Common good
Instilling universal principles of behavior

January 19, 2006
iranian.com

I recently finished reading Alireza M.'s article "Where are our good girls?", addressing the questionable condition of Iranian men and women in the dating scene.

Besides being uneven, and dotted with grammatical errors, the essay makes the point that since religion, more specifically, Islam is rejected in one form or another by the majority of secular Iranians in the West, there's no other means to instill moral values into the children of Iranians living abroad.

The latter is not only false but completely negates the very plausible idea that as Iranians or any other nationality, one can instill positive, and dignified morals into ones children without abiding by any religious persuasion.

The possibility of living an absolutely moral life exists without practicing any religion. And the very living example of the latter theory exists in so many American men who would never cheat on their wives or girlfriends, and who absolutely understand that good morals are valuable, and who have consistently lived in the West with exposure to all sorts of sexuality and promiscuity.

Those American men also are not too keen on religious principles or shoving religion down one's throat but what they do understand is that devotion, respect, reciprocity, trust and love are paramount in any relationship. In fact if you really study the above sentence, you'll discover that those principles are endorsed by all religions, thus those very secular principles are also religious tenets.

If Iranians living abroad were to instill these universal principles of judicious behavior in their children, they will have given birth to a wonderful compatibility between their children who will not only seek each other out but will be thrilled to be with another Iranian.

As for now, there exists great frustration among Iranian-American youth who find greater comfort and better compatibility in dating or even marrying non-Iranians.

For those who are lucky and happen to find their mirror image in a man or a woman of Iranian decent, consider yourself privileged for you may have uncovered what it means to be that great Iranian person, with superior morals, a wonderful heart and not necessarily attached to any religion.