And...

The past is history.
The future, a mystery.
The here and now is a gift.
That is why it's called the present!


In Every Journey ...

In every journey there is meaning.
In every conflict, there is growth.
In every action, there is purpose.
In every moment of doubt, remember to believe in yourself!


What Is Courage?

Confronting the dragons
Overcoming the obstacles
Understanding the risks
Really living
Always believing
Going the distance
Expecting the Best !

Some Thoughts on Peace...

"If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace." Thich Nhat Hanh

"I was once asked why I don't participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I'll be there." Mother Teresa

"The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us."Black Elk

"Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal."Martin Luther King, Jr.

"When my heart is at peace, the world is at peace."Chinese Proverb

"There never was a good war or bad peace."Benjamin Franklin

"Peace is always beautiful."Walt Whitman

"If you yourself are at peace, then there is at least some peace in the world."Thomas Merton

"If you scramble about in search of inner peace, you will lose your inner peace."Lao Tzu

"It is no longer good enough to cry peace, we must act peace, live peace, and live in peace." Shenandoah proverb

"Better indeed is knowledge than mechanical practice. Better than knowledge is meditation. But better still is surrender of attachment to results, because there follows immediate peace."Bhagavad Gita 12:12
"If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work."Thich Naht Hanh

If there is to be peace in the world, There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations, There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities, There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors, There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home, There must be peace in the heart.
Lao Tzu

"This is the way of peace: overcome evil with good, and falsehood with truth, and hatred with love."Peace Pilgrim

"What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family."Mother Teresa

"Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace."Buddha

"Peace is the altar of God, the condition in which happiness exists."Paramahansa Yogananda

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn."John Muir

Helen Keller Biography


Helen Keller (1880-1968)



Imagine that you couldn't see these words or hear them spoken. But you could still talk, write, read, and make friends. In fact, you went to college, wrote nearly a dozen books, traveled all over the world, met 12 U.S. presidents, and lived to be 87. Well, there was such a person, and she was born over a hundred years ago!Meet Helen Keller, a woman from the small farm town of Tuscumbia, Alabama who taught the world to respect people who are blind and deaf. Her mission came from her own life; when she was 1 1/2, she was extremely ill, and she lost both her vision and hearing. It was like entering a different world, with completely new rules, and she got very frustrated. By the time she was 7, her parents knew they needed help, so they hired a tutor named Anne Sullivan.

Anne was strict, but she had a lot of energy. In just a few days, she taught Helen how to spell
words with her hands (called the manual alphabet, which is part of the sign language that deaf people use.) The trouble was, Helen didn't understand what the words meant—until one morning at the water pump (like an outdoor water fountain) she got a whole new attitude.

Anne had Helen hold one hand under the water. Then she spelled "W-A-T-E-R" into Helen's other hand. It was electric! The feeling turned into a word. Immediately, Helen bent down and tapped the ground; Anne spelled "earth." Helen's brain flew; that day, she learned 30 words.

From then on, Helen's mind raced ahead. She learned to speak when she was ten by feeling her teacher's mouth when she talked. Often people found it hard to understand her, but she never gave up trying. Meanwhile, she learned to read French, German, Greek, and Latin in braille! When she was 20, she entered Radcliffe College, the women's branch of Harvard University. Her first book, called The Story of My Life, was translated into 50 languages. (She used two typewriters: one regular, one braille.) She wrote ten more books and a lot more articles! How did
she find the time?
Helen also did research, gave speeches, and helped raise money for many organizations, such as the American Foundation for the Blind and the American Foundation for the Overseas Blind, which is now called Helen Keller Worldwide. From 1946 and 1957, she went around the world, speaking about the experiences and rights of people who are blind. She wound up visiting 39 countries on five different continents! Helen also inspired many works of art, including two Oscar-winning movies, and received dozens of awards, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor that an American civilian can receive. She died in her sleep in 1968.
Helen became an exceptional leader, once she saw the potential in her own mind.



Learn even more about Helen Keller at http://www.afb.org/htm_asp/collectionid=1/info_documents.htm!

Peace

There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror, for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell and in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest... perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize?

The King chose the second picture. Do you know why? "Because," explained the King,

"peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

Weakness or Strength ?

Sometimes your biggest weakness can become your biggest strength.

Take, for example, the story of one 10-year-old boy who decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident.
The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move.
"Sensei," the boy finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?"
"This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the sensei replied.
Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.
Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals.
This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened.
"No," the sensei insisted, "Let him continue."
Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion.
On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind.
"Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?"
"You won for two reasons," the sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grap your left arm."

