I am an instructor, author, voice actor, motivational speaker, and international businessperson who places betterment ahead of every other initiative. While the majority of my life is spent contemplating about lexicons, it is my firm belief that actions speak louder than words. My mission in life is simple: to make a difference by being different.
Diplomatic hurdles invariably strike the nonparticipants the hardest. This notion was proven to thousands of Iranian students who were initially appalled by realizing that the crippling sanctions against the Iranian regime had made the transactions of the funds required for the monetary process of Standardized English Test enrollment such as TOEFL and GRE impossible. As such the registration for the aforementioned exams was aborted until further notice.
Today, The New York Times reported that banks are now eligible to perform the proceedings related to S.E.T’s of all class thus bringing the joy of relief to many pupils, scholars, and academics in the country.
“The company said two weeks ago that it was temporarily halting registrations for the English test and its graduate-school admissions exam, after its bank refused to continue processing payments from Iran amid recent sanctions by the international community taking aim at the country’s financial institutions.”reported the NYT, and then proceeded:
“United States officials reiterated that sanctions approved by Congress last month were not intended to interfere in the business of companies with permission to operate in Iran, such as E.T.S., but rather to halt the advancement of the country’s nuclear program. At least one other company licensed to operate in Iran has reported problems arising from sanctions. “
The news has given back the hope of a future with unbiased and quality education to the students, many of whom are my own learners. Hopefully these efforts will act as a reminder that hard work and education are immune to any political intrusion or social prejudice for that matter.
Students all across the area can now resume registration .
I wake up in the middle of the night as my effort to sleep fails. I look outside the window without even noticing the surrounding as if the world which I knew for so long does not exist anymore. I contemplate about life as I rapidly recap my actions throughout the years.
Who are you? What are you doing here? Are you really sure about the things you were told? Do not you suspect that things could be different than what you think? Half of me is agonized by the insecurity that is emanated by my current stream of thoughts while the other half remains hopeful to reach for the truth.
There is nothing more ironic than to realize you have spent your whole life thinking you have figured it all out just to be proven the exact opposite by no one other than your own self.
There it comes that striking instant when every single being, animate or inanimate, demands a new description and the border between reality and unreality seems nonexistent.
To make the matter worse is the constant call for socialization from your acquaintances who deem you socially sick, and would consider acculturation the sole remedy for the aforementioned malady. As if the body needs to function in a specific way and fight off a particular disease in order to become sane.
I have been trying to distinguish the difference between sanity, and insanity for a long time now. Is it hormonal imbalance? What about physical and mental state induced by unconventional conditions? Maybe it is in your blood?
Hmm … what if being insane solely means being different? What if you are dubbed insane the moment you start to create the world in your own way? What if being insane means to go on the unpaved road with no signs? What if being insane means to expect the impossible? What if being insane means to make your own rules as opposed to follow the status quo blindly? What if being insane means to be the master of your own destiny than to be a slave of tradition and commonality? What if being insane means to be original instead of derivative? What if being insane means to forgive your enemies even though the scar of their hatred, envy, and hostility never truly disappears from your flesh and soul? What if being insane means to care about others as much as you can instead of being drowned in self-indulgence? What if being insane means to trust your heart and not your mind? What if being insane means chosing feeling over logic?
What if …….?!
What if being insane is far superior than being sane?!
The harder I try to resist these rambling sentiments the more I approach the conclusion that the people around you would not stop assessing you , and the only manner in which you could earn their approval is by being so-called sane.
Ah,..Seriously..What the heck does that mean?
I really do not know the meaning of sanity, and am also unable to define insanity …..but I know one thing.The most significant concept in the world, true love, is in direct contradiction with survival of the fittest.
I have already tried to see the world through the fancy lens of sanity and all I saw was war, hatred, abuse, discrimination, pain, envy and uncertainty.
Tonight I remove that lens of saneness and try to see the world with naked eyes.
Tonight I see the world as it is,without any filters.
Tonight I see only the questions, and not a single answer.
Tonight I see the beauty of the world through the eyes of insanity.
This special edition of Talk Show podcast features an excerpt from the book "the greatest secret" ,the self-help book concerning the meaning of life and the single most efficient way to tackle all challenges and come out a winner despite all the hardships.
Most often humans forget the extreme power of their mind,and chose to play the role of a prisoner of fate in the movie that we call life. Alas, many of us put aside our dreams and desires just to be more realistic not knowing that humans are creatures as well as creators.
