Lessons of an election

Lesson 1: We, the people of Iran, should get more intellectual than sensational.

Most of the Iranians didn’t participate in the Big Show of last Friday. It was something you could understand by eye-witnessing the polling stations, although the TV frequently has been showing long lines of voters from archived video-footages of the previous elections.

Ok, the election ended and the directors of the Show think they have got what they wanted. But it was important that the banning of the election was not a sensational decision, Iranians opted not to vote not because some ones told them it would be better, but because they saw they can send their message to the government—and to the world of course—by this action (or dis-action if you like!). When the intellect and wisdom comes in, you can make better decisions.

Falling into sensation has always been a drawback to Iranians. We very easily get excited and follow a way just to see that was a mistake only a few moments later (this moment can be from a few seconds to several years). Excitement is good, but without wisdom being in the scene it can lead to severe consequences.

The Islamic Revolution was just a result of people sensation. They followed the clerics just because everyone else followed them. They even didn’t know exactly what program they had in their heads for establishing a government, but their huge hate to Shah then, added to holy place of clerics in Iran’s traditional context, leaded people to follow them with closed eyes (and not follow other opposition groups who believed that Shah had to go out of the power). And it is fun that in the April following the revolution victory more than 99 percent of people voted in favor of Islamic Republic (the famous ‘Yes’) when there was no constitution yet for the country, and it was not clear what the new government wanted to do.

Well, reviewing the history I am trying to be more intellectual in analyzing the situations I encounter. Pre-judging and following a wave with closed eyes are Achilles’ heel of a civilized society. Even the one whom you dislike may be right; just ignoring him because of a feeling of hate is mistake. Every problem has several ways to solve; falling into blind excitement prevents you from seeing the whole paths.

The new leader of us should be ‘wisdom’, which certainly would lead us in the correct way(s). And of course you can disarm your excited enemy by intellectual behavior.