The boy's biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.

"A Dangerous Dream"

Have you ever experienced any sleepwalking? It is something interesting and somehow dangerous which happens to some people specially, in their childhood.
I am one of those who had a tragic experience of such sleepwalking. Being seven years old, I was sleeping in the first floor of the house and nobody was there. I had a dream, maybe a strange one that I can not remember well, which made me walk. I felt nothing. I was completely asleep and unconscious so, I couldn't distinguish between my dream and reality. I started walking toward the stairs because I wanted to go to the second floor. It was about twelve stairs. I was still in my dream but actually I was walking. I walked up to the eighth stair and suddenly I fell down. I didn't realize anything. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the hospital,near my mom.
Fortunately that dangerous sleepwalking didn't have any bad concequences for me. Surprisingly after two days in coma, I came back home sound and safe.

Get up!The day has come!

There are a lot of customs among Kurdish people. The most interesting one that attracts me is the way they celebrate Eide Fetr. Everybody appreciates this day.

After one month of fasting, now people want to thank God for the given opportunities during the Ramadan. Any body, no matter how old she or he is, gets up early about 5 or 6 in the morning. All the people put on their beautiful clothes and clean their houses in the best possible way. After the special Azan is done,the majority of people go to mosques to say the prayer of Eide Fetr, while the others do it at home. Coming back home, they congratulate the day to their family members. Then they go to visit their relatives, neighbors and friends. The doors of the houses are open during the day. Every family, poor or rich, makes the most delicious food, specially, Ghorme Sabzi or Khoresh Khalal, for this day. They prefer to eat the food in the morning, since they want to have a different day. The elders give Eidy to the young ones. People are kind, happy and energetic, so they enjoy their time very much.

In fact, the day of Eide Fetr is a special and different one for Kurdish people. Every body tries to do his or her best on this day.

I think, this day is a symbol for those who think of having a meaningful life.

Every day should be like this day!

Iranians Celebrate Yalda Night

While the Christians all over the world are getting ready to celebrate Christmas, Iranians will rejoice in celebration of one of their most ancient traditions, the night of Yalda.
Early Christians related this very ancient Persian celebration to Mithra, Goddess of Light, and linked it to Christ’s birthday. According to one traditional Persian tale of Yalda, “In birth, sun and Jesus are close to each other.”
This Zoroastrian tradition has survived the thousands of years even after Islam was spread eastward to Iran. Today Yalda is celebrated not only by the followers of Mithraism, but by Iranians of all faith by rejoicing with family and friends.
The Night of Yalda marks the longest night of the year and the beginning of the winter. This ancient ceremony dates back to the time of Zoroastrian Persia, when the majority of Persians were followers of this faith prior to the advent of Islam.
In addition to Iran, some countries of Central Asia such as Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Caucasus share the same tradition and celebrate Yalda Night annually at this time of the year.
On this night, family members get together (most often in the house of the oldest member) and stay awake all night long by eating dried nuts, watermelon, pomegranate, and by narrating old mythologies and praying to God for the symbolic victory of light over darkness.

According to old texts, Persians believed that those who begun winter by eating summer fruits would not fall ill during the cold season; therefore, eating watermelons is one of the most important traditions in this night.
As days start to become longer, ancient Persians also believed that at the end of the first night of winter which falls on December 21st, darkness is defeated by light and therefore they must celebrate the whole night.

As the 13th century Iranian poet Sa’di writes in his book Bustan:

“The true morning will not come until the Yalda Night is gone.”

Thought

Life is thought.

When we cease to think, there is no life.
How we think, is the kind of life we live.
Since we are able to control our thoughts, we can determine the course of our life and the way we feel during our time here.
It is very important to establish good thinking guidelines and follow them.
Placing thoughts of peace and happiness in our mind will help to make our lives peaceful and happy.
If we do not set our thoughts properly, we will be dragged through life by the nose.

"We are what we think." - Buddha (BC)
"It is the mind that maketh good or ill, that maketh wretch or happy, rich or poor." - Edmund Spenser (1552-1599)

Our daily life includes thoughts associated with responsibilities concerning work, other people, and handling problems.
If possible, try not to think of too many different things, and don't move or think too quickly. Start out your day with a plan to come through to bedtime relaxed, contented, and ready for a restful night's sleep.

"Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission." - Arnold Bennett (1867-1932)

Reflect about things that can improve your lot - learning, completing tasks and duties, pleasant and relaxing experiences, kind words.
Think about your happiness, goals, life and it's pleasures, your principles and your conduct. Think about enjoying the moment.

