WE, IRANIAN PEOPLE, DESERVE WHAT EVER HAPPENS TO US.

Now that I have your attention, Hi. My name is Aidin. And this is Neek Podcast.
I’m going to start this episode with a question.
Some people believe that the way we think about the world around us, can affect the world. And our thoughts and comments about the world and people can really turn them into what we thought or said they are.
Do you think this is true or it’s just a superstition?

If you live in Iran, you have probably heard this phrase: “We deserve whatever happens to us.”
Let’s say you are a supporter of this statement.
In the morning, you wake up and you want to have a good breakfast to start your day. So, you go to the bakery to get some fresh bread. When it’s finally your turn and you get your bread, you see its smaller than usual.
At first you get angry and you want to say something. But then you say to yourself: it’s not that important. And after all, we deserve whatever happens to us. So, you say nothing and go home. After breakfast, on the way to your office, the taxi driver, overcharges you. Not too much. Just a little bit. It’s not that big a deal. And as you know: we deserve whatever happens to us. So, you stay quiet. Finally, you get to work. You are now ready to start a good day at work.
“Can I have your attention please.”
It’s your boss.
“Can I have your attention. Payments will be delayed this month. Thank you for your patience.”
Oh god! This is not good. You will not accept this. You are waiting for someone to say something and then you will join them in the protest. We need our money. And we need it on time. We’ve worked hard for it. This is not acceptable.
But no one says anything.
because they also believe: We deserve whatever happens to us.
After dinner, you are lying in your bed and thinking about everything that happened to you. You are wondering: Why didn’t I say anything? Why did I stay quiet? I don’t deserve this.
Only you do! You didn’t say anything because you believed that you deserve whatever happens to you.
You deserve whatever happens to you, because you believe that you deserve whatever happens to you.

This imaginary story was an example of how our ideas can change the world around us.
You might ask. But how? So, you are saying I can change the world just by changing my opinions about it? It’s stupid.
No. I am saying that you can change yourself by changing your mind.
And if you change yourself, the world will also change. Because the world is made of us. You and me.
As the Persian poet Rumi says: you shall light your own candle, because you are not one. You are thousands.

During the WWII a reporter was interviewing Dr. Carl Gust Yung, the renowned swiss psychiatrist.
The reporter asked him, “How can you be so calm and talk about problems of persons while the world is on fire?”
His answered wisely, “Because the problems of the world begins with persons.”
Now let’s get a little bit more into detail and see how does changing our minds change the world.
So, as you know, as human beings we all have our own system of beliefs,
and believing in something, anything, comes with responsibilities,
and that is why most people run away from thinking
because if they think, they will develop a belief system
and if they develop a belief system, they must behave based on that.
So every behavior that we show is a result of our beliefs;
and as I said, the society consists of ‘you’s and ‘me’s;
and the system, as we call it, is made of our beliefs.
So, in addition, if you change your mind about the way things should be, even just a little bit, the society will also change a little bit;
and little by little, we will have a utopia.

Okay now, here comes the interesting part:
A change in someone’s beliefs, results a ten times bigger change in the system.
How is that?
Because changing your beliefs can highly affect people around you and their opinions.
To prove my point I am going to tell you guys a story.
Aziz Nessin is a great Turkish author who has a story about how we can affect the mind of those around us.
Let’s hear the summary of the story.

“We will never learn our lessons.”

I have heard this phrase many times in my life, at school, on the subway, on the bus and many other places;

and it was always a question to me

Why?

Why won’t we learn our lessons?

I always disagreed.

Later in life, I was forced to spend a few years in prison and it was a big opportunity for me because it relieved the secret to me. That why we will never learn our lessons.

We were placed in a big ward with 50 other political prisoners all well-educated and well-cultured individuals.

Some of them were former governors, some doctors, some engineers and all of them spoke several languages and had visited many countries during their lives.

One day I received a letter from my family saying that things were hard and they needed money.

So, I decided to write a short story and try to sell it to a newspaper or a magazine. That way I could earn some money and help my family from inside the prison. I picked up a pen and a paper and sat on my bed.

I had just written a few lines when one of my cell-mates came and sat at the end of my bed. The first thing he said was:” We won’t ever learn our lessons. We will never learn our lessons….”

I didn’t ask why because I had work to do but he continued: “I went to college in Switzerland and I have also worked in Belgium for six years.”

And he told me stories about the times he was in Switzerland and Belgium, and no matter how hard I tried to show him I am busy and I’m working, he wouldn’t stop.

” In Switzerland, everyone has a book in their hands. On the bus, on the train, everywhere. Now imagine what they do at home. Hoof! Reading, learning, studying.  Now look at us…we are always just blabbering and saying nonsense. You can’t see a single person holding a book. Everyone is wasting time. No one does something useful …”

He went on and on about people of Switzerland and Belgium till it was lunch time. Then, while we were going to eat he asked me:” Now did you realize why we will never learn our lessons?”