However, I personally beg to differ; for if we discover our true potential and use a combination of faith,fact, and logic then we shall make our lives the way we so wish .If we realize the life changing truth of the fact that we are living in a world of opportunities and possibilities rather than a predetermined one, we could make a difference in not only our own life but also others'.
What is reality?
Does everybody share the same reality?
Who does determine your destiny ?
What is your strongest weapon against all of your problems?
What should you do in the hardest situations, and against the toughest odds ?
What is the true meaning of spirituality, and whether or not the modern science contradict with it ?
What does Quantum physics mean by living in the world of possibilities?
All of those questions and more are answered in this program.
In our journey to self-discovery, there is no companion more essential than appropriate books.I recommend all of my students to examine these books and realize that while we can never grasp the truth as its entirety, being surrounded by possibilities, and living in mystery can award us a life full of excitement, variety, conscientiousness, research, and most of all happiness.
Change is always difficult. We need to reiterate this phrase in our minds for as long as it takes to digest, if we are to take the most out of living abroad.
The concept of “living in a foreign country” was the main theme in the last Talk Show classes which fortunately provided a groovy ground for an engaging discussion among the participants.
First and foremost let us contemplate about some of the quotes in this regard:
"There's villainous news abroad."- William Shakespeare
"I dislike feeling at home when I am abroad."- George Bernard Shaw
"It is the bold man who every time does best, at home or abroad."- Homer
"Man is a venerating animal. He venerates as easily as he purges himself. When they take away from him the gods of his fathers, he looks for others abroad."- Max Jacob
"Saint abroad, and a devil at home."- John Bunyan
"The crow, when travelling abroad, came back just as black."- English proverb
"When I am abroad, I always make it a rule never to criticize or attack the government of my own country. I make up for lost time when I come home."- Winston Churchill
"When the man is at home, his standing in society is well known and quietly taken; but when he is abroad, it is problematical, and is dependent on the success of his manners."- Ralph Waldo Emerson
At the beginning of the classes, I initiated the discourse by asking the students to provide a graspable distinction between visiting a foreign country and living in one.
The answers were quite expectable ,and the majority agreed upon the fact that a mere visit to a country is simply for leisure and the tourists are in contact with the thin surface of what that destination has to offer,and almost never concerned about the issues such as economic situation, job market, real estate and so forth; the same cannot be said about the immigrants who wish to make a living in an alien community however.
After the brief introduction, the students talked about the various aspects of living in a foreign country from a critical perspective; hence, individual elements were chosen and various elaborations concurred.
Homesickness, culture shock, employment and settlement issues, potential racial discrimination, witnessing different climate, values,and language are but a few consequences of living abroad.
It’s nearly inevitable for an immigrant not to feel a longing to return home at one point during the stay in a foreign country to the point where the little things, even things that seemed problematic as Dr.Ali Reza mentioned, seem so delighting yet out of reach.
Nevertheless, the most prominent challenge faced by the bulk of immigrants is the infamous phenomenon known as culture shock that includes subcategories of identity crisis, different language, different climate and environment, and most importantly different values. All of the aforementioned matters, especially the theme of different value which emphasizes on the sole fact that a behavior which is deemed socially acceptable[if not essential] in one community could be concieved as a moral sin or even a capital crime in another.
While the contemporary world has seen less and less racial profiling and discrimination over the years, this by no means omit the fear of being segregated in a foreign guild due to a distinct accent , a darker tone of skin, or dissimilar way of dressing .
Towards the end of the class, I asked the students to classify the consequences of living in a foreign country into pros and cons, the result were as follows:
Pros: Widening the perception of the world, more freedom of choice, higher standards of living, better education, globalization and international employment, a secure future, sense of progression,A fresh beginning , and new opportunities.
Cons: Homesickness, culture shock, higher cost of living, dealing with possible racial problems,loneliness and depression, adaptation to the new environment.
In the end; we all should consider that living abroad, for what is worth, can get us closer and closer to other people of assorted tribes and backgrounds; for Saadi has beautifully said:
Humans are of limbs to each other
Having been created of one essence
After the dusk of the infamous Cold War, economic sanctions have always been the final measure prior to a military operation.
Imposing economic restraint has proven more than enough to cause troubles for the targeted society, but is that enough to stop a country from pursuing their goals? What is precisely meant by the term "economic sanctions?
