme….begun by a visionary Israeli…an ordinary citizen not unlike most average civilians of any nation! A WONDEROUS webpage where lsraelis and Iranians are reaching out to one another in love and peace and respect.
IRANIANS….WE LOVE YOU.
ISRAELIS….WE LOVE YOU.
The last two days have been some of the happiest in years for me. I find myself dancing and laughing and smiling because FINALLY I HAVE HOPE FOR HUMANITY once again.
Thank you, my friends. Peace, joy, love and prosperity be yours now and always.
IRANIANS…ISRAELIS…AMERICANS LOVE YOU TOO.
Ranee in Pittsburgh, PA, USA
من تو را دوست دارم (I love you)
