In a guest essay for The Red Letter, Parizad Parchi reflects on the emotional toll of war in Iran and the deeper trauma it’s reawakening across the diaspora.
Thank you, Tara, for sharing this powerful article, written with Heart, Longing, and a deep Connection to the wounds and the memories of war and control, shared with love and hope.
It is always the Women, Children, Elderly and those trying to Live their Lives, that are most affected by madness. It is always the Land that is torn apart by greed, control and unchecked extremism, that must be rebuilt, comforted and cared for, to bring back to Life.
Around the world, and throughout (his)tory, greed, arrogance and religious fanaticism has destroyed more that it has ever given. When "beliefs" are demanded, upheld by sword, words, and violence, we lose generations of Wisdom. And although we have seen it countless times, we have not yet learned
When the "business" of religions, cults, politics and unholy violence is recognized for what it truly is, then we might begin to come to our Senses - and Learn, perhaps for the first time, that only by Living do we demonstrate who we are - individually and collectively - since we can only grow, mature and Learn as a Species while we Live.
When will we no longer follow, like lambs to slaughter, the words and empty promises of those who have nothing to give but pain?
Thanks Tara: Thank you Parizad Parchi, for sharing your thoughts, fears,. grief, and deep uncertainty. I too have deep uncertainty with the way this present Trump administration it doing things. Bombing and destroying a country will not change anything , In my world you would never have to be ashamed of your faith, language or race. Thanks again for your innermost thoughts.
Thank you Tara. This is the perfect reminder of the horrific costs of war to the average citizen of a country under siege. Those in power make the decisions to start these wars, but it’s people like you and me who suffer, lose our loved ones and homes and pay the ultimate price. As Parizad Parchi states: “We wanted the regime gone. We did not want our country flattened.”
Thank you for sharing your friend’s story. I wish more people were aware of the generational trauma Iranians and other immigrant groups suffer. Look deeper - we are all pink inside. We all seek the same things - healthy families, safe communities, thriving children.
Thank you for this very moving and informative essay. As a child, my teachers taught us history about “Persia” and presented it as a seat of civilization. I remember seeing Iran as place of beauty and culture and intellect. For decades I have hoped to see Iran restored to its glory. Instead we are now participating actively in a war to destroy what is left. This is deeply disturbing and I grieve for your losses. I am very saddened that your mother was never able to return home. You are in my thoughts.
Your essay stirred up memories of a former colleague I have not seen in about 35 years. She and her husband fled from Iran and raised their family here. She would talk about getting ready for Nowruz every year though she rarely called it by that name. I remember how much joy she had when she would talk about cleaning the house from top to bottom as part of the preparation. As a young adult who hated cleaning, I was jealous of her vigor and pride. I never quite understood. Now it makes me smile.
She did use the word Persian often instead of Iranian and was one of the first people who educated me on the rich history of her country. She and her husband took jobs here that were incomparable to the work they did while still in Iran and though she never said so, I sensed how painful that loss of identity was for her. She brought in wonderful food for lunch and sometimes would share it with me. I think she was amused and happy about how much I liked it. After I asked her multiple times about her recipes, she brought in a cookbook for "Persian food." I used the xerox at work and copied almost the entire thing. I still have those copies. I hope she has people around her now who are supportive and loving. I think she probably does.
Thank you for this. It adds a lot of pespective. I would also like to hear more about the 26 years leading up to the 1979 Revolution.
In 1953, CIA's Operation AJAX overthrew democratically elected Prime Minister Mosaddegh and installed the Shah, just to keep cheap oil flowing to the West. The Shah's hated secret police (SAVAK), trained by CIA and MOSSAD, tortured and murdered Iranians until the 1979 revolution.
The US supported, and supplied weapons and poison gas for, Saddam's invasion of and 8 year war with Iran, a war that killed hundreds of thousands of Iranians (to this day Iranians may still be dying from those chemicals). Iranians remember the civilian aircraft shot down by the US Navy in 1988, killing 290 people.
It is not without some justification that Iran considers Israel and USA to be existential threats.
And adding to that, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), that Trump killed, was working (according to Trump's own cabinet and respected independent analysts), and was signed by seven nations plus the EU, including Iran's two largest trading partners, China and Russia. Trump's only stated reason for ripping it up was that "a better deal could be made". Maybe Netanyahu pushed him to do that. Maybe Trump was jealous of President Obama. In any case, Trump turned Iran's motivation from halting WMD to continuing WMD.
So, it is now about the oil. I am reminded of that by Trump's resurrection of Pearl Harbor, which was Japan's response to the US embargo on oil; I'm not saying Pearl Harbor was justified, I'm saying it was about oil.
Yes, what happens to Cubans? 'He' personifies the scourge upon us all.
Pari's open letter is an open letter to the reality of total domination without due care for the results. Her family's personal pain could be imagined through her words. If it is naive to believe we should all be free to live in peace and security, I am...
Thank you, Tara, for sharing this powerful article, written with Heart, Longing, and a deep Connection to the wounds and the memories of war and control, shared with love and hope.
