Statement by a group of Iranian bloggers about the Presidential elections and the subsequent events

1) We, a group of Iranian bloggers, strongly condemn the violent and repressive confrontation of Iranian government against Iranian people's legitimate and peaceful demonstrations and ask government officials to comply with Article 27 of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Constitution which emphasizes "Public gatherings and marches may be freely held, provided arms are not carried and that they are not detrimental to the fundamental principles of Islam."

2) We consider the violations in the presidential elections, and their sad consequences a big blow to the democratic principles of the Islamic Republic regime, and observing the mounting evidence of fraud presented by the candidates and others, we believe that election fraud is obvious and we ask for a new election.

3) Actions such as deporting foreign reporters, arresting local journalists, censorship of the news and misrepresenting the facts, cutting off the SMS network and filtering of the internet cannot silence the voices of Iranian people as no darkness and suffocation can go on forever. We invite the Iranian government to honest and friendly interaction with its people and we hope to witness the narrowing of the huge gap between people and the government.

A part of the large community of Iranian bloggers
June 26, 2009

Hope

My mother always says: The darkest moments of the night are always just a few minutes before the sunrise. Keep hope.

These days...

It is getting close to my birthday and like every year at this time I am evaluating myself. Since last year at this time that I was in Philadelphia, many different happenings have occurred in my life. Even though I feel insecure since I still couldn’t solve the problem happened to me two month ago, by the whole I feel content about where I am standing.

A very big step about my recent days is going back to drawing. Drawing for me has three benefits: First, I feel I am learning and growing in something that I truly enjoy and feel passionately about it. Second, drawing sessions are also social events and I meet people who are similar to me in some aspects. Third, drawing for me also works as a meditation as I am in full concentration when I am doing it. To see my progress, I put some of my drawings on the wall weekly.The people of my drawings are not still proportionate, they either have long torso or long legs, but they talk to me as they are!

The second big step is I feel more secure and confident in relationship with other people. I am working on it and it is not perfect, but at least I can solve my own problems or I rarely have any problem. I find new friends and simply get away from people who want to accuse me or bother me with the behaviors that come from their own insecurity.

The third step is I am learning that if one part of my life is not functioning well, I should not let it ruin the other parts of my life. These days one part of my life is missing, but I am spending enough time on drawing, meditation, beauty, health and emotional life. I am sure if I keep faith, everything will be ok. In the movie of Sacrifice by Andrei Tarkowski, the father tells his son:
If you everyday go up the hill and water the dried tree it will one day become green.

Mark Twain

"Whenever you find you are on the side of majority, it is time to reform".

"Do something everyday that you don't want to do;this is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain".

Love

Love as the highest level of human sense is based on wisdom and morality. Other than that is a just a wish, sexual desire or compensation of a mental problem.

Verbal Games...

Verbal Game: “You do not understand me”.
It comes only from the people who do not understand themselves and expect others to understand them.

Ignoring ourselves...

In the childhood one of the messages that we receive is not to be ourselves, to be anyone else but not ourselves. We spend lots of energy and time to impress others or draw their attention instead of helping ourselves to grow. As a child we want to give others the message that we are a sweet and lovable child.

We are grown up in a culture that being humble is appreciated and we never learn to express ourselves or talk about the good things we have done in a proper way. It is forbidden to talk about ourselves, instead we are seeking opportunities to find good things in others and give them unrealistic exaggerated compliments.

Especially in architecture, our traditional architects were used not to put their names on the building. There are so many good historical buildings constructed in Iran in the last 200 years that no one knows who has made them. The name of the architect is not mentioned at all or written somewhere invisible on the building.