"Garner up pleasant thoughts in your mind, for pleasant thoughts make pleasant lives." - John Wilkins (1614-1672)

What are you thinking about?

Why Being a Vegetarian?


"Animals are my friends-and I don't eat my friends." (George Bernard Shaw)

Do you know these facts? Vegetarian foods are a major source of nutrition for most people in the world. Vegetarians have lower rates of heart disease and some forms of cancer than non-vegetarians. Vegetarian diets can be simple and easy to prepare.Broadly defined,
a vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat, poultry, and fish. Vegetarians eat mainly fruit, vegetables, legumes, grains, seeds, and nuts. Many vegetarians eat eggs and/or dairy products but avoid hidden animal products such as beef and chicken stocks, lard, and gelatin. (http://www.famousveggie.com/quotes.cfm)
People are vegetarians for many reasons, including concern for personal health and the environment, economic and world hunger concerns, compassion for animals, belief in nonviolence, food preferences, or spiritual reasons. People may become vegetarians for one reason, and then later on adopt some of the other reasons as well. Most of the people want to improve their health and loose weights. Experiments have shown that vegetarians are at lower risk for developing: heart disease, colorectal, ovarian, and breast cancers, diabetes, obesity and hypertension (high blood pressure). This is because a healthy vegetarian diet is typically low in fat and high in fiber. However, even a vegetarian diet can be high in fat if it includes excessive amounts of fatty snack foods, fried foods, whole milk dairy products, and eggs. Therefore, a vegetarian diet, like any healthy diet, must be well planned in order to help prevent and treat certain diseases.

Most of the vegetarians give up meat and fish because they do not morally approve of killing animals or because they object to the ways in which animals are kept, treated and killed for food. They think that eating meat is against the universal principle of not wanting to be killed. With the growing awareness of the importance of healthy food, many people are also becoming vegetarian because it matches the kind of low fat, high fiber diet recommended by dieticians and doctors. Concern about the environment is another factor as people become more aware of the effect raising animals for their meat is having on the environment. Or you may be concerned about wasting world food resources by using land to raise animals for meat instead of growing crops that can feed more people directly. (Some of the famous vegetarians are Leonardo Da Vinci, Charles Darwin, Socrates, Plato, Sir Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison, Mark Twain and Sadegh Hedayat.)
Today, modern society has emphasized on well balanced diet, exercise and healthy lifestyle habits. And because vegetarian diet is an effective way to ensure healthy living, many individuals choose this pattern. In fact, eating vegetables and fruits
are physically and ethically right. Human have been created biologically to eat vegetables and fruits.

poverty

Poverty is a world wide problem, where people are dying from a lack of food, and clean water. Some richer countries take advantage of what they have, but don't take advantage of what they don't have.

The Stats

- Half the world - nearly three billion people - live on less than two dollars a day. source 1

- The wealthiest nation on Earth has the widest gap between rich and poor of any industrialized nation. source 6

- 20% of the population in the developed nations consumes 86% of the world's goods. source

- The developing world now spends $13 on debt repayment for every $1 it receives in grants. source 13

- A few hundred millionaires now own as much wealth as the world's poorest 2.5 billion people. source 14

- "The 48 poorest countries account for less than 0.4 per cent of global exports." source 15

- According to UNICEF, 30,000 children die each day due to poverty. source 21

- The richest 50 million people in Europe and North America have the same income as 2.7 billion poor people."The slice of the cake taken by 1% is the same size as that handed to the poorest 57%."

- Number of children in the world 2.2 billion Number in peoerty 1 billion (every second child)

poverty is the reason of many social and personal problems.

The Perfect Girl


A friend asked a gentleman how it is that he never married ?
Replied the gentleman, "Well, I guess I just never met the right woman ... I guess I've been looking for the perfect girl."
"Oh, come on now," said the friend, "Surely you have met at least on girl that you wanted to marry."
"Yes, there was one girl .. once. I guess she was the one perfect girl .. the only perfect girl I really ever met. She was just the right everything .. I really mean that she was the perfect girl for me."
"Well, why didn't you marry her," asked the friend.
"She was looking for the perfect man," he said.