It is always the Women, Children, Elderly and those trying to Live their Lives, that are most affected by madness. It is always the Land that is torn apart by greed, control and unchecked extremism, that must be rebuilt, comforted and cared for, to bring back to Life.
Around the world, and throughout (his)tory, greed, arrogance and religious fanaticism has destroyed more that it has ever given. When "beliefs" are demanded, upheld by sword, words, and violence, we lose generations of Wisdom. And although we have seen it countless times, we have not yet learned
When the "business" of religions, cults, politics and unholy violence is recognized for what it truly is, then we might begin to come to our Senses - and Learn, perhaps for the first time, that only by Living do we demonstrate who we are - individually and collectively - since we can only grow, mature and Learn as a Species while we Live.
When will we no longer follow, like lambs to slaughter, the words and empty promises of those who have nothing to give but pain?
Thank you,
Elaine M. Grohman
I'm so glad it resonated with you
Thank you for all that you do!
Thanks Tara: Thank you Parizad Parchi, for sharing your thoughts, fears,. grief, and deep uncertainty. I too have deep uncertainty with the way this present Trump administration it doing things. Bombing and destroying a country will not change anything , In my world you would never have to be ashamed of your faith, language or race. Thanks again for your innermost thoughts.
agreed! I hope there is peace is Iran
Thank you Tara. This is the perfect reminder of the horrific costs of war to the average citizen of a country under siege. Those in power make the decisions to start these wars, but it’s people like you and me who suffer, lose our loved ones and homes and pay the ultimate price. As Parizad Parchi states: “We wanted the regime gone. We did not want our country flattened.”
so true
Good morning and thank you .
Thank you for sharing your friend’s story. I wish more people were aware of the generational trauma Iranians and other immigrant groups suffer. Look deeper - we are all pink inside. We all seek the same things - healthy families, safe communities, thriving children.
Exactly! I see the generational trauma in my own family with a Babcia who was in a camp as a child in Germany
Thank you for this very moving and informative essay. As a child, my teachers taught us history about “Persia” and presented it as a seat of civilization. I remember seeing Iran as place of beauty and culture and intellect. For decades I have hoped to see Iran restored to its glory. Instead we are now participating actively in a war to destroy what is left. This is deeply disturbing and I grieve for your losses. I am very saddened that your mother was never able to return home. You are in my thoughts.
Beautiful. Thank you.
Your essay stirred up memories of a former colleague I have not seen in about 35 years. She and her husband fled from Iran and raised their family here. She would talk about getting ready for Nowruz every year though she rarely called it by that name. I remember how much joy she had when she would talk about cleaning the house from top to bottom as part of the preparation. As a young adult who hated cleaning, I was jealous of her vigor and pride. I never quite understood. Now it makes me smile.
She did use the word Persian often instead of Iranian and was one of the first people who educated me on the rich history of her country. She and her husband took jobs here that were incomparable to the work they did while still in Iran and though she never said so, I sensed how painful that loss of identity was for her. She brought in wonderful food for lunch and sometimes would share it with me. I think she was amused and happy about how much I liked it. After I asked her multiple times about her recipes, she brought in a cookbook for "Persian food." I used the xerox at work and copied almost the entire thing. I still have those copies. I hope she has people around her now who are supportive and loving. I think she probably does.
Thank you for this. It adds a lot of pespective. I would also like to hear more about the 26 years leading up to the 1979 Revolution.
In 1953, CIA's Operation AJAX overthrew democratically elected Prime Minister Mosaddegh and installed the Shah, just to keep cheap oil flowing to the West. The Shah's hated secret police (SAVAK), trained by CIA and MOSSAD, tortured and murdered Iranians until the 1979 revolution.
The US supported, and supplied weapons and poison gas for, Saddam's invasion of and 8 year war with Iran, a war that killed hundreds of thousands of Iranians (to this day Iranians may still be dying from those chemicals). Iranians remember the civilian aircraft shot down by the US Navy in 1988, killing 290 people.
It is not without some justification that Iran considers Israel and USA to be existential threats.
And adding to that, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), that Trump killed, was working (according to Trump's own cabinet and respected independent analysts), and was signed by seven nations plus the EU, including Iran's two largest trading partners, China and Russia. Trump's only stated reason for ripping it up was that "a better deal could be made". Maybe Netanyahu pushed him to do that. Maybe Trump was jealous of President Obama. In any case, Trump turned Iran's motivation from halting WMD to continuing WMD.
So, it is now about the oil. I am reminded of that by Trump's resurrection of Pearl Harbor, which was Japan's response to the US embargo on oil; I'm not saying Pearl Harbor was justified, I'm saying it was about oil.
Yes, what happens to Cubans? 'He' personifies the scourge upon us all.
Pari's open letter is an open letter to the reality of total domination without due care for the results. Her family's personal pain could be imagined through her words. If it is naive to believe we should all be free to live in peace and security, I am...
The parallels between the Cuban and Iranian Diaspora are something that needs to be reported on.
What happens when Trump takes Cuba?
I hope it doesn't come to that. I was too young to remember the Missile crisis, but even so, why must we hold this grudge?