We can change
Exploring the tolerance of change

May 9, 2007
iranian.com

According to the theory of Charles Darwin, creatures, animals and humans have changed during the past tens of thousands of years due to change in weather and living conditions. This thought is inherent to the evolution theory. We all change. The ability to change in order to cope with external conditions is what one could call a survival mechanism. Those who change, knowingly or unknowingly, have better chances at living a longer and healthier life.

Within this set of ideas, change is always for the good. Those who change, become happier people. Thus, the ability to change should be seen as a virtue, a gift or a talent. The ability to change on the other hand also has proven to be a phenomenon not many of us have learned to appreciate. For some reason we can't let go of our past. "Who was she before she changed?" "What did he used to do before he changed into his current him?"

As much as we don't like living in the past, we can't seem to live without it either. We find ourselves digging into histories dirt. Looking for some evidence that we one day weren't as "good" as we are today. In this quest we must remember that change is inherent to humanity and that we can move on and forgive our own past life flaws.

This notion of forgiving our past and believing in our ability to change is in my opinion the only way of improving our quality of life. No matter where we live, no matter how old we are and no matter what regime rules our country. We can change.

Previously, I stated that the ability to change is a survival mechanism. I saw this survival mechanism being used by millions of people. The people of Iran, after the fall of the Pahlavi dynasty changed slowly, so that they could survive. Not all changed unknowingly. Some changed and believed that the change in them was because of some higher purpose, but even their change was a good change for them. The basiji's, the shahid's, the chadori's, they had changed into what they were and thought this change to be divine. In reality, it was their only escape from poverty and social exclusion.

But what we see now, is that change is never ending. Even those who during the Islamic Revolution kissed Ayatollah Khomeini's image on television, have changed into Westernized, agnostic and liberal persons. As mentioned before, change is a survival mechanism and those who will not change, or refuse the change of others are the losers of the game.

I applaud change. I forgive whatever shape the past had and look forward. We all change. So does Akbar Ganji (former cultural attaché of the Islamic Republic of Iran and current Islamic liberal democrat), so does Masoud Dehnamaki (former extremist revolutionary who beat up students in 1999- "18 Tir" and current film director of the movie "Ekhrajiha") and so will all former proponents of the Islamic Republic of Iran when they will see that supporting this regime goes against their own future survival mechanism. Let's not blame each other for our past and move on to a better future. Comment

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