A Wish Cocoon

Along a dusty road in India there sat a beggar who sold cocoons. A young boy watched him day after day, and the beggar finally beckoned to him. "Do you know what beauty lies within this chrysalis? I will give you one so you might see for yourself. But you must be careful not to handle the cocoon until the butterfly comes out."The boy was enchanted with the gift and hurried home to await the butterfly. He laid the cocoon on the floor and became aware of a curious thing. The butterfly was beating its fragile wings against the hard wall of the chrysalis until it appeared it would surely perish, before it could break the unyielding prison. Wanting only to help, the boy swiftly pried the cocoon open.Out flopped a wet, brown, ugly thing which quickly died. When the beggar discovered what had happened, he explained to the boy "in order for the butterfly wings to grow strong enough to support him, it is necessary that he beat them against the walls of his cocoon. Only by this struggle can his wings become beautiful and durable. When you denied him that struggle, you took away from him his only chance of survival."May the walls of your cocoon, be just thick enough, to allow you to struggle, just long enough, TO EMERGE, The beautiful person, I already know you to be."

Munir Fasheh (2000)Director, center for middle eastern studies, Harvard University

About Me...

I'm studying English Literature at Azzahra University.I worked as an English teacher for three years.Sociology is my favorite field of study that I want to continue.Being an idealist and perfectionist,I try to do my best all the time.I'm not satisfied with my present state, because I think there are much unknown areas to travel in.My dreams and goals are accompanied with making a happy,meaningful life for myself.All the time I thank God for his blessings and say:"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,the courage to change the things I can,and the wisdom to know the difference."

In this special moment in life ...

Think freely.
Practice patience.
Smile often.
Feel deeply.
Forget trouble.
Forgive an enemy.
Hope.
Grow.
Count your blessings.
Look for rainbows.
Gaze at stars.
See beauty everywhere.
Work hard.
Be wise.
Try to understand.
Take time for people.
Make time for yourself.
Laugh heartily.
Spread joy.
Try something new.
Slow down.
Believe in yourself.
See a sunrise.
Listen to rain.
Cry when you need to.
Trust life.
Have faith.
Have good ideas.
Make some mistakes.
Learn from them.
Celebrate life.

Jan Michelson

A New Year has come!

In harmony with rebirth of nature, the Iranian New Year Celebration,
or Norooz, always begins on the first day of spring, March 20th of each year. Norooz ceremonies are symbolic representations of two ancient concepts - the End and Rebirth. Norooz in Persian means "New Day" and brings hope, peace and prosperity to the world.Iranian people celebrate 12 days which are equal to 12 month of year,and every day is introducing one month of year.

Norooz is a celebration of creation,blessing and growing.

Norooz Customs

Chahar Shanbeh Soori happens on the last Tuesday evening of the year. Every family gathers several piles of wood or brush in the streets or parks to be lit shortly after the sunset. Then all the family members line up and take turns jumping over the burning fire and singing “sorkheeyeh toe az man, Zardeeyeh man az toe’. “I give my paleness to the fire and take fire red healthy color”. Yellow or paleness symbolizes the sickness and pain and red symbolizes health. Fireworks can be heard troughout the night.

Haft Seen includes seven items which each symbolizes a wish or theme. All of them start with the Persian letter Seen or S in English. These items are Sabzeh (grown wheat or lentil) for rebirth, Samanu (flour and sugar) for sweetness of life, Sekeh (coin ) for prosperity and wealth, Senjed ( dried fruit of Lotus tree) for love, Seer (garlic) for health, Somaq ( sumac berries) for warmth and Serkeh ( vinegar) for patience. Besides, painted eggs, which represent fertility, a mirror that represents image and reflection of life, and a goldfish in a bowl that represents life, make the Haft Seen much more beautiful.

Seezdah Bedar is the 13th day of Norooz. To overcome the bad luck ,people spend the entire day out of the house with families and friends in the parks having a picnic.They throw the sabze in running water to remove the bad luck. They celebrate a happy and healthy holiday season.

Wearing new clothes,giving gifts,sending bautiful cards and messages,visiting relatives and friends,and spring cleaning are other interesting customs of Norooz Celebration.

My Hometown

Paveh

Paveh is located in north west of Kermanshah.

It is a mountainous place with cold and snowy winter. Its summer is moderate.

It has a glorious beauty which makes people leave the noisy life behind there .
Its houses are built in a way that roof of every house is the yard of another one, living in a beautiful valley with some fabulous landscapes , pets , some rivers and blue sky add its beauty.

The adventurous way of Sirvan and its dreamy road , beautiful villiages and Bell spring are from its exciting regions from Historical and religious attractions of this town, the tomb of king Eshag can be named .

Some other attractions are Sirvan river, water fall of Nosoud , care of Ghori – galeh , stone house of Hosein.

Come and see it!