I said, “Of course I did”

And just like that he wasted half of my day.

I ate lunch as fast as I could and I immediately went back to write my story.

The minute I put the pen on the paper, another fellow cellmate came in and sat on my bed and said, “What are you doing?”

I said, “I am going to write a story.”

He replied, “Let me tell you something. You cannot write anything in here with all the noise. Have you ever been to Europe?”

I said:” no I have never left Turkey.”

He continued,” Oh oh oh. You should go there. Those people have morality, real morality. I have traveled all over Europe. People respect each other. They never bother each other. Now take a look at us. We are always annoying each other. Just listen to all this noise. With all this noise no one can read anything. Or write anything.”

I said, ” I am okay with the noise. But when someone talks to me, that’s when I get distracted and can’t work.”

he answered, “NO. No one can do anything with all this noise. Why are they making so much noise? Just lower your voices. In Europe, no one talks loudly, it’s considered rude…”

So, he kept talking to me about the manners of Europeans for some time. Suddenly someone called his name and he left me alone. Thank god! Now I can finally write. Okay. Here we go

” Hey what’s up?”

It was another friend.

” Not much. I am working.”

He sat down. ” have you ever been to the US?” He said.

I understood that I cannot write anything during the day. So, I put aside my pen and started talking to him about how Americans never waste time and they say that time is money and that is why they have progressed this much.

Then we went for dinner and then everyone went to bed.

I waited until midnight.

Once again, I took my pen and paper to start.

” You are wasting your time“

I looked up. One of the prisoners that couldn’t sleep was sitting at the other side of my bed.

“So what are you doing?”

I said: “Nothing.”

but apparently the answer to what I said was: ” I have lived in Germany for a long time.”

I was so devastated I just wanted to cry.

” My brother, if you are looking for humanity, go to Germany, if you are looking for honesty, go to Germany. They are real people. Not like us. No…no… we will never learn our lessons.”

When he left I realized it will be morning soon and it’s my last chance to write. I started.

“Have you ever been to Paris?”

I took a long look at the prisoner that said this.

I said: “Wait a minute.”

And then wrote on my paper: “We will never learn our lessons.”

Then I put my pen and paper under my pillow and started talking with the gentleman about the politeness of French people.

The end.

I really love this short story because it shows us something really deep, in a funny way.
And that thing is how our words can affect those around us, and change them, as I said before.

Hope you enjoyed.

Vocabularies:

1. Superstition:
   • Farsi Definition: خرافه
   • Example: Many people avoid walking under a ladder because it’s considered a superstition.
2. Overcharge:
   • Farsi Definition: زیاده‌روی گرفتن
   • Example: I realized the vendor overcharged me for the apples.
3. Utopia:
   • Farsi Definition: اوتوپیا، جهانی کامل و بی‌نقص
   • Example: Many authors imagine a utopia in their novels, where society lives in perfect harmony.
4. Blabbering:
   • Farsi Definition: پرزنی، سر و صدای زیاد
   • Example: He kept blabbering about his trip without noticing that no one was listening.
5. Morality:
   • Farsi Definition: اخلاقیات، فضیلت
   • Example: The story raises questions about the morality of lying for a good cause.
6. Distracted:
   • Farsi Definition: پریشان، متشتت
   • Example: I got distracted by the noise outside and couldn’t focus on my work.
7. Devastated:
   • Farsi Definition: ویران، ناامید
   • Example: She was devastated when she heard the news of her friend’s accident.
8. Humanity:
   • Farsi Definition: انسانیت
   • Example: The disaster brought out the best in humanity, with many people helping each other.
9. Politeness:
   • Farsi Definition: ادب، خوشرویی
   • Example: His politeness made a good impression on the interview panel.
10. Cellmate:

• Farsi Definition: هم‌سلولی (در زندان)
• Example: In prison, he shared his stories and experiences with his cellmate.

In the modern world, what we think and believe can really change our lives and actions. This is true for us and for whole communities. If we understand how powerful our beliefs and actions can be, we can change our world and help our society change too. Just like a small wave can spread in water, a small positive action or thought can make big changes in society.

Discussion Questions:

1. How do our personal beliefs shape our actions, and subsequently, our lived experiences?
2. In what ways do societies perpetuate beliefs that might be detrimental to the collective good?
3. How does the story illustrate the impact of words and beliefs on individual actions?
4. How can a society move away from limiting beliefs and foster a culture of progressive thinking?
5. What responsibility do individuals hold in breaking cycles of negative thinking in a community?
6. How does this story reflect on the differences between individual beliefs and societal norms?
7. What role does peer pressure or societal expectations play in reinforcing certain beliefs or behaviors?