Beauty and the Beast
Last night, whilst watching the Olympic Games ceremony I felt loads of positive energy and saw lots of beauty. To mention a few examples:
- seeing the North and South Korean teams entering the stadium as a UNIFIED team
- the presence of the Afghan team, including a lady (or ladies)
- enjoying the presence of 202 countries joining all together to promote PEACE, LOVE & LIFE
- and obviously the spectacular opening ceremony itself
However, I immediately felt some negative energy when our team entered the stadium. Our athletes had frowned faces and looked like they wanted to hit someone or commit suicide. I do not blame our athletes AT ALL, I am sure that they had been told not to smile and show their feelings.
To cut my story short, I hope that the atmosphere of PEACE, LOVE & LIFE which prevails in Europe and elsewhere in the world will come to us as well and put an end to our atmosphere of HATRED & UGLINESS.
Did you have the same feelings?
BE OMIDE IRANI AZAD
I share the negative feeling you described. What bugs me most is the fact that we're not permitted to be ourselves, even in the olympics where all the world is smiling and promoting peace and love.
Even those countries such as Afghanestan and a couple of arab ones (where women count for nothing) had happy teams with happy and proud women amongst the team members. Then look at Iran: with all that talent and energy and active educated population of women and men, we just had one woman with a poker face who walked like a robot, and other members were constantly anxious not to "exceed the limits" of smiling and happiness... who else in the world would be able understand this phrase?? I mean where else in the world people have to 'worry' about being happy? :~(
(at August 15, 2004 02:03 AM)
Exactly, when you watch olympics you love the way all the people in the world have come together to celebrate hand in hand. You could see how people in the stadium cheered the teams from Palestine, but when it came to our team? a team of frowns who hardly smiled.
OK let's be realistic, what do we expect from our formal policies? When the government's official slogan is "death to this and that", then do you expect them to "understand" the spirit of olympics?
(at August 15, 2004 01:49 PM)
You are right, it was a big shock to see our team members in that state. How is that possible to make such bitter faces in such a beautiful and lovely ceremony? It was also a bit embarrassing, I watched the ceremony with a few other friends and everyone was excited about it, until...
But you see, if you say the team was a representative of the government, then it matched with the other 'official' faces of the government.
(at August 15, 2004 04:15 PM)
You lukcy guys in europe watched the openning of the olympics LIVE! We didn't have live coverage, can you believe? in the united states NBC decided to broadcast it with a long delay, the guy said "We're not public television, we're putting it on when our audience can watch it." they just killed all our excitement :(
(at August 17, 2004 12:51 AM)
What you saw as the Iranian team was a true representative of the present state and government in Iran. When the rulers are a bunch of killers, executioners, and interogators what you would expect to see. Khatami was the head of "War Propaganda Commission" in the summer 1988 when thousands of political prisoners were killed. At that time Montazeri talked against those events; but waht about your current president; he did not say one word. And that is the reformist president; I do not want to talk about the others. You name it; and I would give you their records. unless you stand up against those creminals, things would not change! And mullahs and their sons would continue to milk Iran and Iranians! Amen!
(at August 17, 2004 04:27 PM)
Those angry faces have nothing to do with the government. Those faces show what OUR CULTURE is all about. The government is a result of that culture not its origin.
What I can call "Farhang-e Yoboosat" (The Iranian Culture of Constipation!) has strong roots in our philosophy of life. You can see that in many aspects of our daily life. Look at the music of Mo'een (which is like a constant nagging) or "Nowhe-khaani", or even our great traditional music and its "Dashti". Look at our culture of "Sharm" and "Hayaa" as glorified behaviors, look at our "Nakhand, bade..." and all those anti-happiness comments that are so popular in our damned culture.
It is not the government, ... "in reshte sare deraaz daarad..."
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